French Time Vocabulary — Days, Hours and Dates
Time words are the scaffolding of everyday French — making plans, catching trains, saying when. This page gathers the essential French vocabulary for time, from le jour (day) and la nuit (night) to la semaine (week) and l'an (year), each with its English meaning, its pronunciation and a button to hear it spoken in a native voice. A note for English speakers: French has two words for "year" — an for counting them ("two years") and année when you mean the stretch of a year — with similar pairs for day and morning that trip up beginners. Gender applies as ever (le matin, la soirée), so learn the article along with the noun. France also runs on the 24-hour clock, so "quinze heures" is 3 p.m. Many of these words have silent endings, so hearing them matters. Tap any 🔊 to listen, skim the table, then take these into Linguver, where the English word falls and you shoot its French translation from the drum.
Key words explained
- day jour It rained for most of the day.
- night nuit We drove through the night to get home.
- morning matin She goes for a run every morning.
- week semaine I will see you again next week.
- month mois The project took nearly a month to finish.
- year an They have lived here for over a year.
- hour heure The film lasts about two hours.
- minute minute Give me a minute to find my keys.
All 90 French time words
| English | Pronunciation | French | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| time | /taɪm/ | temps | |
| day | /deɪ/ | jour | |
| night | /naɪt/ | nuit | |
| morning | /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/ | matin | |
| afternoon | /ˌæftərˈnuːn/ | après-midi | |
| evening | /ˈiːvnɪŋ/ | soir | |
| week | /wiːk/ | semaine | |
| month | /mʌnθ/ | mois | |
| year | /jɪr/ | an | |
| hour | /aʊər/ | heure | |
| minute | /ˈmɪnɪt/ | minute | |
| second | /ˈsɛkənd/ | seconde | |
| today | /təˈdeɪ/ | aujourd'hui | |
| tomorrow | /təˈmɔːroʊ/ | demain | |
| yesterday | /ˈjɛstərdeɪ/ | hier | |
| now | /naʊ/ | maintenant | |
| date | /deɪt/ | date | |
| red | /rɛd/ | rouge | |
| blue | /bluː/ | bleu | |
| green | /ɡriːn/ | vert | |
| yellow | /ˈjɛloʊ/ | jaune | |
| black | /blæk/ | noir | |
| white | /waɪt/ | blanc | |
| orange | /ˈɔːrɪndʒ/ | orange | |
| pink | /pɪŋk/ | rose | |
| purple | /ˈpɜːrpəl/ | violet | |
| brown | /braʊn/ | marron | |
| grey | /ɡreɪ/ | gris | |
| number | /ˈnʌmbər/ | nombre | |
| half | /hæf/ | moitié | |
| Monday | /ˈmʌndeɪ/ | lundi | |
| Tuesday | /ˈtuːzdeɪ/ | mardi | |
| Wednesday | /ˈwɛnzdeɪ/ | mercredi | |
| Thursday | /ˈθɜːrzdeɪ/ | jeudi | |
| Friday | /ˈfraɪdeɪ/ | vendredi | |
| Saturday | /ˈsætərdeɪ/ | samedi | |
| Sunday | /ˈsʌndeɪ/ | dimanche | |
| January | /ˈdʒænjuɛri/ | janvier | |
| February | /ˈfɛbruɛri/ | février | |
| March | /mɑːrtʃ/ | mars | |
| April | /ˈeɪprəl/ | avril | |
| May | /meɪ/ | mai | |
| June | /dʒuːn/ | juin | |
| July | /dʒuˈlaɪ/ | juillet | |
| August | /ˈɔːɡəst/ | août | |
| September | /sɛpˈtɛmbər/ | septembre | |
| October | /ɑːkˈtoʊbər/ | octobre | |
| November | /noʊˈvɛmbər/ | novembre | |
| December | /dɪˈsɛmbər/ | décembre | |
| past | /pæst/ | passé | |
| present | /ˈprɛzənt/ | présent | |
| future | /ˈfjuːtʃər/ | futur | |
| early | /ˈɜːrli/ | tôt | |
| late | /leɪt/ | tard | |
| soon | /suːn/ | bientôt | |
| always | /ˈɔːlweɪz/ | toujours | |
| never | /ˈnɛvər/ | jamais | |
| sometimes | /ˈsʌmtaɪmz/ | parfois | |
| often | /ˈɔːfən/ | souvent | |
| weekend | /ˈwiːkɛnd/ | week-end | |
| century | /ˈsɛntʃəri/ | siècle | |
| decade | /ˈdɛkeɪd/ | décennie | |
| midnight | /ˈmɪdnaɪt/ | minuit | |
| noon | /nuːn/ | midi | |
| dawn | /dɔːn/ | aube | |
| dusk | /dʌsk/ | crépuscule | |
| deadline | /ˈdɛdlaɪn/ | délai | |
| schedule | /ˈskɛdʒuːl/ | programme | |
| appointment | /əˈpɔɪntmənt/ | rendez-vous | |
| holiday | /ˈhɑːlɪdeɪ/ | jour férié | |
| birthday | /ˈbɜːrθdeɪ/ | anniversaire | |
| anniversary | /ˌænɪˈvɜːrsəri/ | anniversaire | |
| ago | /əˈɡoʊ/ | il y a | |
| recently | /ˈriːsəntli/ | récemment | |
| immediately | /ɪˈmiːdiətli/ | immédiatement | |
| gradually | /ˈɡrædʒuəli/ | progressivement | |
| light | /laɪt/ | clair | |
| dark | /dɑːrk/ | sombre | |
| bright | /braɪt/ | vif | |
| pale | /peɪl/ | pâle | |
| golden | /ˈɡoʊldən/ | doré | |
| silver | /ˈsɪlvər/ | argenté | |
| twice | /twaɪs/ | deux fois | |
| once | /wʌns/ | une fois | |
| thousand | /ˈθaʊzənd/ | mille | |
| million | /ˈmɪljən/ | million | |
| percent | /pərˈsɛnt/ | pour cent | |
| average | /ˈævərɪdʒ/ | moyenne | |
| total | /ˈtoʊtəl/ | total | |
| amount | /əˈmaʊnt/ | montant |
Reading a list won't make these stick. Linguver turns vocabulary into a shooting game — the English word falls, you spin the drum and fire its French translation. You recall the word under a little pressure, so it stays. A way to learn that doesn't feel like studying.
→ Play in Linguver