Months of the Year in English
In this lesson, you will learn the twelve months of the year in English, their correct spelling and pronunciation, and how to use them naturally when talking about dates and events.
Your Progress
22 / 100
Watch the Lesson
🎬
Video coming soon
Lesson Explanation
There are twelve months in a year in English. Like days, months are always written with a capital letter — January, February, March…
Key grammar rules for months:
✦ Use “in” before a month — “My birthday is in June.”
✦ Use “on” before a full date — “My birthday is on the 5th of June.”
✦ To say a year: in + year — “I was born in 1990.”
Watch out! The most misspelled months are February (people forget the first “r”) and Wednesday… wait, that’s a day! For months: February, September, November, December — practise these carefully.
The Twelve Months of the Year
| # | Month | Meaning | Abbreviation | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January | يناير / جانفي | Jan | 31 |
| 2 | February ⚠️ | فبراير / فيفري | Feb | 28 / 29 |
| 3 | March | مارس | Mar | 31 |
| 4 | April | أبريل / أفريل | Apr | 30 |
| 5 | May | مايو / ماي | May | 31 |
| 6 | June | يونيو / جوان | Jun | 30 |
| 7 | July | يوليو / جويلية | Jul | 31 |
| 8 | August | أغسطس / أوت | Aug | 31 |
| 9 | September ⚠️ | سبتمبر | Sep | 30 |
| 10 | October | أكتوبر | Oct | 31 |
| 11 | November ⚠️ | نوفمبر | Nov | 30 |
| 12 | December ⚠️ | ديسمبر | Dec | 31 |
⚠️ Months that are often misspelled — practise writing them carefully.
Useful Expressions with Months
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| in January | في يناير | School starts in September. |
| at the beginning of March | في بداية مارس | Spring begins at the end of March. |
| at the end of June | في نهاية يونيو | Exams finish at the end of June. |
| in the middle of August | في منتصف أغسطس | It is very hot in the middle of August. |
| last month | الشهر الماضي | I travelled to Algiers last month. |
| next month | الشهر القادم | We are opening a new class next month. |
| every year in … | كل عام في … | Every year in July, we hold a summer camp. |
| What month is it? | ما هو الشهر الحالي؟ | What month is it? — It’s October. |
How to Say Dates in English
| Written | Said in British English | Said in American English |
|---|---|---|
| 1st January | The first of January | January first |
| 15th March | The fifteenth of March | March fifteenth |
| 3rd July 1990 | The third of July, nineteen ninety | July third, nineteen ninety |
| 31st December | The thirty-first of December | December thirty-first |
Example Dialogue
Talking about birthdays and dates
Emma
When is your birthday, Ahlem?
Ahlem
My birthday is on the fourteenth of March. What about you?
Emma
Mine is in December — the twenty-second. It is always freezing cold!
Ahlem
Ha! March is beautiful here in Algeria. Spring is just beginning.
Emma
That sounds lovely. When does your new term start at the academy?
Ahlem
At the beginning of October — so in about two weeks!
Emma
How exciting! I hope it goes really well.
Practice Exercise
1. Which preposition do we use before a month?
2. Which month is the second month of the year?
3. How do you say the date “1st June” in British English?
4. Which month has only 28 or 29 days?
✅ 1. B — in January | ✅ 2. B — February | ✅ 3. C — The first of June | ✅ 4. C — February
Listen and Repeat
Listen to the pronunciation of the months:
🎧 Audio coming soon!