Months in French: A Guide to Mastering the French Calendar

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Months in French are similar to English. Learners often pick them up pretty quickly. But what about the pronunciation, spelling, and cultural significance of French months?

When I was studying in Lyon, France, I was part of the international student association. I went to some brilliant cultural events, ate delicious crêpes during la Chandeleur, visited Christmas markets in the city centre, and had Christmas dinner with a French family who kindly hosted me. Those experiences helped me become fluent in French, and they gave the calendar words a context I could remember.

I’ll start with the 12 French month names and their pronunciations, then show you how to use them in sentences, connect them to the seasons, and remember them through French culture.

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The Months of the Year in French: les mois de l’année

Here’s a list of all 12 months in French:

1. janvier: “January”
2. février: “February”
3. mars: “March”
4. avril: “April”
5. mai: “May”
6. juin: “June”
7. juillet: “July”
8. août: “August”
9. septembre: “September”
10. octobre: “October”
11. novembre: “November”
12. décembre: “December”

French months look and sound similar to their English counterparts thanks to their shared Latin roots. That can make the words easier to remember, although you’ll still need to pay attention to pronunciation and spelling.

Pronunciation of les mois de l’année

Although they are similar to the English months, French months have distinct pronunciations. For example, the ai in mai sounds like the “e” in “bed,” not like the “ay” sound in the English “May.”

The spelling of août looks much longer than its pronunciation. Most speakers simply say /u/, similar to the “oo” in “boot”, although you may hear a final /t/ from some speakers.

Here is the International Phonetic Alphabet pronunciation of each month:

1. janvier: /ʒɑ̃.vje/
2. février: /fe.vʁi.je/
3. mars: /maʁs/
4. avril: /a.vʁil/
5. mai: /mɛ/
6. juin: /ʒɥɛ̃/
7. juillet: /ʒɥi.jɛ/
8. août: /u/ or /ut/
9. septembre: /sɛp.tɑ̃bʁ/
10. octobre: /ɔk.tɔbʁ/
11. novembre: /nɔ.vɑ̃bʁ/
12. décembre: /de.sɑ̃bʁ/

Listen to each month and repeat it, then record yourself and compare. A recording can help you catch a missing nasal vowel or French r that you may not notice while you’re speaking. Take a look at our favourite French resources for places to listen.

Example Sentences Featuring Months in French

Now that you know the month names in French, let’s practise them with some questions and prompts.

• Quel est ton mois préféré ? “What is your favourite month?”
• J’adore novembre car le Beaujolais nouveau arrive en novembre. “I love November because the new Beaujolais wine arrives in November.”
• J’aime bien mars parce que mon anniversaire est en mars. “I like March because my birthday is in March.”
• Quand est ton anniversaire ? “When is your birthday?”
• Mon anniversaire est en juillet. “My birthday is in July.”
• Quand partez-vous en vacances ? “When do you go on holiday?”
• On part en vacances en août. “We go on holiday in August.”
• Quel mois préfères-tu pour voyager ? “Which month do you prefer for travelling?”
• J’aime bien voyager en octobre. Les températures sont agréables et il y a moins de touristes. “I like to travel in October. The temperatures are pleasant, and there are fewer tourists.”
• Pendant quel mois as-tu le plus de choses à faire ? “In which month do you have the most to do?”
• J’ai le plus de choses à faire en septembre parce que mes cours commencent. “I have the most to do in September because my classes start.”
• Quel mois est le plus chaud dans ton pays ? “What is the warmest month in your country?”
• Juillet est le mois le plus chaud. “July is the warmest month.”

Use en before a month to mean “in”: en juillet. Month names are masculine nouns. In le mois de février est froid (“the month of February is cold”), though, froid agrees with the masculine noun le mois; it does not agree separately with février.

French month names are common nouns, so they usually begin with a lowercase letter. They take a capital at the start of a sentence or when normal title formatting calls for one, but the dictionary forms are janvier, février, mars, and so on.

Other Ways of Practising French Months

1. Set your phone and computer calendars to French, then say the date aloud whenever you check them. That gives you a quick bit of recall practice every day.
2. Speak as much as possible. We talk about months while discussing everyday topics, and they can even be useful for small talk. Start by saying Février a été plus froid que janvier (“February was colder than January”) and see where classic weather small talk takes you!
3. Make your own month cards, shuffle them, and put them back in order. You can then add the four seasons or write a real date beside each month. Once the names feel familiar, combine them with French numbers to practise full dates.
4. Connect the calendar to French culture. The galette des rois is traditionally associated with Epiphany on 6 January. Different regions have their own versions, but the galette contains a fève, and the person who finds it is crowned le roi (“the king”) or la reine (“the queen”). Try sharing one this January, and explore more French food while you’re at it.

Seasons in French and the Months They Cover

The four seasons give you another useful way to group the months. In the meteorological calendar used by Météo-France, they are:

• le printemps (“spring”): mars, avril, mai
• l’été (“summer”): juin, juillet, août
• l’automne (“autumn”): septembre, octobre, novembre
• l’hiver (“winter”): décembre, janvier, février

These are meteorological seasons, which use complete months. Astronomical seasons begin at the equinoxes and solstices, and the weather itself varies by year and region. In everyday French, say au printemps but en été, en automne, and en hiver.

French Cultural Events in Each Month

Culture gives these calendar words a context. On 1 April, un poisson d’avril can mean an April Fool’s joke, and children often make paper fish and stick them on someone’s back. Here are a few more traditions and events to connect with each month.

Janvier

In January, le jour de l’An (“New Year’s Day”) is a public holiday. Epiphany follows on 6 January, when the galette des rois tradition gives someone the chance to find the fève and become king or queen for the day.

Février

La Saint-Valentin or “Valentine’s Day” is a chance to say je t’aime to your loved one. On 2 February, there’s la Chandeleur (“Candlemas”), when it’s customary to eat both sweet and savoury crêpes.

Mars

Carnival season stretches from winter into early spring, with famous celebrations in Nice and Dunkirk. The exact dates change each year, so check the current programme before travelling.

Avril-Mai

On 1 April, poisson d’avril jokes are a familiar tradition in France. May has several public holidays, including 1 May and 8 May, so opening hours and transport timetables can change.

Juin

On 21 June, la Fête de la musique (“Music Day”) fills public spaces with live music. France’s Ministry of Culture launched the first edition in 1982, and the event has since spread to more than 120 countries. The programme includes amateur and professional musicians, and many concerts are free.

Juillet

The 14 July fête nationale remembers both the storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the Fête de la Fédération in 1790. Expect parades, fireworks, and public celebrations around the country.

Août-Septembre

As summer ends, students go back to school, usually at the beginning of September. This return to school and work is called la rentrée.

Octobre-Novembre

La Toussaint (“All Saints’ Day”) falls on 1 November and is a public holiday. The school break named after it often begins in October, which is why you will hear vacances de la Toussaint before November arrives.

Décembre

December means Christmas, and of course, Christmas markets, marchés de Noël. Get into the festive mood as you warm up with some vin chaud (“mulled wine”) or chocolat chaud (“hot chocolate”). Strasbourg, a city in France’s Alsace region, is known as the Capital of Christmas.

Learn and Live French Months!

Changing your devices to French or reading a French calendar makes these words part of daily life. Say one date aloud each day, then connect it to a season or event. Soon janvier, février, mars… will stop feeling like isolated vocabulary.

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