Skip to content
Quick Guides

French I - Everyday Words and Phrases

Preview 10 of 44 pages

See the first 10 pages exactly as they appear in the document.

  1. Page 1
    Read page 1 as text

    Study Guide French I – Everyday Words and Phrases 1. Days and Dates in French 1. Days, Months, and Seasons in French • In French, days of the week, months of the year, and seasons are masculine nouns . • Unlike English, they are not capitalized , unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence . Example: • lundi (Monday) • juillet (July) 2. The French Calendar Starts on Monday French calendars begin with Monday as the first day of the week , not Sunday. This is important to remember when reading schedules or making appointments in French - speaking countries . 3. Days of the Week in French

  2. Page 2
    Read page 2 as text

    Study Guide 4. Months of the Year in French

  3. Page 3
    Read page 3 as text

    Study Guide How to Express Dates in French 5. Basic Date Structure French dates usually follow this order: (le) + day + (le) number + month + year The word “le” (the) can appear in different places or may sometimes be omitted. Example:

  4. Page 4
    Read page 4 as text

    Study Guide July 11, 2001 can be written as: • lundi onze juillet 2001 • lundi le onze juillet 2001 • le lundi onze juillet 2001 All of these forms are correct. 6. Special Rule for the First Day of the Month French uses premier (first) only for the first day of the month . For all other dates, cardinal numbers are used. Examples: • le premier avril (April 1st) • le deux mars (March 2nd) • le neuf juin (June 9th) 7. How Years Are Said in French Years are usually expressed in hundreds , similar to English. Examples: • 1999 o dix - neuf cent quatre - vingt - dix - neuf o mil neuf cent quatre - vingt - dix - neuf • 2000 o deux mille 8. Writing Dates with Numbers When writing dates using numbers, French follows the order: day + month + year

  5. Page 5
    Read page 5 as text

    Study Guide Example: • le 3 mai 2001 (May 3, 2001) • Written numerically: 3/5/01 This is different from the American format 5/3/01 . Understanding the Words for “Year” French has two words for “year” : 1. an Used with numbers or ordinal numbers . Example: • un an (one year) 2. année Used when the word year is described by an adjective . Examples: • une année (a year) • six bonnes années (six good years) • quelques années (some years) Sometimes either word can be used . Examples: • l'an dernier (last year) • l'année dernière (last year) Using Prepositions with Dates 1. Saying “On” a Day French uses the definite article “le” to express “on” a day . Example:

  6. Page 6
    Read page 6 as text

    Study Guide • Le lundi je vais en ville. (On Mondays, I go downtown.) 2. Saying “On” or “Of” in Dates English often uses “on” or “of” , but French does not include these words . Examples: • Il arrive le quatorze septembre. (He arrives on September 14th.) • Nous partons le quinze avril. (We leave on the 15th of April.) 3. Saying “In” a Month Use the preposition en before months. Example: • Je voyage en juillet. (I travel in July.) Asking About the Day or Date You can use the following questions to ask about today’s day or date . You can also replace aujourd’hui (today) with another day or event. Asking the Day • Quel jour est - ce aujourd’hui ? What day is today? • Quel jour sommes - nous aujourd’hui ? What day is today?

  7. Page 7
    Read page 7 as text

    Study Guide Possible answer: • C’est aujourd’hui… (Today is…) Asking the Date • Quelle est la date d’aujourd’hui ? What is today’s date? Possible answer: • C’est aujourd’hui… (Today is…) Helpful Time Expressions Some useful French expressions related to time include:

  8. Page 8
    Read page 8 as text

    Study Guide

  9. Page 9
    Read page 9 as text

    Study Guide These expressions help you talk about time periods, past events, and future plans . Key Takeaway To talk about dates in French, remember that days and months are masculine and not capitalized , the calendar starts on Monday , and the date format is day + month + year . Use premier only for the first day of the month , en with months , and le to express “on” a specific day . Learning common time expressions will also help you speak about past, present, and future events more naturally. 2. Telling Time in French 1. Asking and Answering the Time When talking about time in French, there are two very common questions you should know. Asking the current time: • Quelle heure est - il ? → What time is it? • Il est… → It is…

  10. Page 10
    Read page 10 as text

    Study Guide Example: • Quelle heure est - il ? • Il est trois heures. (It is 3:00.) Asking about a specific time: • À quelle heure… ? → At what time…? • À… → At… Example: • À quelle heure arrives - tu ? • À huit heures. (At 8:00.) 2. Expressing Time After the Hour To talk about minutes after the hour , simply add the number of minutes after the hour.

34 more pages in the full document

Unlock it once and it stays in your library, ready to chat with or turn into flashcards.

Unlock the full document

More World Languages study materials

See all

Study this document with CramX

Once it is in your library, every tool can work from it.