un jour ou l’autre
The English phrase 'sometime' can be translated into French as un jour ou l’autre.
un jour ou l’autre is used to describe something that will happen at an indefinite but stated time in the past or future. Other related expressions include un jour, which means 'one day' and implies something will happen in the future at an indefinite time and parfois, which means 'sometimes'.
Meaning: at an indefinite but stated time in the past or future (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase un jour ou l’autre literally translates to 'one day or the other'.
Which one should you use?
While un jour translates to 'one day', adding the phrase ou l’autre (or the other) serves to emphasize the inevitability of the event occurring at some unspecified point.
Did you know?
- While un jour ou l’autre is common, French speakers often use the phrase un de ces quatre as a very casual way to say 'sometime soon'. It is a shortened version of un de ces quatre matins, meaning 'one of these four mornings'.
- The word jour is a doublet of the French word diurne, which is used in scientific contexts to describe animals active during the day. Both words share the same Late Latin ancestor, diurnum.
- The word jour in un jour ou l’autre shares a common ancestor with the English word 'journal', as both stem from the Latin 'diurnum' meaning 'daily'.
Examples in context
- Nous devrons nous réunir à un moment donné pour discuter de ce problème.We will have to meet sometime to discuss this issue.
- On devrait aller au cinéma un de ces jours.We should go to the movies sometime.
- Parfois, je ne comprends pas pourquoi il agit ainsi.Sometimes, I don't understand why he behaves like that.
- Un jour, je visiterai Paris.I will visit Paris sometime in the future.
- On se verra un jour ou l’autre.We will see each other sometime.
- Il finira par réussir un jour ou l’autre.He will succeed sooner or later, sometime.
- Tu devrais m'appeler un jour ou l’autre.You should call me sometime.
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are saying goodbye after a brief meeting.
- ManonOn devrait prendre un café un jour ou l’autre.We should grab a coffee sometime.
- LucasC'est une bonne idée, Manon.That is a good idea, Manon.
- ManonJe t'appellerai pour organiser ça.I will call you to organize that.
- LucasD'accord, à bientôt !Okay, see you soon!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sometime” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jour, ou, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
