Learn All Months in French: Your Simplest Guide

Learning months is essential for every student, as it’s the basic topic. It might be helpful for learners, those planning a trip to France or applying for a job in the country, and everyone excited about learning languages. Memorizing months in French might be easier for those with fluent English. The two languages are closely related, as they both have similar origins. So, are you ready to know more? 

Full List of French Months

Memorizing all the months’ names is essential for every student, so it’s time to do it. Many will see similarities with the English language, which can accelerate the learning process. Take a look at the words you will need and remember them all:

• janvier – January;
• février – February;
• mars – March;
• avril – April;
• mai – May;
• juin – June;
• juillet – July;
• août – August;
• septembre – September;
• octobre – October;
• novembre – November;
• décembre – December.

Unlike in English, writing the names of months in capital letters in French is not mandatory. Of course, unless their names are at the beginning of the sentence. In such an instance, every word must be capitalized. Now, you have a complete list of months in French. We are confident every learner will need such a vocabulary for talking about their birthdays, arranging meetings, scheduling their timetable, and many more. You cannot understand the time frames without knowing these words, so try to memorize them all.

Examples of Using Months of the Year in French

Learning any language is simpler when you can read and hear ready-made phrases and memorize them. This is why dipping into the French-speaking atmosphere usually accelerates the process. Experienced tutors recommend communicating with natives or at least reading a lot. So, let’s see some examples of using the months’ names:

1. Septembre a été chaud cette année – September was warm this year.
2. Il neigeait beaucoup en février – It was snowing hard in February.
3. Notre jardin a commencé à fleurir en avril – Our garden began flourishing in April.
4. Mon anniversaire est le 21 mai – My birthday is on 21st May.
5. J'ai une réunion importante en octobre – I have an important meeting in October.
6. Nous prévoyons de partir en vacances début juin – We are planning to go on vacation at the beginning of June.
7. Le 14 juillet est une date importante pour les Français – Bastille Day is an important date for Frenchmen.
8. J'adore le mois d'août car il fait chaud dehors – I love August as it’s warm outside.

These examples will help you form the phrases you need, so take a closer look at them. Of course, it’s unnecessary to memorize them. It’s essential to understand how to form sentences with the French months and use them properly.

Where Do the Names of 12 Months in French Come From?

Learning a language is exciting, not only because you can erase all the barriers and communicate with native people. It also provides students with the opportunity to dip into the culture and its peculiarities. For instance, have you ever thought about where the months’ names come from? Each of them has its history, so let’s look at some interesting details:

1. Janvier was named after Janus, a god with two faces: one was looking into the past, and another was watching into the future, symbolizing the beginning of something new.
2. Février also has the name of a deity, Februtis, and this month is usually dedicated to purification.
3. Mars was named after the Roman god Mars, an agricultural guardian; everything starts flourishing this month after the long winter.
4. Avril is the time of significant warmth and blooming flowers; Aphrodite, the Greek goddess, is its symbol.
5. Mai was named after Maia, the Italian goddess of spring.
6. Juin honors Juno, the most important Roman goddess, wife of Jupiter.
7. Juillet was named after Julius Caesar, the most famous emperor.
8. Août also honors another Roman leader, Augustus Caesar, who transformed the country from a republic to an empire.
9. Septembre was initially the seventh month of the year (“sept” means “seven” in French).
10. Octobre originates from the Latin word “octō” translated as “eight,” as it was the eighth month before the Julian calendar reform.
11. Novembre name comes from “nonus”, the Latin word for “nine.”
12. Décembre was originally the tenth month, so its name comes from the Latin “decem.”

As you might have noticed from the above points, modern French culture is deeply connected with the Roman Empire. There were only ten French months before 713 BC. Subsequently, two more were added for a more convenient number system. Of course, since then, months have undergone many changes, but their names have remained the same. Currently, the Gregorian Calendar is used. And the one that contained ten months was called Roman, which is the first predecessor of the modern system.

French descended from the Latin language, which greatly impacted its development. Of course, multiple words and pronunciations were changed. But it’s hard to underestimate its significance for developing the French language.

Learning Seasons in French

Knowing months is essential, but you also cannot do without studying seasons. As well as in other countries, there are four of them. It usually doesn’t take students much time to remember them:

• hiver – winter;
• printemps – spring;
• été – summer;
• automne – autumn.

Unlike all months in French, all seasons are feminine nouns, which are used with the articles “une” or “la.” For instance, “le printemps est chaud” means “the spring is warm.” Remember this rule, as there are no exceptions, and it’s easy to memorize.

An Exciting Fact About Seasons in France

Unlike other countries, which are used to the beginning of every season on the 1st day of the month, French people usually have it on the 21st. So, spring begins on 21st March, summer starts on 21st June, and so on. At first glance, it makes no sense, but you can find it if you search deeper. For instance, the shortest day of the year is 21st December, while the longest is 21st June. 

9

Learning French Months of the Year with Promova

Promova offers you to dip into exciting lessons wherever you are. Download the French app or use the web version to study French with fantastic quizzes and hundreds of new words daily. Our guided courses were developed by highly proficient tutors passionate about language learning.  

Your journey to learning French can be pleasant and fun. Enjoy Promova’s interactive guided course and practice daily to reach the desired fluency level. We regularly replenish the app and web version with new content. You can enjoy our app for free or subscribe to Premium to get even more benefits for language learners. Join our platform and explore everything from any spot in the world.

Practical Tips for Students

We have prepared numerous tips to make studying French as comfortable as possible. Although learning any language requires a lot of time and effort, there are some pieces of advice to help. So, you can use the following points to reach the desired fluency level and memorize how to say months in French as soon as possible: 

• take some time to learn every day;
• listen to songs in the French language;
• do exercises and pass interactive quizzes;
• switch your smartphone settings to French;
• communicate with native speakers (online chatting is a great idea).

The above tips can help, so pick the ones you like and use them when learning. Implementing the French language into your daily routine is not complicated but can eventually bring numerous benefits.

Conclusion

Knowing months of the year in French is essential for every student, as it’s the basics of any language. You cannot skip this topic, as it’s common for daily use, whether you are planning to travel to different countries, take your education in France, apply for a job, or are just excited about learning all the peculiarities. Studying can be fun and delightful, so forget about dull lessons and consider interactive guided courses developed by highly experienced tutors.