An/Année – Jour/Journée – Soir/Soirée – Matin/Matinée
It can be difficult to know when to use an or année, jour or journée, soir or soirée, and matin or matinée in French. These words all refer to time, but they are not always interchangeable.
A few useful patterns will help you understand the difference and choose the right word.
You can download a free PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.
The basic difference
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
| un jour | une journée | a day |
| un soir | une soirée | an evening |
| un matin | une matinée | a morning |
| un an | une année | a year |
The masculine forms often refer to a specific or countable unit of time. The feminine forms ending in -ée often emphasize the duration of an activity or the time spent doing something.
This is a useful general pattern, but it is not an absolute rule. Some expressions always use one form, so pay attention to the examples below.
Saying hello and good-bye
French uses different expressions to greet someone and to wish someone well as they leave.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Bonjour | Hello / Good morning |
| Bonne journée | Have a nice day |
| Bonsoir | Good evening |
| Bonne soirée | Have a nice evening |
| Bonne matinée | Have a nice morning |
Bon matin is not used in standard French in France. Simply say bonjour when you want to say good morning.
Notice the difference:
- Bonjour ! – Hello!
- Bonne journée ! – Have a nice day!
- Bonsoir ! – Good evening!
- Bonne soirée ! – Have a nice evening!
1. Use masculine words when counting
When you count days, evenings, mornings, or years, use the masculine forms.
| French | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| un jour | J’ai passé 6 jours à Londres. | I spent 6 days in London. |
| un soir | Je sors 3 soirs par semaine. | I go out 3 evenings per week. |
| un matin | Je fais du yoga 7 matins par semaine. | I do yoga 7 mornings a week. |
| un an | Elle a 49 ans. | She is 49 years old. |
Other useful expressions include:
- 7 matins sur 7 – 7 mornings out of 7
- 3 jours par semaine – 3 days per week
- 5 ans – 5 years
Remember that French uses avoir to express age:
- Elle a 49 ans. – She is 49 years old.
- J’ai 20 ans. – I am 20 years old.
2. Use masculine words in expressions with time adverbs
When you use expressions such as hier soir, demain soir, hier matin, and demain matin, use the masculine forms.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je te verrai demain soir. | I’ll see you tomorrow evening. |
| Je t’ai vu hier soir. | I saw you last night. |
| Je travaillerai demain matin. | I’ll work tomorrow morning. |
| J’ai travaillé hier matin. | I worked yesterday morning. |
You can also use these expressions:
- ce matin – this morning
- cet après-midi – this afternoon
- ce soir – this evening
- demain matin – tomorrow morning
- demain soir – tomorrow evening
3. Use masculine words with demonstrative adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives are the French words for this, that, these, and those.
When referring to a particular day, morning, or evening, use the masculine form:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je ne pourrai pas venir ce jour-là. | I won’t be able to come that day. |
| Tu passeras chez moi ce soir ? | Will you stop by my place this evening? |
| J’ai bu du café ce matin. | I drank coffee this morning. |
An important exception: cette année
Although an is masculine, the expression for this year is cette année, not cet an.
- Cette année – this year
- Qu’est-ce que tu veux accomplir cette année ? – What do you want to accomplish this year?
For a complete lesson, see French Demonstrative Adjectives – Ce, Cet, Cette, Ces.
4. Use feminine words when describing a day, evening, or morning
When you use an adjective to describe the quality or experience of a day, evening, or morning, the feminine forms are often used.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Quelle journée incroyable ! | What an incredible day! |
| Quelle belle soirée ! | What a beautiful evening! |
| Quelle matinée horrible ! | What a horrible morning! |
| C’était une bonne matinée. | It was a good morning. |
| On va passer une soirée agréable. | We’re going to have a pleasant evening. |
When asking about a specific day, morning, or evening
When you want to identify a particular calendar day, morning, or evening, use the masculine form.
- Nous sommes quel jour ? – What day is it?
- Tu viens quel soir ? – Which evening are you coming?
- Tu préfères quel matin de la semaine ? – Which morning of the week do you prefer?
An important exception: quelle année
When asking which year something happened, use the feminine form quelle année, even though you are referring to a specific calendar year.
- Tu as fini tes études en quelle année ? – What year did you finish your studies?
- Nous sommes en quelle année ? – What year is it?
5. An vs Année – When can you use both?
In certain expressions, you can use either an or année. Both forms are correct, although one may be more common or natural in a particular context.
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
| l’an dernier | l’année dernière | last year |
| l’an prochain | l’année prochaine | next year |
| le nouvel an | la nouvelle année | the New Year |
| 3 ans à Paris | 3 années à Paris | 3 years in Paris |
The masculine form an is generally more common when counting years. The feminine form année often emphasizes the year as a period of time or its particular character.
For example:
- J’ai vécu trois ans à Paris. – I lived in Paris for three years.
- Nous avons passé une année merveilleuse en Provence. – We spent a wonderful year in Provence.
6. Use quelques with masculine and feminine forms
Quelques means a few or some. It is followed by the appropriate noun.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| quelques jours | a few days |
| quelques soirs | a few evenings |
| quelques matins | a few mornings |
| quelques années | a few years |
Remember that année is feminine, so you use quelques années.
7. Use chaque with masculine and feminine forms
Chaque means each or every. It is always followed by a singular noun.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| chaque jour | every day |
| chaque soir | every evening |
| chaque matin | every morning |
| chaque année | every year |
Notice that chaque does not change. The noun that follows determines whether you use the masculine or feminine form.
8. Use feminine words with dans la, pendant la, and durant la
When referring to a period of time with these expressions, you will often use the feminine forms.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Il faut boire au moins 2 litres d’eau durant la journée. | You should drink at least 2 liters of water during the day. |
| Ils passeront dans la soirée. | They’ll stop by in the evening. |
| Je te verrai dans la matinée. | I’ll see you during the morning. |
| Pendant l’année 2020, nous sommes restés à la maison. | During the year 2020, we stayed at home. |
These expressions emphasize a period of time rather than counting individual days, evenings, or mornings.
9. Use masculine and feminine words with tout
The French word tout changes according to the gender and number of the noun it describes.
Compare these examples:
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| tous les jours – every day | toute la journée – all day |
| tous les soirs – every evening | toute la soirée – all evening |
| tous les matins – every morning | toute la matinée – all morning |
| tous les ans – every year | toute une année – a whole year |
- Je fais mon lit tous les jours. – I make my bed every day.
- J’ai passé toute la journée avec toi. – I spent the whole day with you.
- J’y vais tous les soirs. – I go there every evening.
- Ça va durer toute la soirée. – It’s going to last all evening.
- Je me lève tôt tous les matins. – I get up early every morning.
- J’étais en cours de français toute la matinée. – I was in French class all morning.
- Tu y retournes tous les ans ? – Do you go back there every year?
- On avait passé toute une année en Provence. – We had spent a whole year in Provence.
For more information, see my lesson on French Tout and How to Pronounce Tous.
10. Le jour, le soir, and le matin
When you use these words with the definite article le, you can refer to a general part of the day.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je travaille le jour. | I work during the day. |
| Je travaille le soir. | I work in the evening. |
| Je travaille le matin. | I work in the morning. |
11. Un jour vs Une journée
Both words mean a day, but they are used differently.
Un jour (masculine) – A day
Use un jour when counting days or referring to a particular day.
- J’habite en France depuis cinq jours. – I’ve been living in France for five days.
- J’ai passé six jours à Londres. – I spent six days in London.
Une journée (feminine) – A day
Use une journée when emphasizing the day as a period of time or the experience of spending the day doing something.
- Les journées passées à la plage sont tellement agréables. – Days spent at the beach are so lovely.
- J’ai passé toute la journée à travailler. – I spent the whole day working.
12. Un soir vs Une soirée
Both words mean an evening.
Un soir (masculine) – An evening
Use un soir when referring to one particular evening or counting evenings.
- Je sors trois soirs par semaine. – I go out three evenings per week.
- Un soir, nous sommes allés au restaurant. – One evening, we went to the restaurant.
Une soirée (feminine) – An evening
Use une soirée when emphasizing the time spent during the evening or an event that takes place in the evening.
- On arrivera pendant la soirée. – We’ll arrive during the evening.
- Nous avons passé une excellente soirée. – We had a wonderful evening.
A soirée can also refer to an evening event or party.
13. Un matin vs Une matinée
Both words mean a morning.
Un matin (masculine) – A morning
Use un matin when referring to a particular morning or counting mornings.
- Je suis allé(e) courir ce matin. – I went running this morning.
- Je fais du yoga sept matins par semaine. – I do yoga seven mornings a week.
Une matinée (feminine) – A morning
Use une matinée when emphasizing the time spent during the morning.
- J’ai passé toute la matinée à ranger l’appartement. – I spent the whole morning cleaning up the apartment.
- C’était une matinée chargée. – It was a busy morning.
14. Un an vs Une année
Both words mean a year.
Un an (masculine) – A year
Use un an when counting years, expressing someone’s age, or giving a length of time.
- Elle a 49 ans. – She is 49 years old.
- Je pars à New York pour un an. – I’m going to New York for one year.
- J’habite en France depuis cinq ans. – I’ve been living in France for five years.
Une année (feminine) – A year
Use une année when emphasizing the year as a period of time or describing the experience of that year.
- Quelle année géniale ! – What an awesome year!
- C’est une année exceptionnelle. – It’s an exceptional year.
- On a passé une année merveilleuse en Provence. – We spent a wonderful year in Provence.
Remember that we say en quelle année when asking which year something happened:
- Nous sommes en quelle année ? – What year is it?
Video Lesson: An/Année – Jour/Journée – Soir/Soirée – Matin/Matinée
