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 essential vocabulary and expressions to talk about the days of the week and various times during the day in French. It is designed for beginners (A1 level) who want to confidently plan activities, discuss schedules, and describe daily routines using common phrases and demonstrative adjectives.

Key Vocabulary: Days and Times

Understanding the days and parts of the day is fundamental in daily communication. Here are some important words you'll learn:

• Days of the week: le lundi, le mercredi, le samedi, le dimanche
• Parts of the day: le matin, l'après-midi, le soir, le coucher du soleil

Using Demonstrative Adjectives

The lesson also focuses on learning the demonstrative adjectives ce, cet, cette, ces, which specify and emphasize nouns related to time:

• Ce is used before masculine singular nouns starting with a consonant.
• Cet is used before masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel or mute h.
• Cette is used before feminine singular nouns.
• Ces is used before plural nouns.

Example sentences include:

• "Aujourd'hui, ce matin, je travaille chez moi."
• "Le samedi après-midi, cette activité est très agréable."
• "Je planifie mes journées : ce lundi, je vais au marché."
• "Hier soir, j'ai regardé ce film avec mes amis."

Practice with Phrases and Dialogue

To build practical skills, you will engage with dialogues simulating real-life situations such as planning your week, talking about weekend activities, and setting up appointments. Examples include:

• "Bonjour, quel jour sommes-nous aujourd’hui ?" – "Aujourd’hui, c’est lundi. Ce matin, j’ai une réunion."
• "Tu travailles souvent le samedi ?" – "Non, mais cette semaine, je travaille samedi matin."
• "Peux-tu me voir cette semaine ?" – "Oui, ce jeudi matin, je suis libre."

Verb Usage in Context

This lesson integrates key verbs related to organizing time and seeing others, such as organiser and voir, reinforcing their present tense conjugations and past participle forms in context:

• Present conjugation of organiser: j'organise, tu organises, il/elle organise, nous organisons, vous organisez, ils/elles organisent
• Present conjugation of voir: je vois, tu vois, il/elle voit, nous voyons, vous voyez, ils/elles voient
• Past participle: j'ai vu

Your practice includes completing sentences like "Je ___ ma semaine en fonction de ce que je dois faire" or "Aujourd'hui, je ___ mes amis dans l'après-midi," enabling you to solidify verb use with time expressions.

Cultural and Language Notes

French uses definite articles with days of the week to indicate habitual actions, unlike English which usually omits them (e.g., "le lundi" = "on Mondays"). Also, parts of the day have gender: le matin (masculine), l'après-midi (masculine but used variably), le soir (masculine). The demonstrative adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, a nuance English does not require.

Useful expressions include:

• Ce matin – this morning
• Hier soir – last night
• Demain matin – tomorrow morning
• Ce lundi, je vais au marché. – This Monday, I am going to the market.