The days of the week in French are lundi (Monday), mardi (Tuesday), mercredi (Wednesday), jeudi (Thursday), vendredi (Friday), samedi (Saturday), and dimanche (Sunday), the same seven words used everywhere French is spoken, from Paris to Dakar to Montreal. The French week starts on lundi rather than Sunday, and every name stays lowercase mid-sentence. Here is the full set with audio, where the names come from, and the one rule that decides whether you drop the article or keep it.
The seven days, with audio
These seven come from the time theme of Vocabcord's A1 French set, 34 time-related phrases out of 624 total in the pack. Tap the play button on any row to hear a day spoken.
| French | English | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| lundi | Monday | I work on Monday. |
| mardi | Tuesday | Tuesday is my busy day. |
| mercredi | Wednesday | We meet on Wednesday. |
| jeudi | Thursday | Thursday afternoon is free. |
| vendredi | Friday | Friday night is movie night. |
| samedi | Saturday | Saturday is the weekend. |
| dimanche | Sunday | Sunday morning is quiet. |
Where the day names come from
Five of the seven weekday names carry planet names hidden inside them, inherited straight from Latin: lundi comes from lunae dies, the day of the moon; mardi from Martis dies, Mars; mercredi from Mercurii dies, Mercury; jeudi from Jovis dies, Jupiter; and vendredi from Veneris dies, Venus. The weekend breaks the pattern: samedi traces back to sabbati dies, the Sabbath, and dimanche to dies dominica, the Lord's day. The roots will not change how you use the words day to day, but they are the kind of hook that makes five names in a row easier to keep straight.
'Lundi' or 'le lundi': one Monday or every Monday
French marks a single Monday and a repeating Monday with the article, and the corpus shows both patterns in the wild. Drop the article for one specific day: Je travaille lundi (I work on Monday, this Monday) and On se voit mercredi (we meet on Wednesday, this Wednesday) both name a single upcoming date, no le in sight. Add le in front of the day for something that happens every week: Le mardi, je suis très occupé (Tuesday is my busy day, meaning every Tuesday) and Le vendredi soir, c'est soirée cinéma (Friday night is movie night, meaning every Friday) both describe a standing pattern that repeats every week. The rule fits in one line: skip the article for a single day, add le for a habit.
Is Monday the first day of the week in France?
Yes. French calendars and weekly planners, from a classroom wall chart to a printed agenda, put lundi first and dimanche last, following the same Monday-first convention set by the ISO 8601 international standard and used across most of Europe. That is a different order from calendars in the United States, which typically start the week on Sunday, so a French weekly grid can look shifted by one column to a US eye at first glance.
Are the days of the week different in Quebec French?
No. Quebec, Belgium, and Switzerland all use the same seven words as France: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche. Regional French does shift some everyday vocabulary (Belgian and Swiss French count septante and nonante where France says soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix), but the days of the week do not vary. There is no separate Quebec or Belgian list to learn.
Are the days of the week capitalized in French?
No. French writes all seven day names lowercase in the middle of a sentence, on se voit mercredi, and saves capitals for the start of a sentence. The twelve month names, janvier through décembre, follow the identical rule and stay lowercase mid-sentence too.
Let the week do the reviewing
The days of the week come back every single week, so they are some of the fastest words to lock in once you have heard them a few times. Vocabcord builds on that natural repeat rather than adding a study schedule on top of it: every time you plug in your phone to charge, one phrase plays out loud, drawn from your level and spaced so it returns right before it fades. Say vendredi to yourself as the weekend gets close, and the app covers the rest of the week in between. Get Vocabcord on the App Store and start with lundi today.
Common questions
What are the days of the week in French?
Lundi (Monday), mardi (Tuesday), mercredi (Wednesday), jeudi (Thursday), vendredi (Friday), samedi (Saturday), and dimanche (Sunday). The same seven words are used everywhere French is spoken, and the week starts on lundi rather than Sunday.
What are the French days of the week in order?
In the order a French calendar lists them: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche, Monday through Sunday. French calendars start the week on lundi, not Sunday.
How do you say 'on Monday' in French?
Lundi, with no article, for one specific Monday: je travaille lundi means I work on Monday, this coming Monday. Add le for something that happens every week instead: le lundi means on Mondays, as a standing habit.
Is Monday the first day of the week in France?
Yes. French calendars put lundi first and dimanche last, the Monday-first convention used across most of Europe, unlike the Sunday-first calendars common in the United States.
What day is lundi in English?
Monday. Lundi is the first day of the French week, and its name comes from the Latin lunae dies, day of the moon.
Are the days of the week different in Quebec French?
No. Quebec, Belgium, and Switzerland all use the same seven words as France: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche. There is no separate regional list.
Are the days of the week capitalized in French?
No, they stay lowercase mid-sentence: on se voit mercredi. Capital letters are reserved for the start of a sentence.
Do you capitalize the days of the week in French?
No. French treats day names as ordinary nouns, so lundi, mardi, and the rest only take a capital when they open a sentence, never mid-sentence the way English capitalizes Monday and Tuesday.
