Level A1/A2 (Lower and upper beginner)
The French word of the day is an vs. annee, which both mean ‘year’. This lesson clarifies when to use each word. In a nutshell, an is used for describing units of time and année is often attached to other words such as adjectives.
an, année – IPA pronunciation /ɑ̃, ah-nay/
Mastering the Difference: An vs. Année
Word origin
The Modern French word an comes from annus (year) in Latin.
Pronunciation
Before we go any further, let’s clarify the pronunciation of both an and année. An is simply the nasal sound /ɑ̃/ that can be found in both the en and an in the word enfant (child). Do NOT pronounce the -n. This is a common mistake among beginners.
an
The word année sounds like /ah-nay/.
année
When to use ‘an’
The following section will cover when to use an. Again, think of an as a unit of time.
Describing age
To describe somebody’s age in French use avoir (to have) plus the number of years. This lesson covers numbers.
Marc a vingt ans.
Marc is 20 years-old.
For the above two example sentences, using année would be wrong. You cannot use année when talking about your age.
Use an to describe turning a certain age. For example:
Marie va avoir vingt-cinq ans en mars.
Marie will be 25 years-old in March.
How many years an action has occurred
Again, think of an as a unit of time. Use an when talking about how long you’ve been doing something, how long it’s been since an event occurred or when you will do something in the future. Using année for this example sentences would sound very awkward to the French ear.
On habite ici depuis trois ans.
We’ve been living here for three years.
Last year, next year, etc.
When talking about ‘last year’ or ‘next year’, use an. For example.
Je suis allé à Paris l’an dernier.
I went to Paris last year.
L’an prochain nous partons en Espagne.
Next year we’re going to Spain.
That said, you can use the word année in both of these sentences. You can say l’année prochaine to mean next year and l’année dernière to mean last year.
Use année to say ‘this year’. Saying an here would sound awkward. For example:
Qu’est-ce que tu fais cette année ?
What are you doing this year?
Every year
When saying ‘year’ in the context of ‘every year’ you must use an. The expression is tous les ans. For example:
Nous partons au Mexique tous les ans.
We go to Mexico every year.
When to use année
In general, use the word année when it’s attached to another word, such as an adjective. Also use année with quantifier words (each, few, many).
Good year, difficult year, etc.
Here are some examples of sentences where the quality of the year is being described with an adjective. Using the word an for these sounds would sound awkward to the French ear.
Je passe une bonne année.
I’m having a good year.
Elle passe une année difficile.
She’s having a hard year.
This year
To say ‘this year’, use the demonstrative adjective cette followed by année. Again, using an wouldn’t sound right. For example:
Qu’est-ce que vous allez faire cette année ?
What are you going to do this year?
Referring to a decade
Use année when referring to a decade, such as the 1970s or 1980s. The following example sentence will include both an and année. As you can recall from above, an is referring to a unit of time.
J’ai passé un an en France aux années 90.
I spent a year in France in the 90s.
Les gens apprécient la musique des années 60.
People like music from the 1960s.
Ordinal numbers
When counting years with ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.), use année.
C’est la troisième année de notre mariage. It’s the third year of our marriage.
The word annèe can also be used to refer to grades in the Canadian school system. For example:
Marc est en cinqième année. Marc in the fifth grade.
Every year
To say ‘every year’ use chaque année. For example:
Je passe l’hiver dans les Alpes chaque année depuis mon enfance.
I’ve been spending the winter in the Alps each year since my childhood.
Several years or a few years
For “several years” use plusieurs années and for ‘a few years’ use quelques années. For example:
Je voudrais passer quelques années en Europe. I’d like spend a few years in Europe.
Elle habite a Marseille depuis plusieurs années. She’s been living in Marseille for several years.
So many years, too many years
To express ‘so many years’ and ‘too many years’, use année. For example:
Ils se disputent depuis tellement d’années. They’ve been arguing for so many years.
Antoine fume depuis trop d’années. Antoine has been smoking for too many years.
How many years
Use combien d’années when asking about ‘how many years’. For example:
Depuis combien d’années habitez-vous en France? How many years have you lived in France?
For years
When expressing ‘for years’, use des années. For example:
Il est comme ca depuis des années. He’s been like that for years.
Continue learning French!
Now that you’ve mastered an vs. annee, check out our lesson explaining the months of the year and how to say the date!
References
French Word of the Day | Lessons by David Issokson
