Planning a business trip to Spain, or to your favorite resort in Latin America? Or in this day and age, perhaps you’re doing business online with Spanish speaking colleagues.
Whatever brings you to the wonderful Spanish speaking world, it’s a good idea to know the months of the year in Spanish beforehand so that you can get the most out of your trip.
Knowing the months in Spanish will come in handy not only because it will open the doors to special holidays in Spanish speaking countries. It'll also allow you to navigate effectively throughout these countries and be there on time for all events you want to attend. Birthdays? Spring Break? The Festival of San Fermín? Día de Muertos, or Navidad? We’ve got you covered!
If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry: you’ll find everything you need in this article! Names, translations, examples - we’ll fill you in with a comprehensive pronunciation guide and some extra handy tricks that can take your Spanish skills to the next level!
Ready to go? Then, ¡vámonos!
Firstly, how do you say “months” in Spanish?
First things first: the Spanish word for “month” is “mes” (“meses” in plural), and it’s pronounced /ˈmes/ according to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Don’t let the slashes intimidate you: in reality, you can pronounce “mes” the same way you’d pronounce “mess”, except that the “s” sound cuts short. Similarly, its plural, “meses” (/ˈmeses/), sounds similar to “messes," but again, the “s” sounds are shorter.
Try saying “mess,” but just as the tip of your tongue approaches the upper part of your mouth, let it go immediately and let out a short “s” sound. Try also stretching your mouth sideways so that the “e” can sound closer to its Spanish counterpart.
If you need extra help, you can always check this video for further practice.
Months of the year in Spanish and English
We’ve got good news for you: Spanish pronunciation is pretty straightforward! Meaning, you can tell how to pronounce a word from its written form once you master the Spanish alphabet sounds.
Spanish rarely hides head-scratching pronunciation rules, so as soon as you know the vowels and consonants in their purest form, any group of letters, regardless of their shape or position, will sound the same here and everywhere.
If you’re still finding the pronunciation a challenge, you can always refer to the list of Spanish months we’ve prepared below, along with a useful pronunciation guide for English speakers that will help you understand the phonetics.
| English | Spanish | IPA Pronunciation | Pronunciation for native English speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Enero | /eˈne.ɾo/ | ay-nair-oh |
| February | Febrero | /feˈβɾe.ɾo/ | fay-bray-roh |
| March | Marzo | /ˈmaɾ.θo/ | mar-soh |
| April | Abril | /aˈβɾil/ | ah-breel |
| May | Mayo | /ˈma.ʝo/ | my-oh |
| June | Junio | /juˈni.o/ | hoo-nyoh |
| July | Julio | /ˈxu.ljo/ | hoo-lyoh |
| August | Agosto | /aˈɣosto/ | ah-goh-stoh |
| September | Septiembre | /se(p)ˈtjem.bɾe/ | sape-tyaim-bray |
| October | Octubre | /okˈtu.βɾe/ | ohk-too-bray |
| November | Noviembre | /noˈβjem.bɾe/ | noh-byaim-bray |
| December | Diciembre | /diˈsjem.bɾe/ | dee-syaim-bray |
If you notice, most months in Spanish are similar to their English counterparts, so one good trick to remember all of them is to replace your calendar with a Spanish one and switch your cellphone or laptop – or both! – to Spanish until you get used to them.
We’ve listed other memorization tips that you might be interested in, so we recommend giving them a try!
How to say the four seasons in Spanish
Now that you know the months, it’d be a good idea to know the “estaciones del año” as well! After all, you’ll know it’s “marzo” as soon as you catch the first smell of “primavera”!
| Seasons in English | Seasons in Spanish | IPA Pronunciation | Pronunciation for native English speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Primavera | /pɾi.maˈβe.ɾa/ | pree-muh-vay-ruh |
| Summer | Verano | /beˈɾa.no/ | vae-ruh-noh |
| Autumn | Otoño | /oˈto.ɲo/ | oh-toh-nee-oh |
| Winter | Invierno | /im.ˈbjeɾ.no/ | in-vee-air-noh |
FAQs for learning the months of the year in Spanish
Got some questions left? Check our most frequently asked questions and find the answer you’re looking for!
Are the months of the year in Spanish masculine or feminine?
This might come as a surprise, but although the months are not generally used with the “el” or “un” articles, they’re widely considered masculine nouns. So, if you’re writing a poem and wish to express how “febrero” is the coldest month of all, you have to use a masculine form for it:
“Este es el febrero más frío de todos” (This is the coldest February of all).
Do months get capitalized in Spanish?
Unless they’re at the beginning of the sentence, months and days are not capitalized in Spanish. Unlike English, Spanish only capitalizes names of people, cities, countries, places, etc.
How do you abbreviate months in Spanish?
They're abbreviated as follows in academia:
- en.
- febr.
- mzo.
- abr.
- my.
- jun.
- jul.
- ag. (or agt.)
- sept. (or set. or setbre.)
- oct.
- nov. (or novbre.)
- dic. (or dicbre.)
They're abbreviated as follows in calendars and everyday correspondence:
- ENE
- FEB
- MAR
- ABR
- MAY
- JUN
- JUL
- AGO
- SEP (or SET)
- OCT
- NOV
- DIC
How do I express dates in Spanish?
If you've mastered the months, you might be ready to tell your friends and colleagues the dates of your meetings, holidays, and even birthday!
When it comes to dates, Spanish begins with the number, followed by “de,” and finally with the month. So, for example, if somebody asks you “¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?” (When is your birthday?), you can respond this way:
“Es el 10 de enero” (It's January 10th).
You might also find it convenient to learn how to say the days of the week in Spanish to round up your learning.
Spanish doesn’t use ordinal numbers, so don’t worry: with one exception (all first days of the month are pronounced “primero” (first)), all numbers are expressed the same way you learned them!
Master the months with songs
Learning shouldn’t be all about monotonous repetition: you can also sing your way to success! Practice the months of the year in Spanish with some of the most recognizable songs in the Spanish-speaking world!
7 de septiembre, Mecano
One of the most iconic songs of legendary Spanish band Mecano, this song tells a sad love story that happened on this exact date. Such is the popularity of this song that it literally becomes a trending topic on September 7th every year! If you’re serious about Spanish, this song is a must in your playlist!
20 de enero, La Oreja de Van Gogh
Start a new year with one of La Oreja de Van Gogh’s classics! Not only does this song tell one fateful love story that happened on January 20th: it will cheer up the first month of the year!
Quién me ha robado el mes de abril, Joaquín Sabina
A Joaquín Sabina classic, this song always makes us nostalgic for spring, particularly April!
Sol en julio, Los Brincos
If you’re a fan of The Beatles, you’ll sure love this song! Not only is it smooth and easy to understand: it will help you practice the month of “julio” and “verano”! Talk about killing two birds with the one stone!
Check out more of our recommendations if you’re looking for more Spanish songs here.
Using the months in everyday Spanish conversation
Finally, let’s practice with some handy sentences you can use to strike a fun conversation with a native Spanish speaker!
Este 19 de noviembre es el cumpleaños de Maribel, y no me invitó a su fiesta.
This November 19th is Maribel’s birthday, and she didn’t invite me to her birthday.
Lo mejor de pasar diciembre en Argentina es que, en lugar de hacer muñecos de nieve, haces castillos de arena.
The best thing about spending your December in Argentina is that, instead of snowmen, you can build sandcastles.
Lo que más me gusta de abril y marzo son el clima, las flores, y las vacaciones.
What I like the most about April and March are the weather, flowers, and holidays.
Cuidado con el mes del amor: ¡no vaya a ser noviembre el mes del parto!
Careful with the month of love: November might be labor month!
Necesito seis meses de vacaciones, dos veces al año, de enero a junio y julio a diciembre.
I need six months of vacation, twice a year, from January to June and from July to December.
No le temas a enero, porque es un nuevo comienzo, y tampoco le temas a diciembre, porque es el mejor mes para terminar el año.
Don’t be afraid of January, for it is a new beginning, nor December, for it is the best month to finish the year with.
Mis amigos y yo nos iremos a Río de Janeiro en abril, durante Semana Santa.
My friends and I will fly to Río de Janeiro in April, during Holy Week.
Mi cumpleaños es el 25 de diciembre, así que es día de dos fiestas en mi familia.
My birthday is on December 25th, so it's a double party with my family.
Hoy los niños celebran el Halloween, pero a su edad, nosotros celebrábamos el Día de Muertos cada primero de Noviembre.
Kids today celebrate Halloween, but back in our day, we used to celebrate Day of the Dead each November 1st.
Octubre, noviembre y diciembre son como el viernes, sábado y domingo del año.
October, November, and December are like the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the year.
Congratulations!
Now that you know the months of the year in Spanish, you can go ahead and tell your boss, your friend, or even your date which are the best “meses” to meet!
It’d be a good idea to keep polishing your Spanish skills, so keep practicing and, who knows? Maybe you’ll be there in Spain or LATAM next “diciembre.” Next up, you might want to polish up your Spanish slang knowledge, or learn how to say hi in Spanish in some fun and unique ways.
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