Ah, Monday. The start of the week, a word that can bring on a sigh or a smile. You likely already know the basic French translation: lundi.

But the French language, with its love for precision and flair, offers more than just one way to refer to the first day of the workweek.

Ready to make your French sound more authentic? Let’s explore nine essential ways to say and talk about "Monday" so you can handle any weekly conversation with confidence!

1. The standard 'Monday' – lundi

The most direct and common way to say 'Monday' in French is lundi. This word comes from the Latin dies Lunae, which translates to 'day of the Moon' (jour de la Lune). You'll see this lunar connection in other Romance languages, like lunes in Spanish and lunedì in Italian.

Pronouncing lundi is quite simple. It sounds like lun-dee. The first syllable, lun, has a nasal 'un' sound common in French. The second syllable, di, is sharp and clear, like the English word 'dee'.

There are two key grammar rules for days of the week in French that you must remember:

No Capitalization: Unlike in English, days of the week are not capitalized in French unless they begin a sentence. You will always write lundi, not Lundi.
Masculine Nouns: All days of the week are masculine. This means they use masculine articles like le or un (e.g., le lundi).

The presence or absence of the article le changes the meaning significantly. This is a crucial distinction for learners.

lundi (without an article) refers to a specific, one-time event, usually the next upcoming Monday. For example, Je vais au marché lundi means 'I am going to the market on Monday' (this coming Monday).
le lundi (with the article le) describes a recurring, habitual action. For instance, Je vais au marché le lundi means 'I go to the market on Mondays' (every Monday).

💡 * J'ai un rendez-vous important lundi matin.

Le lundi, le musée est toujours fermé.

On se voit lundi prochain ?

Le cours de yoga a lieu tous les lundis soir.

Referring to a specific Monday, 'on Monday' – lundi

To say something happened or will happen 'on Monday' in French, you simply use the word lundi. This applies when referring to a single, specific Monday, whether it's in the near past or near future.

A key difference from English is that you do not need a preposition. English speakers often mistakenly add words like à or sur. The correct structure is just the verb and the day: Je travaille lundi (I work on Monday).

The tense of the verb tells you whether the action is in the past or future. J'ai vu Marie lundi means 'I saw Marie on Monday' (the most recent past Monday). Je verrai Marie lundi means 'I will see Marie on Monday' (the upcoming Monday).

To be more explicit and avoid confusion, you can add dernier for 'last' or prochain for 'next'. For example, lundi dernier means 'last Monday', and lundi prochain means 'next Monday'.

Do not confuse lundi (a specific Monday) with le lundi (on Mondays). The definite article le indicates a recurring, habitual action. So, Je vais à la piscine le lundi means 'I go to the pool every Monday'.

💡 * Je vais au cinéma lundi.

Nous avons eu une réunion importante lundi dernier.

Elle part en vacances lundi prochain.

Qu'as-tu fait lundi ?

Referring to a recurring Monday, 'on Mondays' – le lundi

To talk about an action that happens regularly on a specific day of the week, such as 'on Mondays' or 'every Monday', French employs a simple grammatical trick using a definite article instead of a preposition.

The rule is to place the masculine singular definite article le before the day of the week. This combination signifies a habitual action. Therefore, 'on Mondays' is translated as le lundi.

It's crucial to distinguish this from referring to a single, specific Monday. To say 'on Monday' (as in, this upcoming Monday), you use the day's name without an article. For example, J'arrive lundi means 'I arrive on Monday'.

While you might see les lundis, the singular form le lundi is the most common and standard way to express 'on Mondays'. Using les lundis is grammatically correct but often implies an emphasis on all Mondays, or discusses Mondays as a concept. For expressing a weekly habit, le lundi is your go-to.

This simple and consistent rule applies to all days of the week: le mardi (on Tuesdays), le mercredi (on Wednesdays), le dimanche (on Sundays), etc. Master this pattern, and you can easily describe any weekly routine.

💡 * Le lundi, je commence le travail plus tôt. (On Mondays, I start work earlier.)

La piscine est fermée le lundi. (The pool is closed on Mondays.)

Nous avons notre réunion d'équipe le lundi matin. (We have our team meeting on Monday mornings.)

Elle suit un cours de yoga le lundi et le mercredi. (She takes a yoga class on Mondays and Wednesdays.)

1. 'This Monday' – ce lundi

The most direct and common way to say "this Monday" in French is ce lundi. The demonstrative adjective ce translates to "this" and is used to pinpoint a specific day.

Ce lundi typically refers to the Monday of the current week or the one immediately approaching. For instance, if you say it on a Sunday, you mean tomorrow. If you say it on a Wednesday, you could be referring to the Monday that just passed or the next one, depending on the conversation's context.

It's crucial to distinguish ce lundi from le lundi. The phrase le lundi (on Mondays) implies a recurring, habitual action. For example, Je vais à la piscine le lundi means "I go to the pool on Mondays." Using ce specifies a single, non-repeating instance.

This simple structure applies to all other days of the week. You can easily form phrases like ce mardi (this Tuesday), ce mercredi (this Wednesday), ce week-end (this weekend), and so on. The masculine adjective ce is used for all days.

💡 * Je dois finir ce rapport pour ce lundi.

On se voit ce lundi pour le déjeuner ?

Ce lundi, j'ai un rendez-vous important chez le médecin.

La nouvelle saison de la série commence ce lundi soir.

1. 'Next Monday' – Lundi Prochain

To talk about the upcoming Monday in French, the most direct and widely used phrase is lundi prochain.

Lundi prochain literally translates to 'Monday next.' In French, the adjective prochain (next) is placed after the day of the week. This structure applies to all days.

This phrase specifically refers to the Monday of the immediately following week. For example, if you are speaking on a Wednesday, lundi prochain refers to the Monday that is five days away.

It's crucial not to confuse lundi prochain with lundi en huit, which means 'a week from Monday' (literally 'Monday in eight days'). Using prochain always implies the very next occurrence of that day.

To use this construction for any other day, simply replace lundi with the desired day, such as mardi prochain (next Tuesday) or samedi prochain (next Saturday).

💡 * On se voit lundi prochain pour le déjeuner ? (Shall we see each other next Monday for lunch?)

La réunion est reportée à mardi prochain. (The meeting is postponed to next Tuesday.)

Je dois rendre ce projet avant vendredi prochain. (I have to turn in this project before next Friday.)

1. 'Last Monday' – lundi dernier

To talk about a specific day in the most recent past week, the French structure is straightforward: you place the word dernier (meaning 'last') after the day of the week. This is a direct and common way to express the concept.

For English speakers, the most important thing to remember is the word order. Unlike English where 'last' precedes the day (e.g., 'last Monday'), in French the adjective dernier follows it. So, you must say lundi dernier, not dernier lundi.

Using dernier before the day, as in le dernier lundi, changes the meaning. This phrase means 'the final Monday' of a specific period, such as le dernier lundi du mois (the final Monday of the month). For the immediately preceding Monday, always stick to lundi dernier.

This rule applies consistently to all days of the week. You can confidently use this structure for any day you need to reference from the past week, for example, mardi dernier (last Tuesday), vendredi dernier (last Friday), or dimanche dernier (last Sunday).

💡 * Je suis allé au cinéma lundi dernier.

Qu'as-tu fait mercredi dernier ?

Elle a terminé le projet vendredi dernier.

Nous avons dîné ensemble samedi dernier.

'Every Monday' – tous les lundis

To express a recurring action that happens 'every Monday,' the French phrase is tous les lundis. This literally translates to 'all the Mondays' and is the standard way to convey a weekly, habitual action.

The key grammatical rule here is that the day of the week must be plural. The structure is always tous les + [plural day of the week]. For example, 'every Tuesday' is tous les mardis, 'every Saturday' is tous les samedis, and so on.

An alternative is to use chaque lundi (each Monday). Both tous les lundis and chaque lundi are correct and largely interchangeable in everyday conversation. Note that with chaque, the day of the week remains singular.

💡 * Je vais à la piscine tous les lundis.

Tous les vendredis, nous dînons au restaurant.

La réunion d'équipe a lieu tous les mardis matin.

Elle rend visite à ses grands-parents tous les dimanches.

1. The Dreaded 'Monday Blues' – Le Blues du Lundi

A direct and common anglicism, le blues du lundi literally translates to 'the Monday blues.' The word blues was borrowed directly from English to describe a feeling of melancholy or sadness, similar to the musical genre.

This phrase perfectly captures the feeling of sadness, lethargy, or anxiety that many people experience at the start of a new work or school week. It's a widely understood concept in French culture, just as it is in English-speaking countries.

The expression is masculine (le blues) and is typically used with the verb avoir (to have). To say you have the Monday blues, you would say, J'ai le blues du lundi.

💡 * Chaque semaine, c'est la même histoire : j'ai le blues du lundi.

Pour combattre le blues du lundi, je commence ma journée avec un bon café.

Tu as un remède contre le blues du lundi ?

Le retour de vacances aggrave souvent le blues du lundi.

1. How to Say 'See you Monday' in French: À lundi

The most direct and common way to say 'See you Monday' in French is à lundi. This literally translates to 'to Monday' or 'until Monday'. It's a standard farewell used when you expect to see someone on the upcoming Monday.

À lundi is a versatile phrase suitable for both formal and informal situations. You can use it when leaving the office on a Friday, saying goodbye to classmates, or parting with friends you plan to see at the start of the next week.

It's very common to pair this farewell with a pleasantry, especially at the end of the work week. For example, you might say, Bon week-end et à lundi !, which means 'Have a good weekend and see you Monday!'.

This simple structure (à + day of the week) can be used for any day. For example, 'See you Tuesday' is à mardi, and 'See you Thursday' is à jeudi. This makes it a very useful pattern to learn for scheduling and making future plans.

💡 * Au revoir, à lundi !

Passe un bon week-end, Marie. À lundi !

Le bureau est fermé jusqu'à lundi. (The office is closed until Monday.)

D'accord, on se voit à la réunion. À lundi matin !

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

Our guide covers the essential and most common way to say 'Monday' in French: lundi. Unlike words for concepts like 'friend', days of the week don't have many direct synonyms. However, French is rich with expressions and contextual phrases that can refer to Monday in different ways.

To expand your vocabulary, try an online search for French idioms like 'expressions avec les jours de la semaine' (expressions with the days of the week) or 'idiotismes avec lundi' (idioms with Monday).

When you discover a new phrase, like the informal 'la gueule de bois du lundi' (the Monday hangover/blues), always check its meaning and the context in which it's used. This will help you sound more natural and avoid misunderstandings.

As you immerse yourself in French culture by reading books, watching movies, or listening to music, pay close attention to how native speakers refer to days of the week. You'll start to notice these expressions in their natural habitat.

For a deeper dive into phrases and compound terms involving Monday, check out a comprehensive dictionary resource. The WordReference entry for lundi, for example, lists several useful expressions like 'lundi de Pâques' (Easter Monday).

I hope this guide has helped clarify how to talk about Monday in French. To finish, here's a line from a classic French song by Claude François that perfectly captures the universal feeling about the start of the week: 'Le lundi au soleil, c'est une chose qu'on n'aura jamais.' (Monday in the sun is something we'll never have.)

'9 ways to say "Monday" in French'