How to Say the Date in French: Le Premier, Then Cardinal Numbers
French dates use cardinal numbers (le trois mai) except the 1st, which is le premier. Also: French writes dates day-month-year, not month-day.
French dates follow le + cardinal number + month: le trois mai (May 3rd). The only exception is the 1st, which uses the ordinal: le premier janvier. Written numerically, French dates go day-month-year (03/05/2026 = May 3rd), unlike the US month-day-year format.
Quick answer
French dates follow le + cardinal number + month: le trois mai (May 3rd). The only exception is the 1st, which uses the ordinal: le premier janvier. Written numerically, French dates go day-month-year (03/05/2026 = May 3rd), unlike the US month-day-year format.
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This builds on days of the week in French and months in French.
The formula: le + number + month
Le trois mai (May 3rd), le vingt-cinq décembre (December 25th) - cardinal numbers, not ordinals. See French numbers 1 to 100 for the full number system.
The one exception: le premier
Le premier janvier (January 1st) - the ONLY date using an ordinal; every other date in the month is cardinal.
Including the day of the week and year
Full format: le lundi 3 mai deux mille vingt-six (Monday, May 3rd, 2026) - day of the week, then the le + number + month formula, then the year spelled out as a full number.
Writing dates numerically: DD/MM/YYYY
French writes the day first: 03/05/2026 means May 3rd, not March 5th - a genuine practical trap when reading French documents or forms.
| Written out | Numeric |
|---|---|
| le premier janvier | 01/01 |
| le trois mai | 03/05 |
| le vingt-cinq décembre | 25/12 |
Dates, correctly said and read
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Questions about this note
How do you say the first of the month in French?
Le premier - the only ordinal used in French dates.
Do French dates use cardinal or ordinal numbers?
Cardinal (le trois, le vingt-cinq), except le premier for the 1st.
What order do French numeric dates go in?
Day/month/year - 03/05/2026 means May 3rd, not March 5th.
How do you say "on Monday, May 3rd"?
Le lundi 3 mai.
How do you write the year in French?
As a full number: deux mille vingt-six (2026).