Days of the week and parts of the day

Introduction to Days of the Week and Parts of the Day in French

This lesson introduces the essential vocabulary and expressions for discussing days of the week and different parts of the day in French. It focuses on using demonstrative adjectives such as ce, cet, cette, ces to describe specific days or times, and how to use these in everyday contexts like planning activities, making appointments, or talking about routines.

Key Vocabulary

Days of the Week (Jours de la semaine)

• le lundi (Monday)
• le mercredi (Wednesday)
• le samedi (Saturday)
• le dimanche (Sunday)

Parts of the Day (Parties de la journée)

• le matin (morning)
• l'après-midi (afternoon)
• le soir (evening)
• le coucher du soleil (sunset)

Demonstrative Adjectives

French uses demonstrative adjectives to indicate specific time references related to days and parts of the day. They must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify:

• Ce – masculine singular before a consonant sound (e.g., ce lundi)
• Cet – masculine singular before a vowel or mute h (e.g., cet après-midi)
• Cette – feminine singular (e.g., cette activité)
• Ces – plural for both genders (e.g., ces moments)

Example Sentences

• "Ce lundi, je vais au marché." – This Monday, I am going to the market.
• "Hier soir, j'ai regardé ce film avec mes amis." – Last night, I watched this movie with my friends.
• "Demain matin, ces moments seront calmes." – Tomorrow morning, these moments will be calm.
• "Le dimanche soir, cet endroit est très tranquille." – Sunday evening, this place is very quiet.

Using Time Expressions in Context

French often combines time expressions with demonstrative adjectives to specify when actions happen. For instance:

• "Je planifie une réunion pour cet après-midi." – I am planning a meeting for this afternoon.
• "Ce matin, elle organise une rencontre avec son équipe." – This morning, she organizes a meeting with her team.

Practical Dialogue Situations

The lesson includes dialogues to practice talking about weekly plans and activities, discussing weekend plans, and organizing appointments by referencing specific days and times of day. This helps learners build confidence in real-life interactions involving scheduling and social plans.

Verb Focus

Key verbs such as organiser (to organize) and voir (to see) are used frequently in the present tense and passé composé (past tense) to describe activities over different times of day and days of the week:

• J'organise ma semaine. (I organize my week.)
• Hier soir, il a vu ses amis. (Last night, he saw his friends.)

Comparison with English Time Expressions

In French, specifying time often requires gender agreement for demonstrative adjectives, unlike English where "this" or "these" are used uniformly. For example:

• Ce lundi translates to "this Monday," using ce for masculine singular nouns.
• Cette activité uses cette for feminine singular nouns, equivalent to "this activity."

Additionally, word order places the day or part of the day before the main verb, e.g., "Aujourd'hui, je travaille." (Today, I work.) This contrasts with English but helps emphasize the time frame in conversation.

Useful Expressions

• Aujourd'hui – today
• Hier soir – last night
• Demain matin – tomorrow morning
• Ce soir – this evening
• Le samedi après-midi – Saturday afternoon