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A MILITARY TERM TO REFER TO A BIG DAY 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.  Read also: 2024 bank holiday dates in France and how they are celebrated 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