To translate - the day when I go on holiday will be super - do I use où or quand for the word when?

John B.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

To translate - the day when I go on holiday will be super - do I use où or quand for the word when?

Asked 6 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi John,

The expression is 'le jour ' in French -

Le jour où je suis arrivé(e), il a pluThe day (that) I arrived it rained.

Le jour où je serai à la retraite, sera un jour de bonheur pour moi.The day (that) I retire will be a happy one for me.

In your example-

Le jour où je partirai en vacances, ce sera génial.

Hope this helps!

 

John B.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
That's perfect, thanks.
John B.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Hi Cecile,

You give the example of “le jour où je serai marié” or “le jour où je serai à la retraite, sera un jour de bonheur” as a example of the use of où as a relative pronoun. But Ron, in another post, has said the où can only be used to mean “when” in the context of a time frame that has passed. In your example the time frame is in the future.  Is Ron mistaken?

Thanks

John

To translate - the day when I go on holiday will be super - do I use où or quand for the word when?

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