French Days of the Week: Les Jours de la Semaine

Here are all seven days in order, starting with Monday. Each includes phonetic pronunciation and a natural example showing everyday usage.

Days in Order

• Lundi (Monday): "Luhn-DEE" - Lundi je travaille tôt. (On Monday I work early.)
• Mardi (Tuesday): "Mar-DEE" - Mardi est mon jour préféré. (Tuesday is my favorite day.)
• Mercredi (Wednesday): "Mehr-kruh-DEE" - Mercredi j'ai rendez-vous. (Wednesday I have an appointment.)
• Jeudi (Thursday): "Zhuh-DEE" - Jeudi soir on sort. (Thursday night we're going out.)
• Vendredi (Friday): "Vahn-druh-DEE" - Vendredi c'est la fête! (Friday is party time!)
• Samedi (Saturday): "Sahm-DEE" - Samedi je fais les courses. (Saturday I go shopping.)
• Dimanche (Sunday): "Dee-MAHNSH" - Dimanche je me repose. (Sunday I rest.)

Related Time Words

• Le lundi (on Mondays): "Luh luhn-DEE" - Le lundi je vais à la gym. (On Mondays I go to the gym.)
• Le week-end (the weekend): "Luh week-END" - Bon week-end! (Have a good weekend!)
• La semaine (the week): "Lah suh-MEN" - Cette semaine je suis occupé. (This week I'm busy.)
• Aujourd'hui (today): "Oh-zhoor-DWEE" - Aujourd'hui c'est vendredi. (Today is Friday.)
• Demain (tomorrow): "Duh-MAN" - Demain c'est samedi. (Tomorrow is Saturday.)
• Hier (yesterday): "Ee-YEHR" - Hier c'était jeudi. (Yesterday was Thursday.)
• Après-demain (day after tomorrow): "Ah-preh duh-MAN" - Après-demain je pars. (The day after tomorrow I leave.)
• Avant-hier (day before yesterday): "Ah-vahn-TYEHR" - Avant-hier j'ai travaillé. (The day before yesterday I worked.)

French day names come from Latin and honor seven celestial bodies: the sun, moon, and five visible planets. Romans associated each with gods, and this pattern appears in all Romance languages. Learning the etymology helps you remember the words and recognize patterns across languages.

The Seven Celestial Bodies

• Lundi: From "lunae dies" (day of the Moon). Related to "la lune" (the moon) and English "Monday."
• Mardi: From "Martis dies" (day of Mars). Named for Mars, god of war.
• Mercredi: From "Mercurii dies" (day of Mercury). Named for Mercury, the Roman messenger god.
• Jeudi: From "Jovis dies" (day of Jupiter). Named for Jupiter, king of the Roman gods.
• Vendredi: From "Veneris dies" (day of Venus). Named for Venus, goddess of love.
• Samedi: From "sabbati dies" (day of Sabbath). Shares roots with Hebrew "shabbat" and English "Sabbath."
• Dimanche: From "dies dominicus" (day of the Lord). Named for the Christian Lord's Day.

Related Time Vocabulary

• Le jour (the day): "Luh zhoor" - From Latin "diurnum," related to "diurnal."
• La nuit (the night): "Lah NWEE" - From Latin "noctem," related to "nocturnal."
• Le matin (morning): "Luh mah-TAN" - From Latin "matutinum."
• L'après-midi (afternoon): "Lah-preh mee-DEE" - Literally "after midday."
• Le soir (evening): "Luh SWAHR" - From Latin "sero" (late).
• Le mois (month): "Luh MWAH" - From Latin "mensis," related to "moon."
• L'année (year): "Lah-NAY" - From Latin "annus," related to "annual."
• La saison (season): "Lah seh-ZOHN" - From Latin "satio" (sowing time).

Using French days correctly requires understanding a few simple rules about articles, prepositions, and common expressions. These patterns come up constantly in everyday conversation.

No Preposition Before Days

French does not use "on" before a day. Say "lundi" (Monday) alone, not "sur lundi" or "à lundi."

• Je te vois lundi. (I'll see you on Monday.)
• Appelle-moi mercredi. (Call me on Wednesday.)

Using "Le" for Repeated Days

"Le" + day means "every" that day or "on Mondays" as a habit.

• Le vendredi je sors. (On Fridays I go out. / Every Friday I go out.)
• Le lundi je vais à la gym. (On Mondays I go to the gym.)
• Le dimanche on se voit. (On Sundays we see each other.)

Specifying "This" or "Next"

• Ce samedi: This Saturday - Ce samedi je pars. (This Saturday I'm leaving.)
• Samedi prochain: Next Saturday - On se voit samedi prochain. (We're meeting next Saturday.)
• Samedi dernier: Last Saturday - Samedi dernier il a plu. (Last Saturday it rained.)

Common Expressions with Days

• Quel jour sommes-nous? (What day is it?) - Quel jour sommes-nous? (What day is today?)
• On est + jour: It's [day] (informal) - On est mardi. (It's Tuesday.)
• Bon + jour: Have a good [day] - Bon lundi! (Have a good Monday!)
• En semaine: During the week / on weekdays - Je travaille en semaine. (I work during the week.)
• Le week-end: On the weekend - Le week-end je me repose. (On weekends I rest.)
• Tous les jours: Every day - Je cours tous les jours. (I run every day.)
• Du lundi au vendredi: Monday to Friday - Ouvert du lundi au vendredi. (Open Monday to Friday.)
• Jour férié: Public holiday - C'est un jour férié. (It's a public holiday.)
• Jour ouvrable: Working day / weekday - Livraison sous trois jours ouvrables. (Delivery within three working days.)
• Chaque jour: Each day - Chaque jour est différent. (Every day is different.)

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