Day 11: The Months of the Year
Learn the twelve months of the year in French and how to talk about dates, seasons, and holidays.
Pascal says: Bonne nouvelle! (Good news!) French month names look very similar to English ones because both languages borrowed them from Latin. You already half-know these. Let me help with the other half!
🎯 Today's Mission
- Learn the twelve months of the year.
- Learn how to say in which month something happens.
- Connect the months to the four seasons.
Section 1: The Twelve Months (Les Douze Mois)
Just like the days of the week, months are never capitalized in French.
| French | Pronunciation | English | |
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| | janvier | [zhon-vyay] | January | | février | [fayv-ryay] | February | | mars | [mars] | March | | avril | [av-reel] | April | | mai | [may] | May | | juin | [zhwaN] | June | | juillet | [zhwee-yay] | July | | août | [oot] | August | | septembre | [sep-tom-bruh] | September | | octobre | [ok-toh-bruh] | October | | novembre | [no-vom-bruh] | November | | décembre | [day-som-bruh] | December |
To say something happens in a month, use the preposition en:
- Mon anniversaire est en juillet. — My birthday is in July.
- Noël est en décembre. — Christmas is in December.
Which month comes after 'octobre'?
How do you say 'My birthday is in April'?
Section 2: The Seasons & Important Dates
| Season | French | Months | |
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| | Spring | le printemps | mars, avril, mai | | Summer | l'été | juin, juillet, août | | Autumn | l'automne | septembre, octobre, novembre | | Winter | l'hiver | décembre, janvier, février |
Pascal's Tip: August (août) is a special month in France. Many small businesses close completely for several weeks. 'Fermé pour les vacances' (Closed for the holidays) is a sign you'll see often. The French take their summer seriously!
Some important dates to know:
- Le 14 juillet — Bastille Day (The biggest French national holiday!)
- Le 1er janvier — New Year's Day
- Le 25 décembre — Christmas Day
In France, which month is in the season of 'l'été' (summer)?
The French national holiday, Bastille Day, is in which month?
Lesson Summary
Pascal: Excellent! You've added the twelve months to your vocabulary.
- You know that months are never capitalized.
- You use en to say that something happens in a specific month.
- You know which months belong to which season in France.
You're now ready to schedule appointments and plan holidays!
✨ Coming Up Next...
Pascal: We're ready for the other super-verb: Avoir (to have). It's just as important as être, and it will unlock a whole new range of things you can say. À demain!
Bonjour! Prêt à continuer la leçon? Allons-y!