Learn Hardcore French: Je suis paresseux le dimanche, par contre Marie se lève tôt. - I am lazy on Sundays; however, Marie gets up early.

In French, le + day of the week expresses a habitual action: le dimanche = “on Sundays” (as a general habit). For a specific Sunday, use just dimanche (context tells which) or add a determiner: ce dimanche (this Sunday), dimanche prochain (next Sunday), dimanche dernier (last Sunday).

Why not use a preposition like “on”? Why isn’t it au dimanche?

French doesn’t use a preposition here. Use the definite article for habitual actions: le lundi, le mardi, le dimanche, etc. Au dimanche is incorrect in this meaning.

Why does paresseux end in -x? How does it agree with gender and number?

Paresseux is the masculine singular form of the adjective “lazy.” With être, adjectives agree with the subject:

masculine singular: paresseux
feminine singular: paresseuse
masculine plural: paresseux (same spelling as masc. sg.)
feminine plural: paresseuses A woman would say Je suis paresseuse le dimanche; a group of women: Nous sommes paresseuses.

Can I move the time phrase? Is Le dimanche, je suis paresseux okay?

Yes. Time expressions are flexible. Both Je suis paresseux le dimanche and Le dimanche, je suis paresseux are natural. Fronting Le dimanche adds a bit of emphasis to the time frame.

Why is it se lève and not just lève?

Because se lever is pronominal and means “to get up/stand up (oneself).” Without the reflexive pronoun, lever is transitive: lever quelque chose = “to raise something” (e.g., lever la main).

What’s the difference between se lever and se réveiller?

Se réveiller = to wake up (stop sleeping).
Se lever = to get up (get out of bed/stand up). You can se réveiller early but se lever late, and vice versa.

Why does lève have a grave accent?

In the present tense of (se) lever, the stem vowel changes before silent endings: je me lève, tu te lèves, il/elle se lève, nous nous levons, vous vous levez, ils/elles se lèvent. The è keeps the vowel open. There’s no change for nous/vous.

Can I start the clause with par contre? And could I use mais or en revanche instead?

You can write ..., par contre, Marie se lève tôt or start with Par contre, Marie se lève tôt.
Par contre ≈ “on the other hand/however,” common in speech; some style guides prefer en revanche in formal writing.
Mais is a direct “but” linking two clauses: Je suis paresseux..., mais Marie se lève tôt. All are correct; choose based on tone/formality.

Do I need commas around par contre?

It’s good style to set it off with commas when it interrupts a clause: ..., par contre, .... Many people omit the second comma in casual writing, but using both is cleaner.

Is tôt the only way to say “early”? How does it compare to de bonne heure?

Both mean “early.”

tôt is the neutral adverb: se lever tôt.
de bonne heure is a bit more idiomatic/colloquial and can suggest “bright and early”: se lever de bonne heure. Both are widely used.

Why is dimanche not capitalized?

Days of the week aren’t capitalized in French unless they start a sentence or are part of a proper name. So le dimanche is correct.

Can I drop the subject pronoun and say Suis paresseux le dimanche?

No. French requires explicit subject pronouns: Je suis... For emphasis you can say Moi, je suis..., but you can’t omit je.

Could I say les dimanches instead of le dimanche?

Yes, with a nuance:

le dimanche = on Sundays (general habit).
les dimanches = on Sundays (each Sunday, a bit more distributive/emphatic). To stress regularity, tous les dimanches is also common.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts?

Approximate guide:

Je suis: [zhuh swee]; ui like “wee” with rounded lips.
paresseux: final x silent; -eux sounds like the vowel in deux.
tôt: long closed “o” [to].
se lève: se like “suh”; lève with an open “eh.”

Could I say Je suis paresseux au dimanche?

No. Use the article, not a preposition: Je suis paresseux le dimanche. Prepositions like à/au aren’t used with days to mean “on [day]” in this context.

Are there more casual ways to say “I’m lazy on Sundays”?

Yes, informal options include:

J’ai la flemme le dimanche.
Je suis flemmard(e) le dimanche. These are colloquial; paresseux/paresseuse is neutral.

Why is there no article before Marie?

Personal names normally take no article in standard modern French: Marie se lève tôt. You might hear an article in some regional or very informal speech, but it’s not standard.