A definitive beginner’s guide to the days of the week in French

1. French days of the week and their pronunciation

Before we cover exactly how to spell each day of the week, it’s important to cover pronunciation in French.

Unlike English, a language that stresses syllables depending on the length of the word or some of its endings, French will emphasize all of its syllables evenly. It’s essential to make sure you articulate each syllable equally with a clear voice.

3. FAQS for learning the French days of the week

Before we proceed with useful sentences containing days of the week, let’s see some of the most popular questions that are common amongst our students:

Are days of the week masculine or feminine in French?

Days of the week are always masculine in French. You will very often find them following the masculine article “le”, which corresponds to “the”. “Un” is also the translation for the singular “a” and will be common.

Do you capitalize days of the week in French?

No, they never get capitalized and neither do French months, for that matter.

How do you abbreviate days of the week in French?

All days of the week from Monday to Sunday are generally abbreviated as follows:

• Lundi -> lun
• Mardi -> mar
• Mercredi -> mer
• Jeudi -> jeu
• Vendredi -> ven
• Samedi -> sam
• Dimanche -> dim

How do I pronounce sounds that end with “n”, such as in “lundi”, “vendredi” or “dimanche”?

Small clusters such as “an”, “en”, “in”, “on”, or “un” are what we call nasal vowels. Why “nasal”? Because in order to make these sounds, some air has to go through your nose – and that is why the “o” in words such as “got” or “bond” can get a slightly different tinge.

Try practicing all the nasal vowels in the following words by repeating the English example, letting as much air go through your nose as possible:

• Lundi -> “un” such as in “fun”
• Vendredi -> “en” such as “want”
• Dimanche -> “an” such as “want”

Once you have mastered those sounds, there’s one last step to take care of: instead of bringing your tongue to the roof of your mouth to create this “n” sound, such as in “want”... Simply don’t!

The airflow is what will do the job when pronouncing the days of the week in French. While it may sound a bit counterintuitive at first, this valuable practice will make your communication much more powerful.

The launching date for your favorite series or an upcoming RSVP can now get a lot clearer in French. As you get more used to using days of the week in French, you’ll find that your thinking can get precise very quickly, and adding new details will progressively become a breeze.

Here are a few takeaways from the sentences we’ve just seen:

• In sentences where English would put a generalization in the plural, French favors the singular with the definitive article “le” right before the noun.
• For events which are going to happen soon, you do not need to use any article before the day of the week. “I’m leaving on Wednesday” would become “Je pars mercredi”. “I’ll be leaving in November on a Wednesday” would conversely be “Je partirai en novembre, un mercredi.”

Day in, day out, every day without fail

Having first wondered how to say the days of the week in French, you’re now ready to launch new conversations with strangers and friends alike. Apart from a few differences for articles and using the singular or the plural, both English and French work rather similarly.

To stay in keeping with your new knowledge, here’s an evocative French expression: “Le __________, tout est permis”, meaning “On ______, we may do whatever we want”. Now, they normally fill the blank with any day of the week minus “dimanche” (because it wouldn’t rhyme otherwise).

However, you’ve more than earned the respite of going out there and getting exactly what you want on today’s date.