Learning French: when and why do we say le jour J?
A military term to refer to a big day
It often describes the arrival of a significant date that has been planned in advance
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Le jour J, similar to D-day in English, can be used to anticipate or celebrate the arrival of an important day, such as a marriage, a retirement or an exam.
We look at how you can slip it into French conversations and highlight some similar terms including l’heure H (H-hour).
What does le jour J mean?
It literally translates as ‘J day’, following the same formula as ‘D-day’ in the English language.
This saying has military connotations, referring to the day that Allied forces stormed Normandy on June 6, 1944.
It can also be used more generally to refer to a big day or significant date that has been planned in advance.
D-day typically has negative connotations when used figuratively in English, with images of doomsday and deadlines springing to mind. In France, however, le jour J can also refer to joyous occasions.
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What are the origins of le jour J?
The initial meaning of le jour J refers to the Normandy landings during World War Two. It is also used as a military term to indicate when an invasion or operation is going to happen.
The capital letter in le jour J is simply a repetition of the first letter of jour, much like D repeating the first letter of ‘day’ in D-day.
This formula is also followed in the term l’heure H, used when tracking an event down to the hour. It is less commonly said in day-to-day conversation and is mainly reserved for military discussion.
In the realm of physics, l’instant T refers to a specific instant, with T standing for temps (time).
You might even come across J-2 (pronounced: j moins deux), which would imply that something is expected to happen in two days' time. The number featured in this term can be replaced depending on the remaining days in the countdown to a specific date.
This is similar to T-minus, in English, used when counting down minutes or hours to a deadline.
Read also: Normandy's D-Day landing beaches: potential fourth UNESCO world heritage site
When do you say le jour J?
Use this to refer to a special date:
Nous sommes le jour J ! J'espère que tout le monde est prêt. - It is the big day! I hope everyone is ready.
Il ne reste plus que quelques semaines avant le jour J et je suis très impatiente. - Only a few weeks until the big day and I am so excited.
It can also refer to the D-Day landings, although this is not very common:
To whom do you say le jour J?
It is neutral language and can be used in a range of formal and informal contexts.
You can say this with friends, family, colleagues or strangers.
Read also: The French you learn at school is often not what you hear: 5 examples
