How to Read, Write and Say Dates in French

You might have heard that “The date is reversed in French.” But how does it work? What are the exceptions? And how can you sound fluent (and not
awkward) when saying the date in French?

Knowing how this tricky part of written and spoken French works is very important if you want to effortlessly navigate everyday French
conversations and situations.

For example: if you want to make a reservation to see a play at the theater La Comédie française in Paris for Tuesday, December 15th, how would
you say that date in French?

If your train ticket to Carcassonne says: 02/01/2020, what does it mean?

Let’s find out!

1) Saying the date in french: Days of the week,

How to Read, Write and Say Dates in French
numbers and months
Dates in French follow much easier rules than other parts of the French language, but
you still need to learn them at some point.

In order to say “Tuesday, December 15th,” you need to know how to say… well,
“Tuesday,” “December,” and “Fifteen” !
Learn how to talk about time with more
If you already know your French days, months and numbers sur le bout des doigts (= context (like when referring to the time of
perfectly, or “on your fingertips” as we say in French), skip ahead to section 2 of this day, “yesterday”, or “tomorrow”…) with the
lesson. lesson:

A French week is made of: The Days of the Week in French.

Lundi = Monday Learn more about French numbers with

Mardi = Tuesday these lessons:
Mercredi = Wednesday
French numbers (0-10): Pronunciation and
Jeudi = Thursday
Expressions
Vendredi = Friday
Samedi = Saturday Essential Guide to Counting in French: Rules
Dimanche = Sunday and pronunciation

Numbers are more complicated, there’s more of them! For example: Learn more about French months with this
lesson:
How to Read, Write and Say Dates in French
Un = 1 The French Months of the Year (and
Deux = 2 Seasons!)
Six = 6
Onze = 11
Douze = 12
Quinze = 15
Trente = 30
Trente-et-un = 31

French months are easier, as there are only 12 to remember:

Janvier = January
Février = February
Mars = March
Avril = April
Mai = May
Juin = June
Juillet = July
Août = August
Septembre = September
Novembre = November
Décembre = December
How to Read, Write and Say Dates in French

2) Saying the date in French: Rules, examples, and

practice exercises
Une date in French is never a romantic date. It’s always a day of the year.

Here are some examples of dates in French:

In French tradition, a date may also be a
Mardi 15 décembre = Tuesday, December 15th “Name day”, “la fête.” Learn more with my
Le 15 décembre = December 15th lesson: Name day in France
Le 15 décembre 2020 = December 15th, 2020
“On se voit le mardi 15 ?” = Can we meet on tuesday the 15th?

We generally express the date as:

Day of the week / Number / Month (+ Year) → le mardi 15 décembre (2020)

“Le” + Number (+ Month / Year) → le 15 = le 15 décembre = le 15 décembre 2020

Normally, the numbers are all “cardinal” (like 1, 2, 3, 4) and not “ordinal” (1st, 2nd,
3rd…).

But there is one key exception: The first day of the month is le 1er (“le premier”) = the
How to Read, Write and Say Dates in French
1st.

Le 1er février = February 1st

And now you understand how to read or say a date in French!

Even with abbreviations, the order remains the same:

Jour / Mois / Année = Day / Month / Year

For example: 15/12/2020 = December 15th, 2020

Le 6 avril = April 6th

Mercredi 11 mars = Wednesday, March 11th
12/06/2020 = le 12 juin 2020 = June 12th, 2020
30-oct.-1983 = le 30 octobre 1983 = October 30th, 1983 (This abbreviation style is
unusual but you might find it in some administrative paperwork)

Congratulations! Now you’re ready to use the date in French with all the other
numbers, months, and days of the week!

Want to go even further? Learn more with these other lessons:

French numbers
French days of the week
French months
Name day in France
How to Read, Write and Say Dates in French
À tout de suite !
I’ll see you in the next lesson.

And now:

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