French Numbers, Dates, and Days of the Week | Basic Expressions with Examples

When learning French, numbers, dates, and days of the week are unavoidable. These expressions are essential in everyday conversation: introducing yourself, confirming schedules, stating your age, or celebrating birthdays.

In this lesson, I will explain the basics of numbers, the grammatical rules for expressing dates and days, and how to use them naturally in conversation.

1. Basics of Numbers, Dates, and Days

1-1. Numbers

When learning numbers in French, it is important to firmly memorize the forms from 1 to 20. Since spelling and pronunciation do not always match, learners often get confused in listening and writing. Therefore, it is effective to learn them both visually and aurally.

From 21 onward, numbers combine as in vingt et un (21) or vingt-deux (22). However, the focus of this lesson is to master numbers up to 20.

1-2. Days of the Week

Days of the week are essential vocabulary in daily use. Unlike English, the initial letter is lowercase unless at the beginning of a sentence. In French, all days of the week are treated as masculine nouns.

1-3. Months and Dates

Dates in French are expressed in the order day → month → year. Only the first day of the month uses the ordinal (premier). All other days use cardinal numbers. Month names, like days of the week, are written in lowercase except at the beginning of a sentence.

Examples:

2. Using Articles with Days of the Week

In French, a day of the week may appear with or without an article, depending on the meaning.

Thus, “le + day of the week” expresses a recurring event (“every ~ day”).

3. Numbers and Age Expressions

When stating age in French, the verb avoir (to have) is used, not être (to be) as in English.

Structure: avoir + number + ans

4. Summary

泉（Izumi）

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