week-end
/wi.kɛnd/masculine
The English phrase 'weekend' can be translated into French using week-end, weekend or fin de semaine.
Meaning: break in the working week (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| week-end | /wi.kɛnd/ /wi.kɑ̃d/ |
masculine |
| weekend | /wi.kɛnd/ | masculine |
| fin de semaine | /fɛ̃ də s(ə).mɛn/ /fɛ̃ d‿sə.mɛn/ |
Canada, feminine |
All forms refer to the break in the working week.
Which one should you use?
week-end is the standard spelling, while weekend is an informal version where the hyphen is omitted. In contrast to these anglicisms, fin de semaine is often used in more formal or traditional French contexts to convey the same idea.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec and other parts of Canada, fin de semaine is the standard way to say 'weekend'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word week-end is masculine, so you must use the masculine article le or un. To make week-end plural, simply add an s to the end to form les week-ends. Note that fin de semaine is feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
/wi.kɛnd/
Did you know?
- The word semaine is a linguistic relative of the number seven, originating from the Latin 'septimanus' which means 'pertaining to the seventh'.
- While week-end is common today, French once tried to replace it with the phrase fin de semaine to protect the language from English influence.
- While 'weekend' is a borrowed English word, the French version fin de semaine is a linguistic 'calque', meaning it was built by translating the English structure word for word into French.
Examples in context
- Le week-end est là.The weekend is here.This sentence uses week-end to state that the weekend has arrived.Tatoeba #4218295 by sacredceltic, translation #4192660 by User66640
- Bonne fin de week-end.Enjoy the rest of your weekend.This sentence uses week-end to wish someone a good rest of their weekend.Tatoeba #2800780 by vandpatr, translation #12469627 by sundown
- Le week-end commence !The weekend begins!This sentence uses week-end to announce the start of the weekend.Tatoeba #9095782 by felix63, translation #13011569 by rul
- un magnifique week-endA wonderful weekend
- un week-end relaxantA relaxing weekend
- J'ai hâte de profiter du week-end ensoleillé à la plage avec mes amis !I can't wait to enjoy the sunny weekend at the beach with my friends!
- 308 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are talking about their upcoming plans.
- LucasTu fais quoi ce week-end ?What are you doing this weekend?
- LéaJe vais voir une amie, et toi ?I am going to see a friend, and you?
- LucasMoi, je reste tranquillement chez moi.Me, I am staying quietly at my place.
- LéaPasse un bon week-end alors !Have a good weekend then!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “weekend” translations and entries week-end, weekend, fin de semaine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, fin, fin de semaine, semaine, week-end, weekend, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
