# Days of the Week in French — Pronunciation and Memory Hooks

> The seven days of the week in French are **lundi** (Monday), **mardi** (Tuesday),
> **mercredi** (Wednesday), **jeudi** (Thursday), **vendredi** (Friday), **samedi**
> (Saturday) and **dimanche** (Sunday). The French week starts on Monday, and the days are
> never capitalised.

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Updated: 2026-08-27

## The seven days at a glance

Six of the seven days end in **-di**, and the seventh, *dimanche*, opens with **di-**
instead. That syllable is the Latin *dies*, "day". Everything attached to it is a name.

| French | Pronunciation | English & where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| lundi | luhn-DEE | Monday — from *lune*, the Moon (think "lunar") |
| mardi | mar-DEE | Tuesday — Mars, the war god (think Mardi Gras) |
| mercredi | mehr-kruh-DEE | Wednesday — Mercury, the messenger |
| jeudi | zhuh-DEE | Thursday — Jupiter, also called Jove |
| vendredi | vahn-druh-DEE | Friday — Venus, goddess of love |
| samedi | sam-DEE | Saturday — from "sabbath", the day of rest |
| dimanche | dee-MAHNSH | Sunday — from the Latin for "day of the Lord" |

English named its days after a different set of gods, which gives you five free memory
bridges: Monday/lundi both belong to the Moon, Tuesday's Tiw matches Mars, Wednesday's Woden
matches Mercury, Thursday's Thor matches Jupiter, and Friday's Frigg matches Venus. Only the
weekend parts company — *samedi* went to the sabbath, *dimanche* to the Lord.

Mardi Gras means "fat Tuesday", the last rich meal before Lent. One carnival you have heard
of, one day of the week learned for free.

## Three rules that surprise English speakers

- **Days are not capitalised.** They are ordinary common nouns: *je pars lundi*, never
  *Lundi*. A capital only appears at the start of a sentence. Months and languages follow
  the same rule.
- **The week starts on Monday.** French calendars and timetables run from *lundi* to
  *dimanche*, so the weekend sits at the end rather than split across both ends.
- **All seven are masculine.** *le lundi*, *le mercredi*, *le dimanche*, *un samedi*. One
  gender list you never have to memorise. (*La semaine* — the week itself — is feminine.)

## Lundi or le lundi?

This is the distinction learners actually get wrong. That little *le* is the difference
between one Monday and every Monday.

**The day on its own = one particular day**, and French needs no word for "on":

- *Je pars lundi.* — I'm leaving on Monday.
- *Il est arrivé mardi.* — He arrived on Tuesday.
- *On se voit vendredi ?* — Shall we meet on Friday?

**With *le* = a weekly habit**, which English handles by making the day plural:

- *Je travaille le lundi.* — I work on Mondays.
- *Le musée est fermé le mardi.* — The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
- *Elle fait du sport le samedi.* — She plays sport on Saturdays.

For extra emphasis, *tous les lundis* (too lay luhn-DEE) means "every single Monday".

Caution: don't reach for *sur* or *à* to translate the English "on". The day stands alone.

## Saying what day it is

| French | Pronunciation | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Quel jour sommes-nous ? | kel zhoor sum-NOO | What day is it? — the full, polite version |
| On est quel jour ? | ohn ay kel ZHOOR | same question, the way friends ask it |
| aujourd'hui | oh-zhoor-DWEE | today |
| demain | duh-MAN | tomorrow |
| hier | YEHR | yesterday |
| le week-end | luh week-END | the weekend — borrowed whole from English |
| À lundi ! | ah luhn-DEE | See you Monday! |
| toute la semaine | toot lah suh-MEN | all week |

To answer, French says "we are Monday": *Nous sommes lundi*, or casually *On est lundi*.

*À* plus a time is how the French say goodbye with a plan attached: *à demain*, *à samedi*,
*à la semaine prochaine*. Looking backwards, last week is *la semaine dernière*.

## FAQ

**What are the days of the week in French?**
Lundi (Monday), mardi (Tuesday), mercredi (Wednesday), jeudi (Thursday), vendredi (Friday),
samedi (Saturday) and dimanche (Sunday). Six end in -di, from the Latin *dies*, "day".

**Are French days of the week capitalized?**
No. They are ordinary common nouns and stay lowercase: je pars lundi, not Lundi. A capital
only appears at the start of a sentence.

**What day does the week start on in France?**
Monday. French calendars and timetables run from lundi to dimanche.

**How do you say "on Monday" in French?**
Just lundi — French needs no word for "on". Je pars lundi = "I'm leaving on Monday". Add le
for a habit: je travaille le lundi = "I work on Mondays".

**How do you ask what day it is?**
Quel jour sommes-nous ? (kel zhoor sum-NOO). Casually: On est quel jour ? Answer with Nous
sommes lundi, or On est lundi.

## Related guides

- Months in French: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides/months-in-french
- Colours in French: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides/colors-in-french
- Common French phrases: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides/common-french-phrases
- All guides: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides