How to Write the Date in French

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Writing the date in French is not difficult, although Americans should remember to switch to a "day month" format. Unlike in English, the names of months or days of the week are not capitalized.

Sample Ways to Write the Date

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Writing and Pronouncing Dates in French

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    The French names are written above in italic , with the French pronunciation following in parentheses. [1] An (n) in parentheses represents a nasalized "n."
    • January: janvier (zhah(n)-vyay)
    • February: février (fay-vree-yay)
    • March: mars (mahrs)
    • April: avril (ah-vreel)
    • May: mai (meh)
    • June: juin (zhwa(n))
    • July: juillet (zhwee-eh)
    • August: août (oot)
    • September: septembre (sehp-tah(n)br)
    • October: octobre (ohk-tohbr)
    • November: novembre (noh-vah(n)br)
    • December: décembre (day-sah(n)br)
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    In French, the date is written in "day month year" order, with no commas separating each term. Note that the month is not capitalized. Here are a couple examples (plus the abbreviated version):
    • 4 août 1789 (4/8/1789)
    • 15 mars 2015 (15/3/2015)
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    To read the date out loud, add le to the beginning of the date, and read all dates as cardinal numbers ("five" instead of "fifth"). [2] Here are the previous examples written as you would say them. Study how to count in French if you are not familiar with reading French numbers:
    • "le quatre août mille sept cent quatre-vingt-neuf"
    • "le quinze mars deux mille quatorze"
    • Every month is a masculine noun, so the article used is always le .
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    When talking about the first day of the month, use "1er" in writing, and say "premier" when speaking aloud. This is the only date that uses ordinal numbers ("first") instead of cardinal ("one"). For example: [3]
    • 1er avril (1/4), spoken "le premier avril"
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Writing and Pronouncing the Days of the Week

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    Refer to the list above to learn the days of the week in French, along with how they are pronounced. [4] Note that the days of the week are not capitalized in French.
    • Monday: lundi (luh(n)-dee)
    • Tuesday: mardi (mahr-dee)
    • Wednesday: mercredi (mehr-kruh-dee)
    • Thursday: jeudi (zhuh-dee)
    • Friday: vendredi (vah(n)-druh-dee)
    • Saturday: samedi (sahm-dee)
    • Sunday: dimanche (dee-mah(n)sh)
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    This is identical to writing the date, with the day of the week added to the front of the phrase. Here's an example: [5]
    • English: Wednesday, the 5th of June
    • French (written): mercredi, le 5 juin 2001 (formal)
    • French (written): mercredi 5 juin 2001 (normal)
    • French (spoken): mercredi cinq juin deux mille un
    • French (spoken): le mercredi cinq juin deux mille un (eventually if you want to describe a precise day)
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    Every day of the week is a masculine noun, so the article le is used. For example, "Le samedi est le sixième jour." means "Saturday is the sixth day." However, when you are talking about an event that occurred on a specific day, know the difference between le samedi and samedi : [6]
    • Samedi, je dîne au restaurant. = On Saturday, I dine at a restaurant. (A single event.)
    • Le samedi, je dîne au restaurant. = Every Saturday, I dine at a restaurant. (A repeated event.)
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Using Dates in Phrases

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    Ask someone today's date by saying or writing Quelle est la date aujourd’hui? [7]
    • Aujourd'hui means "today." Optionally, you can use d'aujourd'hui ("of today") to use the word as a noun instead of an adverb. Both are widely used.
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    To ask for the day of the week, say Quel jour sommes-nous aujourd’hui? or Quel jour est-on aujourd’hui? [8]
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    If someone asks you one of the above questions, be prepared to answer: [9]
    • To answer with "Today is Monday, November 15th," write Aujourd'hui, c'est le lundi 15 novembre .
    • To answer "Today is Sunday," say Aujourd'hui, c'est dimanche. or simply C'est dimanche .
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    Use this word to write "in July" ( en juillet ), "in 1950" ( en 1950 ), "in April 2011" ( en avril 2011 ), and so forth. [10] This phrase can go at the front or the end of a sentence. For example:
    • J’ai un rendez-vous chez le médecin en mars. = I have an appointment with the doctor in March.
    • J'ai vécu à Paris en 1990. = I lived in Paris in 1990.
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  • Question
    Is 05/08/17 August 5, 2017?
    Community Answer
    Yes. As the article says, the date is written in "day month year" order.
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    How can I make my keyboard French?
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    Go to the language settings of your computer and choose "French." Your keyboard should then have an option to change it to French.
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  • Question
    How do ask, "What is today's date?"
    Dodo47
    Top Answerer
    You can say "Quelle est la date d'aujourd'hui ?" (What's today's date?) Or more common: "On est quel jour aujourd'hui ?"
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    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      References

      1. ↑ https://reference.yourdictionary.com/other-languages/learn-months-year-days-week-french
      2. ↑ http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-talking-about-days-months-seasons-and-dates.html
      3. ↑ https://www.mezzoguild.com/learn/french/numbers/
      4. ↑ http://french.languagedaily.com/wordsandphrases/days-of-the-week
      5. ↑ https://reference.yourdictionary.com/other-languages/learn-months-year-days-week-french
      6. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zhsnn9q
      7. ↑ https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/french/french-i/french-i-everyday-words-and-phrases/days-and-dates
      8. ↑ https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/french/french-i/french-i-everyday-words-and-phrases/days-and-dates
      9. ↑ https://reference.yourdictionary.com/other-languages/learn-months-year-days-week-french
      1. ↑ http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-talking-about-days-months-seasons-and-dates.html

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To write the date in French, start by writing the date of the month, followed by the month, and finally the year. Do not capitalize the name of the month. If you need to include the day of the week, write that first. If the date you are writing is the first of the month, write it as “1er,” pronounced premier, followed by the name of the month. For a list of the French names of the months and their pronunciation, keep reading!

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