How do you write the date in French?

Article, day, month, year, with nothing in between: le 14 septembre 2026. The month is lowercase and there's no comma before the year. In a letter heading, the place comes first: Paris, le 14 septembre 2026.

Why is it le 1er mai but le 2 mai?

French uses cardinal numbers for days of the month, and only the first day is treated as an ordinal: le premier, written 1er. Everything after that is the plain number, so the second of the month is le 2 mai, never le deuxième mai.

Does 03/05/2026 mean 3 May or 5 March in French?

3 May. French numeric dates run day, month, year, like most of Europe. If there's any risk of confusion with an American reader, write the month out: le 3 mai 2026.

How do you ask the date in French?

Quelle est la date ? is the neutral question, and on est le combien ? is what you'll actually hear. The answer keeps a person as the subject: nous sommes le 24 août, or on est le 24. For the day of the week, ask quel jour sommes-nous ?

How do you say in May or on Mondays in French?

For a month, use en or au mois de: en mai, au mois de mai. For a repeated weekday, use le with no date: le lundi means on Mondays. For one particular day, drop the article: lundi, or lundi 3 mai.

French grammar · Beginner

How to Write the Date in French: Le 14 Juillet, Not July 14

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

A French date runs article, number, month, year, with no comma and no word for of: le 14 septembre 2026. Every day of the month is a plain cardinal number except the first, which is le 1er. Months are never capitalized, and numeric dates always put the day before the month.

La réunion est prévue le 14 septembre 2026.

The meeting is scheduled for 14 September 2026.

What it is

French builds a date the way it builds any noun phrase: determiner first, then the thing itself. Le is the determiner, the number is the day, and the month follows immediately as a bare noun. Nothing joins them, so there is no of, no comma, and no capital letter.

le 3 mai 2026 — 3 May 2026. Article, day, month, year, in that order and with nothing in between.

How to spot it

If you're writing the date on its own, it starts with le. If a weekday is present, the weekday comes first and usually pushes the article out: lundi 3 mai.

le 1er janvier — 1 January
le 8 février 2027 — 8 February 2027
mardi 22 avril — Tuesday 22 April
du 3 au 7 juin — from 3 to 7 June

Only the first of the month is an ordinal. Every other day is the ordinary counting number: le 2, le 3, le 21.

Dates Quick Reference

The same date in every format you'll need

What you want to say	French	Point to notice
1 May	le 1er mai	premier is the only ordinal
3 May	le 3 mai	cardinal number, lowercase month
Monday 3 May	lundi 3 mai	no article after the weekday
14 July 1789	le 14 juillet 1789	no comma before the year
03/05/2026	le 3 mai 2026	day first, then month
in May	en mai / au mois de mai	both are standard
from 3 to 7 June	du 3 au 7 juin	de and à contract with le
What's today's date?	Nous sommes le combien ?	answer: nous sommes le 24

Common Dates Examples in French

Dates as they appear in writing and in conversation:

A Full Date

Je suis né le 12 octobre 1994.: I was born on 12 October 1994.
Le contrat prend effet le 1er avril.: The contract takes effect on 1 April.
Elle arrive le samedi 5 juillet.: She's arriving on Saturday 5 July.
La lettre est datée du 30 novembre.: The letter is dated 30 November.

Le also serves as on: le 12 octobre means on 12 October, with no extra preposition.

Asking and Giving Today's Date

Quelle est la date aujourd'hui ?: What's the date today?
On est le combien ?: What's the date? (very common, informal)
Nous sommes le 24 août.: It's 24 August.
Quel jour sommes-nous ?: What day is it?

French answers with a person: nous sommes le 24 or on est le 24, literally we are the 24th.

Ranges and Deadlines

Le magasin est fermé du 1er au 15 août.: The shop is closed from 1 to 15 August.
à partir du 5 septembre: from 5 September onwards
Répondez avant le 20 mars.: Reply before 20 March.
Nous restons jusqu'au 3 janvier.: We're staying until 3 January.

Watch the contractions: de plus le gives du, and à plus le gives au. Jusqu'à le is never possible.

Months and Seasons

Nous partons en juin.: We're leaving in June.
Il pleut beaucoup au mois de novembre.: It rains a lot in November.
en été et en automne: in summer and in autumn
au printemps prochain: next spring

Seasons take en except spring, which takes au: au printemps, en été, en automne, en hiver.

How a French Date Is Built

Five conventions, and the last one is the only place where getting it wrong changes the meaning rather than just the style.

The Article Is Part of the Date

A French date almost never appears bare. Le carries the sense of on and marks the number as a day of the month, which is why it also appears inside contractions like du 3 au 7.

Le 25 décembre, tout est fermé.

On 25 December, everything is closed.

le + number + month.

Cardinal Numbers, With One Exception

English says the third of May; French says le 3 mai, using the plain counting number. Only the first day of the month is ordinal, written 1er and read premier.

Le 1er mai est un jour férié, le 2 mai ne l'est pas.

1 May is a public holiday, 2 May isn't.

1er, then 2, 3, 4…

Day, Month, Year, With Nothing Between Them

The three elements are simply stacked in ascending order of size. French adds no of before the month and no comma before the year, so the whole date reads as one block.

Signé le 9 mars 2026 à Bordeaux.

Signed on 9 March 2026 in Bordeaux.

le 9 mars 2026.

A Weekday Goes in Front, and the Article Usually Drops

Lundi 3 mai names one particular Monday. Keeping the article, as in le lundi 3 mai, is also correct and slightly more formal, but le lundi on its own means every Monday.

Je travaille le lundi, mais pas lundi 3 mai.

I work on Mondays, but not on Monday 3 May.

le lundi = habitual, lundi 3 = one date.

Numeric Dates Put the Day First

In French, 03/05/2026 is 3 May, not 5 March. This is a genuine source of missed appointments for anyone used to the American order, and the safest fix is to write the month out.

Date de naissance : 05/07/1990.

Date of birth: 5 July 1990.

day / month / year.

Common Mistakes with Dates

Incorrect: Je suis né le 14 de juillet. — I was born on 14 July.

Correct: Je suis né le 14 juillet. — I was born on 14 July.

There's no of in a French date. The month follows the number directly, the way it does in the written British form 14 July.

Incorrect: La fête est le troisième mai. — The party is on 3 May.

Correct: La fête est le 3 mai. — The party is on 3 May.

Days of the month are counting numbers in French, not ordinals. Only the first uses an ordinal, written 1er.

Incorrect: Aujourd'hui est le 24 août. — Today is 24 August.

Correct: Aujourd'hui, nous sommes le 24 août. — Today is 24 August.

French doesn't let aujourd'hui be the subject of être in this sentence. The date is stated with nous sommes or on est, with a person as the subject.

Incorrect: Rendez-vous le Mardi 5 Mai. — Appointment on Tuesday 5 May.

Correct: Rendez-vous mardi 5 mai. — Appointment on Tuesday 5 May.

Weekdays and months are ordinary common nouns and stay lowercase, and the article normally drops once a weekday is named.

Dates in Letters, Forms, and on the Calendar

Written French has a few date conventions of its own, and they show up on the first document you have to fill in.

Heading a letter or contract

Formal French writes the place, a comma, and then the dated article. This line sits at the top right of a letter.

Paris, le 3 mai 2026: Paris, 3 May 2026
Fait à Lyon, le 12 juin 2026: Done at Lyon, 12 June 2026
Votre lettre du 8 avril: Your letter of 8 April

Du 8 avril is how you refer back to a dated document: de plus le contracting as usual.

Forms and abbreviations

Forms use figures and shortened month names. The abbreviations keep their accents and take a full stop, except for the short months.

3 janv. 2026: 3 Jan 2026
1er févr. 2027: 1 Feb 2027
Né(e) le : 05/07/1990: Date of birth: 5 July 1990
Valable jusqu'au 31 déc.: Valid until 31 Dec.

Mai, juin, and août are short enough that they're never abbreviated.

Holidays on the calendar

Fixed holidays are referred to by their date, and when the date becomes the name of the holiday the month takes a capital.

le 14 Juillet: Bastille Day
le 1er janvier: New Year's Day
le 25 décembre: Christmas Day
Le 11 novembre est férié.: 11 November is a public holiday.

Le 14 Juillet with a capital is the holiday; le 14 juillet with a lowercase month is simply the date.

Dates FAQs

How do you write the date in French?: Article, day, month, year, with nothing in between: le 14 septembre 2026. The month is lowercase and there's no comma before the year. In a letter heading, the place comes first: Paris, le 14 septembre 2026.
Why is it le 1er mai but le 2 mai?: French uses cardinal numbers for days of the month, and only the first day is treated as an ordinal: le premier, written 1er. Everything after that is the plain number, so the second of the month is le 2 mai, never le deuxième mai.
Does 03/05/2026 mean 3 May or 5 March in French?: 3 May. French numeric dates run day, month, year, like most of Europe. If there's any risk of confusion with an American reader, write the month out: le 3 mai 2026.
How do you ask the date in French?: Quelle est la date ? is the neutral question, and on est le combien ? is what you'll actually hear. The answer keeps a person as the subject: nous sommes le 24 août, or on est le 24. For the day of the week, ask quel jour sommes-nous ?
How do you say in May or on Mondays in French?: For a month, use en or au mois de: en mai, au mois de mai. For a repeated weekday, use le with no date: le lundi means on Mondays. For one particular day, drop the article: lundi, or lundi 3 mai.