Published December 19, 2023 • Updated June 24, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Journée — Meaning and Pronunciation
Journée (f.) means “day” in French, especially when referring to the full span, experience, or quality of a day. For example: “Je passe la journée à Paris” (I’m spending the day in Paris). Journée is a false cognate: it looks like the English word “journey” but has a different meaning. While journée describes how a day is experienced or spent, jour (m.) refers to a day as a unit of time.
IPA pronunciation of journée is /ʒuʁ.ne/, which sounds approximately like “zhoor-nay”.
Example Sentences
1. Have a nice day
Bonne journée !
Have a nice day!
Je vous souhaite une excellente journée, madame !
Have an excellent day, ma’am!
2. Spending “the day”
Je passe la journée au bord de la mer.
I’m spending the day by the sea.
3. Quality of the day
J’ai plein de problèmes et je passe une journée désagréable.
I have a lot of problems and I’m having a hard day.
4. The days
Les journées sont plus courtes en hiver.
The days are shorter in winter.
👉 Next lesson: le matin vs. la matinée (morning vs. the full span of the morning)
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Related French Question Words
- aujourd’hui — today
- le jour — day, unit of time
- l’après-midi — afternoon
- la soirée — evening, full span or experience of the evening
- la nuit — night
- bonsoir — good evening
- une journée de travail — a workday, working day
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👉 Bonne journée (song by Stromae) »
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