EXPRESSING THE DATE
To express the date, cardinal numbers are used in French, except for the first day of the month which uses premier. Here are some examples:
le premier octobre | the first of October |
le vingt-huit juillet | the 28th of July |
le dix décembre | the 10th of December |
There are two ways to express a year:
1994: | mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-quatorze (or) dix-neuf cent quatre-vingt-quatorze |
When giving a complete date, do so as follows:
July 4, 1776: | le quatre juillet mille sept cent soixante-seize (or) dix-sept cent soixante-seize |
November 11, 1918: | le onze novembre mil neuf cent dix-huit* (or) dix-neuf cent dix-huit |
*Both mil and mille are acceptable ways of writing here.
When giving dates numerically, the French give first the day, then the month, then the year:
4.1.1998 | le quatre janvier, mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-huit |
30.12.1960 | le trente décembre mille neuf cent soixante |