Approximating quantities

Sometimes you want to approximate the numbers instead of being very exact. If you were speculating on someone’s age, for example, you may say in English that she is or looks about 40. You can do the same in French by adding the suffix –aine (ehn) to the cardinal numbers. Here are some examples:

une dizaine (ewn deez-ehn) (about 10)

une vingtaine (ewn vaN-tehn) (about 20)

If a noun follows the approximate quantity, then add the preposition de (duh) or d’ if the noun begins with a vowel or a mute h, as these examples show:

Je voudrais une dizaine de croissants. (zhuh vooh-dreh ewn deez-ehn duh krwah-sahN.) (I would like about 10 croissants.)

Il y a une vingtaine d’étudiants dans la classe. (eel ee ah ewn vahN-tehn dey-tew-dyahN dahN lah klahs.) (There are about 20 students in the class.)

You can refer to approximate numbers by using the words à peu près (ah puh preh) or environ (ahN-vee-rohN), both of which mean approximately. For example, J’ai environ quatre-vingts livres dans mon bureau (zhey ahN-vee- rohN kah-truh-vaN lee-vruh dahN mohN bew-roh) (I have approximately 80 books in my office).

Using the Calendar and Dates

France, the United States, and many other countries around the world use a similar calendar, one that has seven days and twelve months. Yet countries differ in how the date is presented. In English, the month comes first, followed by the day of the month, followed by the year. In French, the day of the month comes first, followed by the month, followed by the year. For example, the date May 8, 2011 is presented like this in French: le 8 mai, 2011 (luh wee meh duh-meel-ohNz), and it’s written 8-5-2011. Imagine how funny (or embarrassing) it would be if you were invited to an important event on 8-5-2011 and you showed up on 5-8-2011 (August 5, 2011)!

Even though a week has seven days, the French refer to a week as huit jours (wee zhoohr) (8 days) and to two weeks as quinze jours (kaNz zhoohr)

(15 days). The reason is that if you count from Monday to Monday and you include both Mondays, then you have 8 days, and if you continue counting to the following Monday (the third Monday), you have 15 days.

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Recounting the days of the week

The French calendar begins on a Monday as the first day of the week. Unlike English, the days of the week are not capitalized in French:

lundi (luhN-dee) (Monday)

mardi (mahr-dee) (Tuesday)

mercredi (mehr-kruh-dee) (Wednesday)

jeudi (zhuh-dee) (Thursday)

vendredi (vahN-druh-dee) (Friday)

samedi (sahm-dee) (Saturday)

dimanche (dee-mahNnsh) (Sunday)

When referring to a particular day, state the day without an article: je travaille samedi (zhuh trah-vahy sahm-dee) (I work [on] Saturday). But if you want to say I work on Saturdays, you have to place the definite article le (luh) (the) in front of the day of the week, like this: je travaille le samedi (zhuh trah-vahy luh sahm-dee) (I work on Saturdays). Placing the definite article le in front of the day(s) of the week is like adding an s to the day(s) of the week in English.

Knowing the names of the months

Just like the days of the week, the months of the year are not capitalized in French. Here are the months in French:

To say that something is happening in a certain month, you use the preposition en (ahN) (in) in front of the month. Here are some examples:

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Mon anniversaire est en décembre. (mohN-nah-nee-vehr-sehr eht-ahN dey-sahN-bruh.)(My birthday is in December.)

En janvier, je pars pour la Martinique. (ahN zhaN-vyey, zhuh pahr poohr lah mahr-tee-neek.) (In January, I leave for Martinique.)

Je reviens en avril. (zhuh ruh-vyaN ahN-nah-vreel). (I am coming back in April.)

Setting specific dates

When expressing a specific date, use the following construction:

Le + cardinal number + month + year

You use this formula to express all dates, except for the first of the month, when you use the ordinal number. Here are a couple of examples:

C’est le 6 avril 2000. (seh luh see-zah-vreel duh meel.) (It’s the sixth of April 2000.)

C’est le premier mai. (seh luh pruh-myey meh.) (It’s the first of May.)

The following are some important dates in some French-speaking countries:

le 14 juillet (luh kah-tohrz zhwee-yeh) (July14): The French national holiday

le premier août (luh pruh-myey ooht) (August 1): The Swiss national holiday

le 17 juillet (luh dee-seht zhwee-yeh) (July 17): The Belgian national holiday

le premier juillet (luh pruh-myey zhwee-yeh) (July 1): The Canadian national holiday

Remembering the seasons

The seasons in French are masculine and, unlike in English, require the definite article:

le printemps (luh praN-tahN) (spring)

l’été (ley-tey) (summer)

l’automne (loh-tohn) (fall)

l’hiver (lee-vehr) (winter)

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To express in the spring, for example, use au (oh) before a consonant sound and use en (ahN) before a vowel sound: au printemps (oh praN-tahN) (in the spring), en été (ahN-ney-tey) (in the summer), en automne (ahN-noh-tohn) (in the fall), and en hiver (ahN-nee-vehr) (in the winter).

Talkin’ the Talk

Juliette is talking to her friend Corinne about her sister’s upcoming wedding.

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