Demain is the most common and straightforward way to say "tomorrow" in French. But did you know there are several other expressions you can use?

Learning these different nuances can enrich your vocabulary and make your conversations more natural and precise. Whether you're making plans, talking about future events, or just want to sound more like a native speaker, knowing these alternatives will come in handy.

Let's dive into 9 different ways to express "tomorrow" in French!

The standard 'tomorrow' – demain

The standard 'tomorrow' – demain

Demain is the most basic, common, and versatile word for 'tomorrow' in French.

Grammatically, demain functions as an adverb of time. This means it's invariable – it doesn't change based on gender or number, unlike adjectives or nouns.

You'll typically find demain placed after the verb it modifies, indicating that an action will happen on the day after today. It's often used with verbs in the futur simple (simple future) or futur proche (near future).

To express 'the day after tomorrow,' French uses après-demain. Similarly, 'the day before yesterday' is avant-hier.

Several common expressions incorporate demain. The most frequent is À demain ! (See you tomorrow!), used as a farewell. Other useful phrases include dès demain (starting tomorrow) and demain matin/après-midi/soir (tomorrow morning/afternoon/evening).

While demain directly means 'tomorrow' from the speaker's present perspective, le lendemain translates to 'the next day' or 'the day after' and is used when narrating past events or referring to a future day relative to another past or future point. For example, Il a dit qu'il viendrait le lendemain (He said he would come the next day).

Understanding the difference is key: demain is absolute ('tomorrow' from now), while le lendemain is relative ('the day after' a previously mentioned day). Most everyday conversations will use demain.

Don't worry too much about the nuances of le lendemain initially; master demain first, as it covers the vast majority of situations where you want to say 'tomorrow'.

💡 *Je te verrai demain. (I will see you tomorrow.)
*Elle arrivera après-demain. (She will arrive the day after tomorrow.)
*À demain ! (See you tomorrow!)
*Le magasin ouvre dès demain. (The store opens starting tomorrow.)
*Nous irons au marché demain matin. (We will go to the market tomorrow morning.)

The day after 'tomorrow' – après-demain

The “day after 'tomorrow'” – après-demain

When you need to specify the day following tomorrow, French offers the precise and elegant term après-demain, directly translating to “the day after tomorrow.”

This useful adverbial phrase is a clear combination of après (after) and demain (tomorrow), making its meaning immediately transparent. It's a single word that encapsulates a multi-word concept in English.

Après-demain functions as an adverb of time, indicating when an event will occur. Its simplicity makes it a favorite among French speakers for discussing near-future plans without ambiguity.

Integrating après-demain into your sentences is straightforward. Similar to demain (tomorrow) or aujourd'hui (today), it can typically be placed at the beginning or end of a clause.

One of its convenient features is that après-demain is an invariable expression. It doesn't change form based on gender or number, making it consistently easy to use in all contexts.

Mastering après-demain is a simple yet effective step towards sounding more natural and precise when discussing future events in French, enriching your temporal vocabulary.

💡 * Je vais au marché après-demain. (I'm going to the market the day after tomorrow.)

• La fête est prévue après-demain soir. (The party is scheduled for the day after tomorrow evening.)
• Peux-tu me rappeler après-demain ? (Can you call me back the day after tomorrow?)
• Après-demain, nous devrions avoir des nouvelles. (The day after tomorrow, we should have news.)
• Il rentrera de voyage après-demain. (He will return from his trip the day after tomorrow.)

The 'tomorrow morning' – demain matin

To express the concept of 'tomorrow morning' in French, you'll use the straightforward phrase demain matin.

This phrase is a combination of two common French words: demain (tomorrow) and matin (morning). Together, they form a precise time indicator.

Unlike some other time expressions, demain matin functions adverbially, meaning it directly modifies a verb or a sentence to indicate when an action will take place.

An important point to remember is that demain matin does not require an article (like le or la) before it. It stands alone as a complete time expression.

Demain matin is a very common phrase in everyday French conversation, used for scheduling, plans, and future events.

While demain alone means 'tomorrow,' adding matin specifies the time of day, making your communication clearer. For other parts of the day, you'd use demain après-midi (tomorrow afternoon) or demain soir (tomorrow evening).

💡 * Je te verrai demain matin. (I will see you tomorrow morning.)

• La réunion est demain matin. (The meeting is tomorrow morning.)
• Il partira très tôt demain matin. (He will leave very early tomorrow morning.)
• Nous devons nous lever tôt demain matin. (We have to get up early tomorrow morning.)

The 'tomorrow afternoon' – demain après-midi

The phrase demain après-midi directly translates to 'tomorrow afternoon' in English, combining the French word for 'tomorrow' (demain) with 'afternoon' (après-midi).

This expression is used to specify an event or action that will take place during the afternoon hours of the following day. It's a straightforward way to refer to a specific time slot.

It serves as a very direct and unambiguous way to schedule or refer to plans for the afternoon of the next day, similar to how we would say 'tomorrow morning' (demain matin) or 'tomorrow evening' (demain soir).

💡 * Je te verrai demain après-midi. (I will see you tomorrow afternoon.)

• La réunion est prévue pour demain après-midi. (The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.)
• Que fais-tu demain après-midi ? (What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?)
• Il pleuvra peut-être demain après-midi. (It might rain tomorrow afternoon.)

The 'tomorrow evening' – demain soir

The 'tomorrow evening' – demain soir

Demain soir literally translates to 'tomorrow evening' and refers to the evening of the next day.

It's a straightforward and widely used phrase to indicate plans or events scheduled for the evening following the current day.

Just like demain matin (tomorrow morning) and demain après-midi (tomorrow afternoon), demain soir specifies a particular part of the next day.

Demain soir acts as a single adverbial phrase. You wouldn't typically separate demain and soir with other words in this context.

Use demain soir whenever you need to talk about something happening on the evening of the upcoming day, whether it's a casual plan or a formal appointment.

💡 * On dîne ensemble demain soir ? (Are we having dinner together tomorrow evening?)

• Je dois travailler tard demain soir. (I have to work late tomorrow evening.)
• Le film commence à 20h demain soir. (The movie starts at 8 PM tomorrow evening.)
• Tu es libre demain soir ? (Are you free tomorrow evening?)
• Ils arrivent demain soir. (They are arriving tomorrow evening.)

The 'by tomorrow' or 'before tomorrow' – d'ici demain

The French phrase d'ici demain translates directly to "by tomorrow" or "before tomorrow." It's a highly useful expression for indicating a deadline or a timeframe within which something must be completed.

Unlike avant demain (strictly before tomorrow), d'ici demain implies completion at any point up to and including tomorrow, but not later. It sets a clear temporal limit, meaning the action should be finished within the period ending tomorrow. Think of it as 'by the end of tomorrow'.

This construction isn't limited to demain. You can replace demain with other time expressions to indicate different deadlines. For example, you can say d'ici la fin de la semaine (by the end of the week), d'ici une heure (within an hour), or even d'ici peu (shortly/soon).

Using d'ici is an effective way to communicate when something needs to be done or when an event is expected to occur, emphasizing the completion within a specified period. It's crucial for setting expectations and managing tasks in French.

💡 * Je dois finir ce rapport d'ici demain. (I need to finish this report by tomorrow.)

• Tu penses que tu peux arriver d'ici une heure ? (Do you think you can arrive within an hour?)
• On doit prendre une décision d'ici la fin de la journée. (We need to make a decision by the end of the day.)
• Le colis devrait arriver d'ici peu. (The package should arrive shortly.)

The 'see you tomorrow' (as a farewell) – à demain

When you want to say 'see you tomorrow' in French, the most common and direct way is to use à demain.

Literally meaning 'until tomorrow', à demain functions as a simple and friendly farewell, indicating that you expect to see the person again the following day.

It's a versatile phrase used in both formal and informal contexts, making it an essential part of your French vocabulary for daily goodbyes.

💡 * À demain ! Bonne nuit !

• On se voit à la réunion de demain. À demain !
• Je dois y aller maintenant. À demain, tout le monde !
• N'oublie pas tes devoirs. À demain !

The 'the next day' (often in past narrative) – le lendemain

The 'the next day' (often in past narrative) – le lendemain

The French term le lendemain translates to 'the next day' or 'the following day'. It is predominantly used when recounting events that occurred in the past, referring to the day after a specific past event.

It's crucial not to confuse le lendemain with demain. While demain means 'tomorrow' relative to the present moment, le lendemain refers to 'the next day' relative to a past reference point in a narrative.

You might also encounter phrases like dès le lendemain (from the very next day) or le lendemain matin (the next morning), further specifying the timing within a past context.

💡 * Il est arrivé mardi, et le lendemain, il est parti. (He arrived on Tuesday, and the next day, he left.)

• Après la fête, le lendemain, tout le monde était fatigué. (After the party, the next day, everyone was tired.)
• Elle a pris sa décision le soir même, et le lendemain, elle a agi. (She made her decision that very evening, and the next day, she acted.)
• La réunion a été reportée, et le lendemain, nous avons reçu un nouvel horaire. (The meeting was postponed, and the next day, we received a new schedule.)

The 'starting tomorrow' or 'as early as tomorrow' – dès demain

The French phrase dès demain translates most accurately to “from tomorrow” or “as early as tomorrow.” It’s used to indicate that something will commence or take effect starting the very next day, often with an emphasis on promptness.

The key word here is dès, which means 'from,' 'as soon as,' or 'as early as.' When combined with demain (tomorrow), it stresses that there will be no delay; the action or event will begin immediately with the arrival of tomorrow.

You'll frequently encounter dès demain in announcements, plans, or commitments, signifying a prompt start. For example, a store might announce a sale dès demain, or someone might commit to a new habit dès demain.

💡 *Le magasin sera ouvert dès demain matin. (The store will be open starting tomorrow morning.)
*Je commence mon nouveau régime dès demain. (I'm starting my new diet as early as tomorrow.)
*Les nouvelles règles s'appliqueront dès demain. (The new rules will apply from tomorrow.)
*Nous pourrons commencer le projet dès demain. (We can start the project as early as tomorrow.)
*L'offre est valable dès demain. (The offer is valid from tomorrow.)

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

Are there other ways to say “tomorrow” in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say “tomorrow” in French. While demain is the primary word, French, like any language, has various nuances, from formal expressions to more casual or poetic turns of phrase, and even regional variations that refer to future timing.

You can also do an online search for “comment dire demain en ___” followed by a specific Francophone country or region to discover local specificities.

You might find some interesting synonyms or expressions for demain on this list. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different ways to talk about the concept of 'tomorrow' or the near future.

And if you’re looking for more ways to express future timing or related concepts, the WordReference entry for demain is a great place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful. Here’s a fitting quote to reflect on the future, a common French saying: Demain est un autre jour. (Tomorrow is another day.)