1939 in French
mille neuf cent trente-neuf
Updated June 2026
Outbreak of WWII
NUMERAL
1 939
FRENCH
mille neuf cent trente-neuf
IPA
/mil nœf sɑ̃ tʁɑ̃t nœf/
Breakdown
Real sentence examples
“La Seconde Guerre mondiale a débuté en mille neuf cent trente-neuf.”
“Septembre mille neuf cent trente-neuf, l'invasion de la Pologne.”
Year context
Outbreak of the Second World War (1 September 1939, German invasion of Poland; France and UK declare war on 3 September). Drôle de guerre period 1939-1940 before the May 1940 German offensive.
Pronunciation and morphology notes
Mille neuf cent trente-neuf: standard year compound. Cent without s because trente-neuf follows. La guerre de trente-neuf (the war of 1939) is a common French historical shorthand.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 1939 in French?
1,939 in French is "mille neuf cent trente-neuf". It is built as 1000 + 900 + 39 = 1939.
How is mille neuf cent trente-neuf (1939) pronounced in French?
In the International Phonetic Alphabet, "mille neuf cent trente-neuf" is transcribed /mil nœf sɑ̃ tʁɑ̃t nœf/. Use the audio button on this page to hear the standard French pronunciation.
How is 1939 used in a French sentence?
A natural example is: "La Seconde Guerre mondiale a débuté en mille neuf cent trente-neuf."
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