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Measuring time in French

French vocabulary and culture — LinguaSearch

About Measuring time in French

All French month names come directly from Latin and reflect the Roman calendar. During the French Revolution, revolutionaries briefly introduced an entirely new calendar with months named after nature and seasons, such as 'Vendémiaire' (grape harvest) and 'Thermidor' (summer heat), before reverting to the traditional system.

Learning vocabulary related to measuring time is an important part of building your French language skills. Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced learner, expanding your vocabulary topic by topic is one of the most effective approaches to mastering a new language.

The LinguaSearch approach uses word search puzzles to make vocabulary learning natural and memorable. Finding a word in a grid engages your brain differently from simply reading a list — you recognise the word visually, process it spatially and connect it to its meaning all at once, which makes it far more likely to stick in your long-term memory.

Key measuring time vocabulary in French

le trimestre term/quarter
le semestre semester
la décennie decade
le siècle century
le millénaire millennium
annuel annual
mensuel monthly
le bilan review/assessment

These words and many more appear in the LinguaSearch Intermediate puzzle book.

Tips for learning measuring time vocabulary in French

  • Say each French word out loud as you learn it — hearing yourself say it helps it stick far better than reading alone
  • Group related words together — learning a whole topic at once creates a mental framework that makes individual words easier to recall
  • Look for connections with English — many French words have English equivalents or share Latin roots, which gives you a useful head start
  • Test yourself regularly — cover the English translations and see how many French words you can recall from memory
  • Use the words in context — try forming simple sentences using the vocabulary you have learned

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