French Time Prepositions: Using à, le, and en for Times, Days, and Dates
Learn when to use à, le, and en in French for clock times, days of the week, months, and dates, with clear examples and practice.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
English uses in, on, and at for time expressions, but French does not translate them one-for-one. Instead, French chooses a preposition based on the kind of time word that follows: à for clock times, le for days and weekly habits, and en for months, seasons, and years. This lesson teaches those three patterns so you can say when something happens without copying English word for word.
By the end, you can…
- say a clock time with à, such as à sept heures.
- use le with days of the week and en with months, seasons, and years.
- ask and answer when an event happens using these time prepositions.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
à sept heures
at seven o'clock
ah set URR
Use à before a clock time. Heures is pronounced 'urr', with no final s sound.
le lundi
on Mondays / every Monday
luh lun-DEE
Le plus a day usually describes a regular weekly habit, not one specific Monday.
en juillet
in July
ahn zhwee-YEH
Use en with months, seasons, and years. Do not use dans here.
le 14 juillet
on the 14th of July
luh kah-TORZ zhwee-YEH
For a date, French uses le plus a cardinal number, not an ordinal like '14th'.
à midi
at noon
ah mee-DEE
Midi and minuit are used without heures: à midi, à minuit.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
French time prepositions depend on the time expression, not on English. Use à with clock times: à huit heures, à midi, à minuit. Use le with days and dates: le mardi, le 1er mai. Use en with months, seasons, and years: en janvier, en été, en 2025. For a specific day, add a date or modifier: le lundi 3 mars. Remember that à contracts with the definite article in some place expressions, but for times it normally stays à.
When to use it
Choose le when you mean a habitual day: Le samedi, je travaille means 'On Saturdays, I work.' For one specific Saturday, say samedi or ce samedi. Use en for months and seasons: en avril, en hiver. Use à for exact times: à neuf heures et demie. For dates, French says le 2 juin, not 'on June 2'. In Quebec and other regions, speakers may prefer samedi without le for a single upcoming day, but the standard written pattern remains le for habits.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Tu veux aller au cinéma quand ?
When do you want to go to the cinema?too vuh ah-lay oh see-nay-MAH kahnLe samedi, je suis libre. On y va à sept heures ?
On Saturdays, I'm free. Shall we go at seven?luh sam-DEE, zhuh swee LEEBR. ohn ee vah ah set URRD'accord. Et en juillet, tu pars en vacances ?
Okay. And in July, are you going on vacation?dah-KOR. ay ahn zhwee-YEH, too par ahn vah-KAHNSSOui, le 14 juillet, je prends le train.
Yes, on the 14th of July, I'm taking the train.wee, luh kah-TORZ zhwee-YEH, zhuh prahn luh tranA little context goes a long way
In France, dates are written day-month-year: 14 juillet 2025. The first of the month uses 1er, pronounced 'premier', while other days use cardinal numbers. In Belgium, Switzerland, and Quebec, some date and time wording differs slightly, but à, le, and en remain widely understood.
One thing to watch for
Using dans for a month or season, as in dans juillet.
Try this instead: Use en for months, seasons, and years: en juillet, en hiver, en 2025. Dans means 'in' for a future delay, as in dans deux jours ('in two days').
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'at 8 p.m.' in French?
Show a sample answer
à huit heures du soir
Use à before the clock time. French often adds du soir for p.m., though 20 heures is also common in schedules.
2How do you say 'in September'?
Show a sample answer
en septembre
Months take en. Dans septembre would suggest a delay, not a calendar month.
3How do you say 'on Mondays' as a habit?
Show a sample answer
le lundi
Le plus a day expresses a regular habit. For one specific Monday, you could say lundi or ce lundi.
For French time expressions, remember à for clock times, le for days and dates, and en for months, seasons, and years.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s French into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr