To express an interval (from ... to ...) in French, you will use either de ... à ... or the contracted form du ... au ... (de + le ... à + le ...) depending on what follows.
Learn how to use "de ...à ..." to express an interval in French
1 - Using "du ... au ..."
du ... au ... (literally: from the ... to the ...) is used when the definite article le is normally present in French:
- between two dates
Le festival dure du 24 juillet au 5 août.The festival lasts from the 24th of July to the 5th of August.
Note that, like for dates in general, you don't use ordinal numbers (except for 1st: premier) and you don't need the of in front of the month.
See Expressing dates in French
- between two days of the week in a repetitive context (e.g. from Mondays to Fridays):
Cet athlète s'entraîne du lundi au samedi, toutes les semaines.This athlete trains from Mondays to Saturdays, every week.
Note that you use the singular form of the day. You never say des lundis aux vendredis
See Using "le" with days of the week + the weekend (French Definite Articles)
2 - Using "de ... à ..."
de ... à ... (literally: from ... to ...) is used in cases where le is not present in French:
- between two times:
Note that you can omit heures in the first part, but only with "on the dot" times:
See Telling time in French - general 12-hour clock rules
- between two months:
- between two days of the week in a one-time, specific context (e.g. from Monday to Friday):
Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Braimap today »
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Le festival dure du 24 juillet au 5 août.The festival lasts from the 24th of July to the 5th of August.
Cet athlète s'entraîne du lundi au samedi, toutes les semaines.This athlete trains from Mondays to Saturdays, every week.
Je suis restée là de huit heures et demie à onze heures moins le quart.I stayed there from half past eight to quarter to eleven.
