Sunday in French
Dimanche in English: Sunday
Updated June 2026
dimanche = dominion = Lord's Day. Reference card with native audio, IPA, Latin etymology, and naturalistic sentence examples.
Etymology
Lord's Day (replaced Sun)
Latin: dies Dominicus = “Day of the Lord”
Dimanche is the second Christian replacement. The Romans called Sunday dies Solis ('day of the Sun'), but the Church replaced it with dies Dominicus ('day of the Lord') after Sunday was designated the day of Christian worship by the Council of Laodicea around 363 AD. Dominicus contracted through Old French (domenche, demanche, dimanche). English cognates: 'dominion', 'domain', 'dominate'.
English cognates: dominion, domain, dominate
Pronunciation
Dimanche ends in the nasal /ɑ̃/ followed by /ʃ/ (the 'sh' in English 'ship'). The French 'ch' is always 'sh', never 'tch' as in English 'church'. The final 'e' is silent: 'dee-mahnsh', not 'dee-mahn-sheh'.
Common mistake
Pronouncing the final 'e' or saying 'dim-AUCH'
Correct: dee-MAHNSH, final 'e' silent
Sentence Examples
Real-world usage drawn from CNRTL attested corpora and naturalistic everyday French. Tap any sentence to hear it spoken.
Dimanche est le jour du Seigneur.
Sunday is the Lord's day.
Religious context, matches the dies Dominicus origin.
Le dimanche, les magasins sont fermes.
On Sundays, the shops are closed.
Habitual le-dimanche; reflects French Sunday-closure tradition.
On se voit dimanche prochain.
See you next Sunday.
Prochain after day name.
Dimanche de Paques est la fete chretienne la plus importante.
Easter Sunday is the most important Christian feast.
Cultural: Dimanche de Paques is the Easter date in French.
Related Days
Dimanche - Frequently Asked Questions
What is dimanche in English?
How do you pronounce dimanche in French?
Is dimanche masculine or feminine?
Where does the word dimanche come from?
Lock dimanche into long-term memory