How to tell date in French?

To tell the date in French, you typically follow a specific structure: "le + day number + month name." This format is crucial for both speaking and writing dates accurately.

Understanding the Basic Structure

The fundamental way to express a date in French involves three key elements:

• le: The definite article "the." It is always used before the day number.
• Day Number: The numerical day of the month.
• Month Name: The name of the month in French.

For example, to say "March 7," you would say "le 7 mars."

Writing Numerical Dates

When writing dates numerically, the order in French differs from what is common in the United States. In French, the first number represents the date, and the second number represents the month.

• French Numerical Order: day / month / year
• Example: March 7, 2015, is written as 7 / 3 / 2015.

Key Components of French Dates

1. Months of the Year (Les Mois de l'Année)

Months in French are generally not capitalized unless they start a sentence.

• janvier (January)
• février (February)
• mars (March)
• avril (April)
• mai (May)
• juin (June)
• juillet (July)
• août (August)
• septembre (September)
• octobre (October)
• novembre (November)
• décembre (December)

2. Days of the Month (Les Jours du Mois)

Numbers are used as they are, except for the first day of the month.

• Special Case: The First of the Month
  For the first day of any month, you use the ordinal number "premier" (first) instead of the cardinal number "un" (one).

  • Example: January 1st = le premier janvier (or le 1er janvier).

• For all other days, simply use the cardinal number.

  • Example: May 15th = le 15 mai
  • Example: December 24th = le 24 décembre

How to Ask for and State the Date

To ask "What's the date today?" or "What day is it?", you can use:

• Quelle est la date aujourd'hui ? (What is the date today?)
• Nous sommes quel jour ? (What day are we?)

To answer, you would typically use:

• Nous sommes le... (We are the...)
• C'est le... (It is the...)

Example:

• Q: Quelle est la date aujourd'hui ?
• A: Nous sommes le 10 octobre. (It is October 10th.)

Putting It All Together: Examples

Here's a table summarizing common date expressions:

Important Considerations

• No Capitalization for Months: Unlike English, month names in French are generally lowercase unless they begin a sentence.
• No "th" or "st" Suffixes: In French, you do not add suffixes like "th," "st," "nd," or "rd" to the day number. The number itself suffices.
• Year (L'année): To add the year, simply state it after the month. For example, "May 1st, 2024" would be le premier mai 2024. Years are typically read as two-digit pairs (e.g., deux mille vingt-quatre for 2024) or full numbers.

Mastering these straightforward rules will enable you to confidently tell and write dates in French. For further details on French grammar and common phrases, you can consult reliable resources such as About French.com or Collins Dictionary.