aujourd'hui, c'est mercredi
The English phrase 'today is Wednesday' is translated into French as aujourd'hui, c'est mercredi.
You use this phrase to state that the current day of the week is Wednesday. Other days of the week include lundi (Monday), mardi (Tuesday), mercredi (Wednesday), jeudi (Thursday), vendredi (Friday), samedi (Saturday) and dimanche (Sunday).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'today, it is Wednesday'. It uses the contraction c'est (a combination of ce and est) to mean 'it is' or 'this is'.
Which one should you use?
There are several ways to express this idea informally. You can say aujourd'hui, c'est mercredi, C'est mercredi aujourd'hui or On est mercredi aujourd'hui.
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, days of the week like mercredi are not capitalized unless they are the first word in a sentence.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying aujourd'hui est mercredi. While this follows English logic, it sounds unnatural in French. You should instead include c'est to say aujourd'hui, c'est mercredi.
Did you know?
- The word aujourd'hui is actually a tiny sentence hiding in plain sight. It was formed by merging the words 'au', 'jour', 'de' and the Latin word 'hodie', which means 'today'.
- In France, mercredi has a special cultural status because it was traditionally the day when primary school children had no classes. While some schools returned to classes on this day, it remains a day for sports and extracurricular activities.
- If you use on est mercredi to state the date, the word on technically means 'one' or 'we'. You are essentially saying 'we are Wednesday'.
Examples in context
- Aujourd'hui, c'est mercredi.Today is Wednesday.This example shows how to state the current day using aujourd'hui, c'est mercredi.Tatoeba #5500104 by Adelpa, translation #1458036 by CK
- Aujourd'hui est mercredi, nous devons finaliser le projet.Today is Wednesday, we need to finalize the project.
- On est mercredi aujourd'hui.It's Wednesday today.
- Aujourd'hui, c'est mercredi, n'est-ce pas ?Today is Wednesday, isn't it?
- Je me suis trompé, aujourd'hui, c'est mercredi.I was mistaken, today is Wednesday.
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are checking their schedules.
- EmmaOn a cours demain ?Do we have class tomorrow?
- GabrielNon, car aujourd'hui, c'est mercredi.No, because today is Wednesday.
- EmmaC'est vrai, je me suis trompée.That's true, I was mistaken.
- GabrielPas de problème, Emma.No problem, Emma.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aujourd'hui, c'est, mercredi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
