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Time words and the '-ée' ending

In English, a word like "year" or "morning" does double duty. It can count units of time, and it can describe the length of time itself. French often splits these jobs between two different words.

You will frequently encounter pairs like an and année for "year", or soir and soirée for "evening". The shorter word treats time as a simple point or a unit to be counted. The longer word, which always ends in -ée, focuses on the duration of that time and the events that fill it. Choosing the right one depends entirely on what you want to say.

Word list
anmA1 year counted unit of time (trois ans) annéefA1 year duration or described time (bonne année) jourmA1 day counted unit of time (deux jours) matinmA1 morning point in time (ce matin) soirmA1 evening point in time (demain soir) soiréefA2 evening duration or described time (belle soirée)
Counting and pointing to time

Use the short, masculine forms when you are treating time as a basic unit. These words include an, jour, matin, and soir.

You will use these words with numbers to count how much time has passed. You also use them to point to a specific moment in time, such as saying "this morning" or "tomorrow evening".

J'habite en France depuis trois ans.
(I have lived in France for three years.)
Nous allons au cinéma ce soir.
(We are going to the cinema this evening.)
Il se réveille très tôt le matin.
(He wakes up very early in the morning.)
Je travaille deux jours par semaine.
(I work two days a week.)
Emphasizing the duration

When you want to talk about the span of time itself, French uses the feminine forms ending in -ée. Common examples are année and soirée, and you will also frequently hear journée for "day" and matinée for "morning".

These longer words are used when you describe what kind of time you had. If you add an adjective, you almost always need the -ée form. You also use them with the word tout to express that an action lasted "all" day or "the whole" evening.

Nous avons passé une excellente soirée.
(We had an excellent evening.)
Je te souhaite une très bonne année !
(I wish you a very happy New Year!)
Il a plu toute la journée.
(It rained the whole day.)
Elle a étudié pendant toute la matinée.
(She studied for the entire morning.)
Helpful clues and phrases

You can clearly see this distinction in everyday greetings. When you arrive and point to the current time, you use the short forms bonjour or bonsoir. When you leave and wish someone well for the duration of the time they have left, you use the longer forms.

Au revoir et bonne journée !
(Goodbye and have a good day!)
Amusez-vous bien à la fête, bonne soirée.
(Have fun at the party, have a good evening.)

Another helpful clue is the word you use before the noun. If you want to say "each" or "every", you are pointing to individual units, so you use chaque with the short form. If you want to say "all" or "the whole", you are focusing on duration, so you use toute la with the longer form.

Je fais du sport chaque matin.
(I exercise every morning.)
Ils ont dansé pendant toute la soirée.
(They danced during the whole evening.)
Summary

As a rule of thumb, use the short forms to count time or point to a specific moment. Switch to the feminine -ée forms when you want to describe the time with an adjective, talk about its entire duration, or wish someone well for the rest of it.