Tuesday in French

Mardi in English: Tuesday

Updated June 2026

mardi = martial = Mars. Reference card with native audio, IPA, Latin etymology, and naturalistic sentence examples.

mardi

Tuesday (m.)

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/maʁ.di/

mar-dee

Etymology

♂

Mars

Latin: dies Martis = “Day of Mars”

mardi = martial = Mars

Mardi comes from Latin dies Martis, 'day of Mars'. Mars was the Roman god of war and one of the most-worshipped deities in the Roman pantheon. The English month of March, the adjective 'martial', and the festival name Mardi Gras (literally 'fat Tuesday') all share this Mars root.

English cognates: martial, March, Mardi Gras

Pronunciation

Uvular r ʁ/maʁ.di/

The 'r' in mardi is the classic French uvular fricative /ʁ/, made by constricting or vibrating the uvula at the very back of the throat. It is nothing like the English alveolar 'r'. Try gargling lightly with no water to find the muscle position. The 'ar' itself is open and similar to English 'art'.

Common mistake

Trilling the 'r' like Spanish or Italian

Correct: Use the back of the throat, not the tongue tip

Sentence Examples

Real-world usage drawn from CNRTL attested corpora and naturalistic everyday French. Tap any sentence to hear it spoken.

On se voit mardi prochain.

See you next Tuesday.

Prochain follows the day name in French, the opposite of English word order.

Mardi est mon jour prefere.

Tuesday is my favourite day.

Subject use, no article.

Mardi Gras a la Nouvelle-Orleans.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Famous French-origin festival, celebrated worldwide.

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras (literally 'fat Tuesday') is the day before Ash Wednesday and the final day of Carnival. The name reflects the Catholic tradition of consuming rich food before the Lenten fast. The festival is celebrated in French-speaking regions across the world: New Orleans, French-speaking Canada, Mauritius, and the Caribbean. Larousse documents the festival under both its religious and its civic-cultural meaning.

Related Days

☽lundiMonday

lundi = lune = lunar

☿mercrediWednesday

mercredi = mercurial = Mercury

📋All 7 days reference

Lundi to dimanche in one place with audio.

🎧Pronunciation guide

Three sound patterns: nasal vowels, French r, and the ʒ in jeudi.

Mardi - Frequently Asked Questions

What is mardi in English?

Mardi is Tuesday in English. It is the French word for Tuesday, and like all seven French days of the week it is a masculine noun (le mardi).

How do you pronounce mardi in French?

Mardi is pronounced /maʁ.di/, roughly "mar-dee". The 'r' in mardi is the classic French uvular fricative /ʁ/, made by constricting or vibrating the uvula at the very back of the throat. It is nothing like the English alveolar 'r'. Try gargling lightly with no water to find the muscle position. The 'ar' itself is open and similar to English 'art'.

Is mardi masculine or feminine?

Mardi is masculine (le mardi). All seven French days of the week are masculine without exception, so you use masculine articles and adjectives: le mardi, ce mardi-ci.

Where does the word mardi come from?

Mardi comes from Latin dies Martis, meaning "Day of Mars". Mardi comes from Latin dies Martis, 'day of Mars'. Mars was the Roman god of war and one of the most-worshipped deities in the Roman pantheon. The English month of March, the adjective 'martial', and the festival name Mardi Gras (literally 'fat Tuesday') all share this Mars root.

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