Days of the Week in French: Names, Usage & Examples

The days of the week in French are lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, and dimanche. They are used without capitalization, follow specific grammar rules, and often appear without prepositions like “on.” Learning how to pronounce and use French weekdays correctly helps you talk about schedules, routines, and plans in everyday French conversations.

What Are the Days of the Week in French?

To better understand the French names for the days of the week, it helps to look back to their origins in the Roman era. The seven-day week was inspired by the seven “wandering” celestial bodies visible at the time—the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and the Sun—which were later associated with Roman deities. This influence can still be seen across many European languages.

For instance, mardi (Tuesday) is named after Mars, jeudi (Thursday) comes from Jupiter, and vendredi (Friday) is connected to Venus. 

Over time, however, Christian influence in France altered the names of two days: Saturday and Sunday. The day once linked to Saturn became samedi, derived from the word sabbat, while Sunday became dimanche, meaning “the Lord’s day,” from the Latin dies dominica.

Here are the seven days of the week in French with Pronunciation:

English	French	Pronunciation
Monday	Lundi	luhn-dee
Tuesday	Mardi	mar-dee
Wednesday	Mercredi	mehr-kruh-dee
Thursday	Jeudi	zhuh-dee
Friday	Vendredi	vahn-druh-dee
Saturday	Samedi	sam-dee
Sunday	Dimanche	dee-mahnsh

Capitalization Rules for Days of the Week in French

In French, the days of the week are not written with capital letters, which is different from English. When you mention a day such as lundi or mardi in a sentence, it should always be written in lowercase.

For example, the sentence Je travaille lundi means “I work on Monday” and is written correctly in French. Writing Lundi with a capital letter in the middle of a sentence is considered incorrect.

The only time a French day of the week is capitalized is when it appears at the beginning of a sentence, just like any other word that starts a sentence.

How to Say “On” in French When Talking About Days

In French, the word “on” is not used before days of the week in the same way it is in English. When you want to say “on Monday” or “on Thursday,” French simply uses the day name by itself, without a preposition.

For example, “on Monday” is said as lundi, and “on Thursday” becomes jeudi.
In the sentence Elle arrive jeudi, this means “She arrives on Thursday.”

When you are talking about something that happens regularly or every week, French uses the article le before the day. For instance, le vendredi means “on Fridays” or “every Friday.” In the sentence Le vendredi, on sort, the meaning is “On Fridays, we go out.”

This structure is very common in everyday French and is important for speaking naturally and correctly.

Common French Expressions for Days, Weeks, and Dates

French has many words and phrases that help talk about time, days, and weeks. Here are the most commonly used expressions:

English	French	Pronunciation
Today	aujourd’hui	oh-zhoor-dwee
Yesterday	hier	ee-air
Tomorrow	demain	duh-man
Day before yesterday	avant-hier	ah-vahn-ee-air
Day after tomorrow	après-demain	ah-preh duh-man
This week	cette semaine	set suh-men
Next week	la semaine prochaine	lah suh-men pro-shen
Last week	la semaine dernière	lah suh-men der-nee-air
Date	la date	lah daht
Calendar	le calendrier	luh ka-lahn-dree-ay
Weekend	le week-end	luh week-ehnd
Weekday	un jour de la semaine	uh(n) zhoor duh lah suh-men
Holiday	un jour férié	uh(n) zhoor feh-ree-ay
Every day	tous les jours	too lay zhoor
Each week	chaque semaine	shahk suh-men

Practice French Days of the Week with Expert Lessons

Learning the days of the week is just the first step in mastering French. To truly improve your pronunciation, grammar, and everyday conversation skills, exploring structured lessons can make all the difference.

Private French Lessons in Paris Marais – Get one-on-one guidance tailored to your level and goals with Private French Lessons

Small Group French Lessons in Paris – Learn in a Small French group class environment while practicing speaking and listening.

Online French Lessons – Flexible online French lessons you can take from anywhere, perfect for busy schedules. 

Whether you want to practice weekdays, talk about schedules, or improve your everyday French, these lessons help you gain confidence and fluency fast.