Mastering the nuances of writing dates in French is important for efficient communication on this language. The French language possesses a singular algorithm and conventions with regards to expressing dates, which could be initially daunting for non-native audio system. Nonetheless, by understanding these conventions and placing them into apply, you’ll be able to talk dates precisely and clearly in French.
The format for writing dates in French follows a logical and constant sample. The day of the month comes first, adopted by the month, and at last the yr. That is in distinction to the English format, which locations the month earlier than the day. For instance, the date July 4th, 2023, can be written as “le 4 juillet 2023” in French. Moreover, the French language makes use of ordinal numbers for the day of the month, apart from the primary day, which is just “le premier” (the primary).
When writing the month in French, it is very important use the proper type. Months in French are usually lowercase, apart from the primary letter. Moreover, some months have particular varieties when utilized in dates. As an illustration, “avril” (April) turns into “d’avril” when preceded by a day of the month. That is additionally the case for “août” (August), which turns into “d’août” in dates. By observing these conventions, you’ll be able to be sure that your written dates are each correct and grammatically right in French.
Capitalizing Months and Days
In French, the names of months and days of the week are capitalized when they’re utilized in a sentence. That is true no matter whether or not they’re written in full or abbreviated type.
Months
The names of months are at all times capitalized in French. For instance:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Janvier | January |
| Février | February |
| Mars | March |
| Avril | April |
| Mai | Could |
Days of the Week
The names of days of the week are additionally at all times capitalized in French. For instance:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Lundi | Monday |
| Mardi | Tuesday |
| Mercredi | Wednesday |
| Jeudi | Thursday |
| Vendredi | Friday |
| Samedi | Saturday |
| Dimanche | Sunday |
Noting Exceptions and Particular Instances
When writing dates in French, there are a couple of exceptions and particular instances to bear in mind:
Final Day of the Month
The final day of the month is written as follows:
| Date | French |
|---|---|
| 30 | trente |
| 31 | trente et un |
Years
Years are usually written in numerals, apart from the next:
- 10 to 99: written in phrases, with hyphens between tens and items
- 100 to 999: written in numerals, with an area between lots of and items
- 1,000 and above: written in numerals
Many years
Many years are written as follows:
| Decade | French |
|---|---|
| Eighties | années quatre-vingt |
| Nineties | années quatre-vingt-dix |
| 2000s | années deux mille |
| 2010s | années deux mille dix |
Centuries
Centuries are written as follows:
| Century | French |
|---|---|
| nineteenth century | le XIXe siècle |
| twentieth century | le XXe siècle |
| twenty first century | le XXIe siècle |
The best way to Write a Date in French
Writing a date in French is just like writing a date in English, however there are a couple of key variations to bear in mind.
The primary distinction is that the day of the month is written earlier than the title of the month in French. For instance, as an alternative of writing “March 15, 2023” in English, you’d write “15 mars 2023” in French.
The second distinction is that the yr is written in full in French. For instance, as an alternative of writing “2023” in English, you’d write “deux mille vingt-trois” in French.
Listed below are some examples of dates written in French:
- 15 mars 2023
- 24 juin 2023
- 12 octobre 2023
