The most common way to say 'decade' in French is une décennie. It's a direct and widely understood term that you'll hear often. But why stop there?

As you dive deeper into the French language, you'll discover that, just like in English, there are more nuanced and specific ways to talk about a ten-year period. Whether you're referring to a historical era, a person's age, or just a general block of time, French offers a variety of expressions.

Let's explore nine different ways to talk about a 'decade' to make your French sound more natural and sophisticated!

The standard 'decade' – une décennie

The most common and direct word for 'decade' in French is une décennie. It refers to any period of ten consecutive years.

As indicated by the article une, décennie is a feminine noun. This is crucial for correct adjective agreement. For instance, you would say la décennie précédente (the previous decade) or une décennie entière (an entire decade).

Une décennie is versatile. It can refer to a specific calendar decade, like la décennie 1990 (the 1990s), or it can describe any general ten-year span. It's the standard term used in historical, cultural, and everyday conversations.

In its plural form, des décennies, it means 'decades'. It is often used to emphasize a long period of time, just like in English. For example: Le château est abandonné depuis des décennies. (The castle has been abandoned for decades).

Do not confuse une décennie with the less common word un décennat. While both relate to ten years, un décennat specifically refers to a ten-year term of office for a public figure, such as a president. For all other contexts, une décennie is the correct choice.

💡 * La dernière décennie a été marquée par des avancées technologiques rapides. (The last decade was marked by rapid technological advancements.)

Il a vécu en France pendant une décennie entière. (He lived in France for a whole decade.)

C'était la meilleure musique de la décennie. (It was the best music of the decade.)

Cela prendra des décennies pour reconstruire la forêt. (It will take decades to rebuild the forest.)

The confusing 'decade' (that usually means ten days) – une décade

One of the most notorious false friends for English speakers learning French is the word une décade. While it looks and sounds exactly like the English 'decade', its most common meaning is completely different, leading to frequent confusion.

In its primary and traditional sense, une décade refers to a period of ten days. This meaning is particularly rooted in history, such as its use for the ten-day week in the French Republican Calendar.

So, how do you say 'a period of ten years' in French? The correct term is une décennie. It's crucial to use une décennie when you want to talk about a ten-year span to avoid being misunderstood.

To make matters more complicated, due to the strong influence of English, you will sometimes hear or read une décade being used to mean ten years. However, this is considered an anglicisme (an anglicism) by language purists and institutions like the Académie française. While its use is growing, une décennie remains the formally correct choice.

A helpful way to keep them straight is to remember that une décennie is the specific, correct term for a decade (ten years). Think of une décade as the original, historical term for ten days that is now sometimes misused.

💡 * La dernière décennie a été marquée par des progrès technologiques rapides.

Le calendrier républicain a remplacé la semaine par une décade.

Il a fallu une décade pour achever le projet.

J'ai vécu à Paris pendant une décennie entière.

The literal 'ten-year period' – une période de dix ans

The most direct and literal way to say 'a ten-year period' in French is une période de dix ans. This phrase translates word-for-word and is universally understood, making it a great starting point.

Let's break it down: une période means 'a period', de means 'of', and dix ans means 'ten years'. This simple construction makes it easy to remember and use correctly.

You will most often hear or read une période de dix ans in formal, official, or technical contexts where precision is important. It's common in legal documents, historical analysis, and long-term planning.

This structure is a flexible formula. You can easily change the number to define any specific duration, for example:

une période de cinq ans (a five-year period)
une période de vingt ans (a twenty-year period)

While perfectly correct, this phrase is less common in casual conversation compared to a single-word term like décennie. However, its clarity makes it an excellent and reliable choice when you want to be explicit about the timeframe.

💡 * Le projet de construction s'étalera sur une période de dix ans.

L'étude analyse les changements climatiques sur une période de dix ans.

Après une période de dix ans à l'étranger, elle est rentrée au pays.

C'était une période de dix ans marquée par de grandes innovations technologiques.

The simple 'ten years' – dix ans

The most direct and common way to express the duration of 'ten years' in French is dix ans. This phrase literally translates to 'ten years' and is the foundation for discussing this time period.

A critical aspect of pronunciation is the liaison between dix and ans. The 'x' in dix is pronounced like a 'z' sound and links to the vowel in ans, making the phrase sound like 'deez-ahn'. This is a key feature of fluent French.

When talking about age, French uses the verb avoir (to have), not être (to be). To say 'She is ten years old,' you would say Elle a dix ans, which literally means 'She has ten years'. This is a fundamental rule for expressing age in French.

Beyond age, dix ans is used to specify a duration. For instance, to say 'I worked there for ten years,' you could use J'ai travaillé là-bas pendant dix ans. The structure is versatile for many contexts involving a decade-long period.

💡 * Mon fils a dix ans aujourd'hui. (My son is ten years old today.)

Il y a dix ans, j'habitais à Paris. (Ten years ago, I lived in Paris.)

Ce vin a vieilli pendant dix ans. (This wine has aged for ten years.)

Nous sommes amis depuis dix ans. (We have been friends for ten years.)

The approximate 'ten-year span' – une dizaine d'années

In French, une dizaine d'années is a common and natural way to express an approximate period of 'about ten years' or 'a decade.' It signifies a general timeframe rather than a precise duration.

This phrase is built from the noun une dizaine, meaning 'a group of about ten,' which comes from the number dix (ten). It is always followed by the preposition de (or d' before a vowel), connecting it to the noun it quantifies, in this case, années (years).

The crucial distinction is between une dizaine d'années (about ten years) and dix ans (exactly ten years). Use dix ans when the number is precise. Use une dizaine d'années when you are estimating or when the exact number isn't important (it could be 9, 10, or 11 years).

This useful pattern extends to other numbers. You can form similar approximations with other nouns by using words like une douzaine (a dozen/about 12), une vingtaine (about 20), une trentaine (about 30), or une centaine (about 100).

In summary, reach for une dizaine d'années whenever you need to convey the idea of 'roughly a decade' or 'around ten years.' It's a hallmark of fluency that adds a natural touch to your French.

💡 * Il a vécu à Paris pendant une dizaine d'années. (He lived in Paris for about ten years.)

Le projet prendra une dizaine d'années à se réaliser. (The project will take about a decade to be completed.)

Cela s'est passé il y a une dizaine d'années. (That happened around ten years ago.)

Une dizaine d'années plus tard, tout avait changé. (About ten years later, everything had changed.)

The specific 'decade' (e.g., the 80s) – les années [XX]

To refer to a specific decade in French, such as 'the 80s' or 'the 90s', the standard formula is les années followed by the number of the decade. This translates literally to 'the years [number]'.

The structure is straightforward: les années + [decade number]. For example, 'the eighties' is les années 80 (pronounced les années quatre-vingts), and 'the nineties' is les années 90 (les années quatre-vingt-dix). You simply state the cardinal number for the decade.

When discussing events that occurred within a particular decade, you'll frequently use prepositions like dans (in) or pendant (during). For instance, to say 'in the 80s,' you would use dans les années 80. This is essential for providing historical or personal context.

A crucial point to remember is that French does not add an 's' to the number as English does (e.g., '80s'). The plurality is already established by les années. You cannot simply say les quatre-vingts to refer to the decade; the word années is mandatory for clarity.

💡 * J'adore la musique des années 80.

Elle est née dans les années 90.

La mode était très colorée pendant les années 70.

Les années 2000 ont marqué le début d'un nouveau millénaire.

The 'ten-year term of office' – le décennat

In French, le décennat specifically refers to a ten-year term of office. This noun is masculine and is crucial for understanding political discussions, particularly regarding presidencies or other long-term leadership roles.

The word décennat is derived from the Latin decennium, meaning a ten-year period. While its cousin, la décennie, means 'decade' in a general sense, le décennat is used almost exclusively in a political or official context to describe the duration of a mandate.

While France has since switched to a five-year presidential term (le quinquennat), the term le décennat remains relevant for historical context, for example, when discussing the presidencies of François Mitterrand. It is also used to describe ten-year terms in other countries or organizations.

💡 * Le président a accompli deux mandats, soit un décennat au total. (The president completed two terms, making a ten-year term in total.)

Son décennat a été marqué par d'importantes réformes sociales. (His ten-year term of office was marked by significant social reforms.)

Les analystes politiques débattent de l'héritage de son décennat. (Political analysts are debating the legacy of his ten-year term.)

The 'tenth anniversary' – le dixième anniversaire

To express the 'tenth anniversary' in French, the standard phrase is le dixième anniversaire. This is the most direct and widely understood term for this milestone.

The phrase consists of two key words: dixième, which is the ordinal number for 'tenth', and anniversaire, meaning 'anniversary'. Note that anniversaire is a masculine noun, which is why it's preceded by le.

In French, ordinal numbers like dixième are generally formed by adding the suffix -ième to the cardinal number (here, dix for ten). This pattern is very useful for discussing other anniversaries, such as le cinquième (the fifth) or le vingtième (the twentieth) anniversaire.

Le dixième anniversaire is used for any event marking a ten-year period, whether it's for a wedding (anniversaire de mariage), the founding of a company, or the commemoration of a historical event.

💡 * Nous allons célébrer notre dixième anniversaire de mariage à Paris.

L'entreprise fête son dixième anniversaire cette année.

C'est le dixième anniversaire de la sortie de son premier album.

Pour leur dixième anniversaire, ils ont renouvelé leurs vœux.

1. The adjective for 'ten-year' – décennal/décennale

The French adjective for 'ten-year' is décennal (masculine) or décennale (feminine). It directly translates to 'decennial' or 'ten-year' and is used to describe something that lasts for ten years or happens every ten years.

Like all French adjectives, décennal must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. The masculine plural form is irregular: décennaux. The feminine plural is regular: décennales.

Masculine singular: un plan décennal (a ten-year plan)
Feminine singular: une garantie décennale (a ten-year guarantee)
Masculine plural: des plans décennaux (ten-year plans)
Feminine plural: des études décennales (ten-year studies)

You will most frequently encounter this adjective in the context of construction and insurance. The garantie décennale is a compulsory ten-year insurance policy for builders in France, covering major defects that could affect the solidity of a building.

Do not confuse the adjective décennal with the noun une décennie, which means 'a decade'. Décennal describes something related to a ten-year period, while une décennie is the ten-year period itself. For example, you would talk about la dernière décennie (the last decade).

💡 * La garantie décennale protège les propriétaires contre les malfaçons. (The ten-year guarantee protects homeowners against defects.)

Le musée organise une exposition décennale pour présenter ses nouvelles acquisitions. (The museum is organizing a decennial exhibition to present its new acquisitions.)

Ce rapport fait le bilan décennal des progrès réalisés. (This report provides a ten-year review of the progress made.)

Les travaux de rénovation décennaux du pont commenceront le mois prochain. (The decennial renovation works on the bridge will begin next month.)

Are there other ways to say 'decade' in French?

Our list covers the most essential ways to say 'decade' in French, especially the crucial distinction between décennie and décade. But French, with its rich literary and historical context, has other nuanced or specialized terms you might encounter.

To dive deeper, you can search online for terms like synonyme de décennie en français or explore French dictionaries for usage examples in historical or scientific contexts.

Remember, context is key. Before using a synonym for décennie, always double-check its precise meaning and common usage. The confusion between décennie and décade is a perfect example of why this is so important, even for native speakers!

As you read French news articles, watch documentaries, or study history in French, pay close attention to how time periods are described. You'll start to notice these terms used naturally, which is the best way to solidify your understanding.

If you want to explore more vocabulary related to time and history in French, reliable online dictionaries like Larousse or Le Robert are excellent resources for discovering related words and their precise definitions.

I hope this guide has clarified how to talk about decades in French. To leave you with a final thought on the passage of time, here is a poignant reflection from French writer Jean d'Ormesson: Il y a des jours, des mois, des années interminables où il ne se passe rien. Il y a des minutes et des secondes qui contiennent tout un monde. (There are days, months, endless years where nothing happens. There are minutes and seconds that contain a whole world.)

'9 ways to say "decade" in French'