Speaking of the French Calendar

Speaking of the French Calendar A most basic topic of conversation, apart from the weather, is the time we live in- the day, the month, the season, the year. We mark time, literally, by the words for these signposts. So anyone seeking to speak French, or any other language, will want to know how to speak of such basic demarcations. Days of the Week Lets begin with the days of the week,  les  jours de la semaine.  The French week begins on Monday  so thats where well start. Note that the names of the days are not capitalized unless they start a sentence. lundi   Mondaymardi   Tuesdaymercredi Wednesdayjeudi Thursdayvendredi Fridaysamedi Saturdaydimanche Sunday The Definite Article Le When you are discussing days of the week, use the definite article le before each name, when you are talking about something that happens repeatedly on a certain day. To make each day plural, add an s. Je vois Pierre le lundi.   I see Pierre on Mondays.Nous travaillions le samedi.   We used to work on Saturdays.On y va tous les mercredis matin / soir. (NB: Matin  and soir here are adverbs and so dont agree.) We go there every Wednesday morning / evening. If youre talking about the day of a unique event, do not use an article, nor should you use a preposition equivalent to on.   Je lai vu dimanche. (I saw him on Sunday)  Il va arriver mercredi. (Hell arrive on Wednesday). Origins of Day Names Most names for days derive from Latin names for heavenly bodies (planets, moon and sun), which in turn were based on gods names. Lundi is based on Luna, the ancient Roman moon goddess; mardi is the day of Mars, ancient Roman god of war; mercredi is named after Mercury, winged messenger of the ancient Roman gods; jeudi is devoted to Jupiter, monarch of the ancient Roman gods; vendredi is the day of Venus, ancient Roman goddess of love; samedi derives from the Latin for Sabbath; and  the last day, though named in Latin for Sol, the ancient Roman sun god, became dimanche in French based on the Latin for Lords day. Months of the Year The French names for months of the year, les mois de lannà ©e,  are based on Latin  names and ancient Roman life.  Note that months are not  capitalized  either. janvier  Ã‚  Januaryfà ©vrier  Ã‚  Februarymars  Ã‚  Marchavril  Ã‚  Aprilmai  Ã‚  Mayjuin  Ã‚  Junejuillet  Ã‚  Julyaoà »t  Ã‚  Augustseptembre  Ã‚  Septemberoctobre  Ã‚  Octobernovembre  Ã‚  Novemberdà ©cembre  Ã‚  December The Four Seasons The passing of the four seasons, les quatre saisons, has inspired many an artist. Antonio Vivaldis famed  concerto grosso may be the benchmark. These are the evocative names the French bestowed on the seasons:   le  printemps   springlà ©tà ©Ã‚   summerlautomne   autumn/falllhiver   winter Expressions related to the seasons: Attacher lundi avec mardiCe nest pas mardi gras aujourdhui.Le chassà ©-croisà © des juillettistes et des aoà »tiensEn avril, ne te dà ©couvre pas dun fil.Une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps.Passer lheure dà ©tà ©Passer lheure dhiver Talking About Specific Dates Questions:   Whats the date? Quelle est la date  ?Quelle est la date aujourdhui?Quelle est la date de (la fà ªte, ton anniversaire...)?What date is (the party, your birthday...)?(You cannot say quest-ce que la date or quest-ce qui est la date, because quelle is the only to way to say what here.) Statements:In French (and in most languages),  the number must precede the month, like this: Cest  Ã‚  le  (definite article)   cardinal number  Ã‚  month   Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest le 30 octobre.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest le 8 avril.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest le 2 janvier. Exceptionally, the first day of the month requires an  ordinal number:  1er  or  premier for 1st or first:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest le premier avril.  Cest le 1er  avril.   Its the first (1st) of April.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest le premier juillet.  Cest le 1er  juillet.   Its the first (1st) of July. For all of the above statements, you can replace Cest  with  On est  or  Nous sommes.  The meaning is essentially the same in each case and all can be translated with It is.....   Ã‚  Ã‚  On est le 30 octobre.Nous sommes le premier juillet. To include the year, add it at the end of the date:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest le 8 avril 2013.On est le 1er  juillet 2014.Nous sommes le 18 octobre 2012. Idiomatic calendar expression:  Tous les 36 du mois   Once in a blue moon