How To Ask “What Day Is It Today?” In French (Quel Jour Sommes-Nous ?)

The first time I lost track of the days in France, I was sitting in a café in Paris, working my way through a ridiculous pile of pastries and homework. The waiter asked if I wanted the formule du midi /fɔʁ.my.lə dy mi.di/ — lunch set — and I proudly said yes. He looked at me and said:

Mais… on est dimanche aujourd’hui.

I had no idea what that meant, but he looked amused and slightly concerned, which is never a good combo.

Later, I discovered he’d basically said: “Uh… it’s Sunday today.” No lunch deal, just confused yak.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to:

Ask “What day is it today?” in natural French
Understand and use days of the week
Answer with “Today is…” like a local
Talk about yesterday, tomorrow, next Monday, last Friday, and more

All with real phrases people actually use, not just the ones trapped forever in dusty textbooks.

Quick Primer: Core Question & Answer Pattern

Let’s start with the star of the show.

On first mentions:

Quel jour sommes-nous ? /kɛl ʒuʁ sɔm nu/ — What day is it today? (formal / careful)
On est quel jour aujourd’hui ? /ɔ̃ nɛ kɛl ʒuʁ o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/ — What day is it today? (very common)
Aujourd’hui /o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/ — today

And the basic answer pattern:

Nous sommes lundi. /nu sɔm lœ̃.di/ — It’s Monday.
On est lundi. /ɔ̃ nɛ lœ̃.di/ — It’s Monday. (most common in speech)

Days of the week (we’ll come back to them):

lundi /lœ̃.di/ — Monday
mardi /maʁ.di/ — Tuesday
mercredi /mɛʁ.kʁə.di/ — Wednesday
jeudi /ʒø.di/ — Thursday
vendredi /vɑ̃.dʁə.di/ — Friday
samedi /sam.di/ — Saturday
dimanche /di.mɑ̃ʃ/ — Sunday

Key idea:
In everyday French, people rarely say only Quel jour sommes-nous ?. You’ll hear lots of On est quel jour aujourd’hui ? and C’est quel jour aujourd’hui ? /sɛ kɛl ʒuʁ o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/ — all of which basically mean “What day is it?”

Everyday Ways To Ask “What Day Is It?” In French

You have several natural options, depending on how formal you want to sound.

The Textbook Classic: “Quel jour sommes-nous ?”

Quel jour sommes-nous ? /kɛl ʒuʁ sɔm nu/ — What day is it today?

Sounds a bit formal or old-school, but you’ll see it in textbooks, announcements, or careful speech.
Completely correct, just not what most people say to their friends over coffee.

Answer:

Nous sommes mardi. /nu sɔm maʁ.di/ — It’s Tuesday.
Nous sommes le 10 mars. /nu sɔm lə dis maʁs/ — It’s March 10th.

What People Actually Say: “On est quel jour… ?”

Super common in everyday life:

On est quel jour, aujourd’hui ? /ɔ̃ nɛ kɛl ʒuʁ o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/ — What day is it today?
On est quel jour ? /ɔ̃ nɛ kɛl ʒuʁ/ — What day is it? (context makes “today” obvious)

Answer:

On est mercredi. /ɔ̃ nɛ mɛʁ.kʁə.di/ — It’s Wednesday.
Aujourd’hui, on est vendredi. /o.ʒuʁ.dɥi ɔ̃ nɛ vɑ̃.dʁə.di/ — Today is Friday.

Another Very Natural Version: “C’est quel jour… ?”

Also very common:

C’est quel jour aujourd’hui ? /sɛ kɛl ʒuʁ o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/ — What day is it today?
C’est quel jour, déjà ? /sɛ kɛl ʒuʁ de.ʒa/ — What day is it again?

Answers:

C’est lundi. /sɛ lœ̃.di/ — It’s Monday.
C’est dimanche aujourd’hui. /sɛ di.mɑ̃ʃ o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/ — It’s Sunday today.

Usage summary:

Talking to friends/classmates: On est quel jour aujourd’hui ? / C’est quel jour aujourd’hui ?
More formal or written: Quel jour sommes-nous ?

All three are correct; the second and third are your go-to for real conversations.

Days Of The Week: Names, Pronunciation, And Capitalization

On first mention we already saw them, but here’s the full picture.

In French, days of the week are not capitalized (unless at the start of a sentence).

French	IPA	English
lundi	lœ̃.di	Monday
mardi	maʁ.di	Tuesday
mercredi	mɛʁ.kʁə.di	Wednesday
jeudi	ʒø.di	Thursday
vendredi	vɑ̃.dʁə.di	Friday
samedi	sam.di	Saturday
dimanche	di.mɑ̃ʃ	Sunday

Key pronunciation hints:

lundi /lœ̃.di/ — nasal œ̃, not “loon-dee”; more like “luhn-dee” through your nose.
mercredi /mɛʁ.kʁə.di/ — three syllables: mer–cre–di. Go slow.
jeudi /ʒø.di/ — sounds like “zhuh-dee”; the eu /ø/ is like the vowel in peur /pœʁ/.
samedi /sam.di/ — often spoken as two syllables: sam-di.
vendredi /vɑ̃.dʁə.di/ — nasal ɑ̃ at the start.

Basic answering pattern:

Nous sommes lundi. — more formal / careful.
On est lundi. — normal conversation.
C’est lundi. — also common.

Example:

On est quel jour aujourd’hui ?
/ɔ̃ nɛ kɛl ʒuʁ o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/
What day is it today?

On est jeudi.
/ɔ̃ nɛ ʒø.di/
It’s Thursday.

Talking About Today, Yesterday, Tomorrow (And Their Friends)

Knowing the day is nice. Knowing where it is in time… even better.

On first mentions:

hier /jɛʁ/ — yesterday
demain /də.mɛ̃/ — tomorrow
avant-hier /a.vɑ̃.tjɛʁ/ — the day before yesterday
après-demain /a.pʁɛ.də.mɛ̃/ — the day after tomorrow

Core Time Words

French	IPA	English
aujourd’hui	o.ʒuʁ.dɥi	today
hier	jɛʁ	yesterday
demain	də.mɛ̃	tomorrow
avant-hier	a.vɑ̃.tjɛʁ	the day before yesterday
après-demain	a.pʁɛ.də.mɛ̃	the day after tomorrow

Examples:

Quel jour sommes-nous aujourd’hui ?
/kɛl ʒuʁ sɔm nu o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/
What day is it today?
Hier, on était mardi. /jɛʁ ɔ̃ n‿e.tɛ maʁ.di/ — Yesterday, it was Tuesday.
Demain, on sera vendredi. /də.mɛ̃ ɔ̃ sə.ʁa vɑ̃.dʁə.di/ — Tomorrow, it’ll be Friday.

“This Monday”, “Next Friday”, “On Mondays”

On first mentions:

ce lundi /sə lœ̃.di/ — this Monday
lundi prochain /lœ̃.di pʁɔ.ʃɛ̃/ — next Monday
lundi dernier /lœ̃.di dɛʁ.nje/ — last Monday
le lundi /lə lœ̃.di/ — on Mondays (in general)

French	IPA	English
ce lundi	sə lœ̃.di	this Monday
lundi prochain	lœ̃.di pʁɔ.ʃɛ̃	next Monday
lundi dernier	lœ̃.di dɛʁ.nje	last Monday
le lundi	lə lœ̃.di	on Mondays (in general)

Examples:

Nous sommes jeudi aujourd’hui, et lundi dernier j’étais malade.
/nu sɔm ʒø.di o.ʒuʁ.dɥi e lœ̃.di dɛʁ.nje ʒe.tɛ ma.lad/
It’s Thursday today, and last Monday I was sick.
On est mardi aujourd’hui; le mardi, j’ai cours de français.
/ɔ̃ nɛ maʁ.di o.ʒuʁ.dɥi lə maʁ.di ʒe kuʁ də fʁɑ̃.sɛ/
It’s Tuesday today; on Tuesdays, I have French class.

Usage Notes & Common Learner Mistakes

A few classic traps and how to elegantly walk around them.

Mistake 1: Directly Translating English “What Day Is Today?”

English: “What day is it today?”
Many learners try:

✗ Quel est le jour aujourd’hui ? — understandable but not natural.

Better options:

On est quel jour aujourd’hui ?
C’est quel jour aujourd’hui ?
Quel jour sommes-nous aujourd’hui ? (more formal)

Mistake 2: Capitalizing the Days

In English: Monday, Tuesday…
In French: lundi, mardi, mercredi — lowercase, unless at the beginning of a sentence.

✗ Lundi prochain, j’ai un rendez-vous. (capital L — looks wrong)
✓ Lundi prochain, j’ai un rendez-vous. (capital because it’s the first word)
✓ Jeudi, on part en voyage. /ʒø.di ɔ̃ paʁ ɑ̃ vwa.jaʒ/ — Thursday, we’re going on a trip.

Mistake 3: Forgetting “On est…” / “Nous sommes…”

To say “It’s Monday”, you need a subject:

✗ Est lundi — missing subject
✓ On est lundi.
✓ Nous sommes lundi.
✓ C’est lundi.

Mistake 4: Confusing “Ce lundi” And “Le lundi”

ce lundi — this specific Monday
le lundi — every Monday / on Mondays

On est quel jour aujourd’hui ?
On est lundi. Le lundi, je travaille.
/ɔ̃ nɛ lœ̃.di lə lœ̃.di ʒə tʁa.vaj/
It’s Monday. On Mondays, I work.

Region Notes: How This Sounds In Real France French

In France, you’ll hear a lot of:

On est quel jour, aujourd’hui ?
C’est quel jour aujourd’hui ?
On est mardi, non ? — It’s Tuesday, right?

In more formal or careful contexts:

On the radio, in announcements, or in school:
Quel jour sommes-nous aujourd’hui ?

In other francophone areas (Québec, Belgium, etc.), the same structures are widely understood. You may hear slight differences in accent, but the questions and answers stay the same.

As a learner, focusing on:

On est quel jour aujourd’hui ?
C’est quel jour aujourd’hui ?

will make you sound natural in most everyday situations in France.

Mini Dialogues: Asking About The Day In Real Life

Each line: French, IPA, then English.

1. Completely Lost In Time

On est quel jour, aujourd’hui ?
/ɔ̃ nɛ kɛl ʒuʁ o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/
What day is it today?

On est mercredi.
/ɔ̃ nɛ mɛʁ.kʁə.di/
It’s Wednesday.

Ah oui, merci, je ne sais jamais quel jour on est.
/a wi mɛʁ.si ʒə nə sɛ ʒa.mɛ kɛl ʒuʁ ɔ̃ nɛ/
Ah right, thanks, I never know what day it is.

Moi non plus, t’inquiète.
/mwa nɔ̃ ply tɛ̃.kjɛt/
Me neither, don’t worry.

2. Making Plans For The Week

C’est quel jour aujourd’hui ?
/sɛ kɛl ʒuʁ o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/
What day is it today?

Nous sommes vendredi.
/nu sɔm vɑ̃.dʁə.di/
It’s Friday.

Super, alors lundi prochain on se voit ?
/sy.pɛʁ a.lɔʁ lœ̃.di pʁɔ.ʃɛ̃ ɔ̃ sə vwa/
Great, so next Monday we see each other?

Oui, lundi prochain à dix-neuf heures.
/wi lœ̃.di pʁɔ.ʃɛ̃ a diz.nœv œʁ/
Yes, next Monday at 7 p.m.

3. In French Class With The Teacher

Quel jour sommes-nous aujourd’hui ?
/kɛl ʒuʁ sɔm nu o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/
What day is it today?

On est mardi, madame.
/ɔ̃ nɛ maʁ.di ma.dam/
It’s Tuesday, ma’am.

Et quel jour était-ce hier ?
/e kɛl ʒuʁ e.tɛs jɛʁ/
And what day was it yesterday?

Hier, c’était lundi.
/jɛʁ se.tɛ lœ̃.di/
Yesterday, it was Monday.

Quick Reference: “What Day Is It?” Cheat Sheet

French	IPA	English
Quel jour sommes-nous ?	kɛl ʒuʁ sɔm nu	What day is it (today)? (formal)
Quel jour sommes-nous aujourd’hui ?	kɛl ʒuʁ sɔm nu o.ʒuʁ.dɥi	What day is it today?
On est quel jour aujourd’hui ?	ɔ̃ nɛ kɛl ʒuʁ o.ʒuʁ.dɥi	What day is it today? (very common)
C’est quel jour aujourd’hui ?	sɛ kɛl ʒuʁ o.ʒuʁ.dɥi	What day is it today?
On est quel jour ?	ɔ̃ nɛ kɛl ʒuʁ	What day is it?
Nous sommes lundi.	nu sɔm lœ̃.di	It’s Monday.
On est lundi.	ɔ̃ nɛ lœ̃.di	It’s Monday.
C’est lundi.	sɛ lœ̃.di	It’s Monday.
lundi	lœ̃.di	Monday
mardi	maʁ.di	Tuesday
mercredi	mɛʁ.kʁə.di	Wednesday
jeudi	ʒø.di	Thursday
vendredi	vɑ̃.dʁə.di	Friday
samedi	sam.di	Saturday
dimanche	di.mɑ̃ʃ	Sunday
aujourd’hui	o.ʒuʁ.dɥi	today
hier	jɛʁ	yesterday
demain	də.mɛ̃	tomorrow
avant-hier	a.vɑ̃.tjɛʁ	the day before yesterday
après-demain	a.pʁɛ.də.mɛ̃	the day after tomorrow
ce lundi	sə lœ̃.di	this Monday
lundi prochain	lœ̃.di pʁɔ.ʃɛ̃	next Monday
lundi dernier	lœ̃.di dɛʁ.nje	last Monday
le lundi	lə lœ̃.di	on Mondays (in general)

Five-Minute Practice Plan: From “What Day Is It?” To “I Sound Organized”

Day Names Out Loud (1 minute)
Say the days in order, twice:
lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche
Then backward once. Focus on tricky ones: mercredi, jeudi.
Question–Answer Drill (1 minute)
Alternate these out loud:
On est quel jour aujourd’hui ? — On est mardi.
C’est quel jour aujourd’hui ? — C’est vendredi.
Quel jour sommes-nous aujourd’hui ? — Nous sommes dimanche.
Today–Yesterday–Tomorrow Mini-Script (1 minute)
Fill in with different days:
Aujourd’hui, on est [jour]. Hier, c’était [jour]. Demain, ce sera [jour].
For example:
Aujourd’hui, on est mercredi. Hier, c’était mardi. Demain, ce sera jeudi.
“Next/Last” Combo (1 minute)
Practice these aloud:
Ce lundi, je travaille.
Lundi prochain, je pars en voyage.
Lundi dernier, j’étais malade.
Real-Life Check-In (1 minute)
Look at a real calendar (phone or wall) and say:
- What day it is: On est [jour].
- One fact about your week: Le [jour], j’ai cours / je travaille / je me repose.

Bonus: next time you write or say the date in French, add the day:
Nous sommes mardi 12, aujourd’hui.

Time-Confused Yak, Calendar-Confident You

For a long time in France, I walked around like a time-traveling yak: always slightly unsure if it was Tuesday, Thursday, or the secret eighth day of the week where homework is due and bakeries are closed.

Once On est quel jour aujourd’hui ?, the days of the week, and a few “yesterday/tomorrow” phrases stuck in my brain, everything clicked: planning, appointments, small talk, even school.

Get these questions and answers into your mouth, use them with calendars, classmates, and café staff, and suddenly French time stops feeling like chaos and starts feeling like something you can actually keep up with — croissant crumbs and all.