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Months in French

By avatalks
6 min read (1,200 words)
Months in French

If you are learning French, the months in French are some of the most useful words to learn early.

You need them for birthdays, travel plans, school schedules, appointments, holidays, work, and everyday small talk. They also appear in forms, emails, calendars, and news.

In this guide, you will learn all 12 months in French, how to pronounce them, how to use them in dates and sentences, and which beginner mistakes to avoid.

The 12 months in French

Here are the months in French from January to December, with English meaning and a simple pronunciation guide.

FrenchEnglishPronunciation
janvierJanuaryzhahn-vyay
févrierFebruaryfay-vree-yay
marsMarchmars
avrilAprilah-vreel
maiMaymay
juinJunezhwan
juilletJulyzhwee-yay
aoûtAugustoot
septembreSeptembersep-tahmbr
octobreOctoberok-tobr
novembreNovemberno-vahmbr
décembreDecemberday-sahmbr

A few months usually need extra attention when you practice pronunciation:

Which months are easiest for English speakers

Some months look very familiar:

That does not mean they sound exactly like English, but the spelling often helps learners remember them faster.

Other months are trickier because the French pronunciation feels less predictable:

So a good strategy is to group the easy-looking months together and then spend extra time on the harder ones.

How to say dates with months in French

Once you know the months, the next step is using them in dates.

French usually uses this order:

day + month

Examples:

A very important detail:

For most other dates, you just use the number:

How to ask “What month is it?” in French

A simple question is:

Quel mois sommes-nous ?
What month is it?

Another natural question is:

Nous sommes en quel mois ?
What month are we in?

A simple answer looks like this:

Nous sommes en mai.
It is May.

Or:

On est en octobre.
It is October.

That second one is more informal and common in everyday speech.

Using months in simple French sentences

Here are some easy examples:

These are the kinds of sentences that make the months feel useful right away.

The word for month in French

The French word for month is:

Examples:

Useful question:

Quel mois préfères-tu ?
Which month do you prefer?

Months and seasons in French

Learning months gets easier if you connect them with seasons.

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

This is a simple way to build stronger memory links.

Do French months use capital letters?

This is one of the most common beginner mistakes.

In English, months usually begin with a capital letter:

In French, months are usually written with a lowercase letter:

So this is correct:

Not:

That small detail matters in writing.

Do you use “in” before months in French?

Yes. In many simple sentences, French uses en before the month.

Examples:

Example sentences:

This is one of the most useful patterns to memorize early.

Common mistakes learners make

1. Using capital letters for every month

English does this. French usually does not.

Wrong:

Correct:

2. Confusing juin and juillet

These two often confuse beginners:

They look similar, but they are not the same.

A good memory trick:

June comes before July, and juin also looks shorter.

3. Forgetting the accents

Some months include accents:

In casual typing, people may sometimes skip accents, but if you are learning carefully, it is better to write them correctly.

4. Memorizing the list without using it

A lot of learners can recite the months but cannot use them in a sentence.

That is why it is better to learn:

These patterns are more useful than a bare word list.

FAQ

How do you say the word “months” in French?

The singular word is un mois, which means a month.
The plural form is also mois, so months in French is les mois.

Examples:

Is it le mois or la mois?

It is le mois, not la mois.

Mois is a masculine noun in French, so you say:

What are the 12 month names in French?

The 12 month names in French are:

Is it MTH or MTHS?

Neither one is standard French.

Those are English-style abbreviations, not normal French month words. In French, you should learn and use the real month names, such as janvier, mai, juillet, and décembre.

If you want short written forms, French usually shortens months in other ways, such as:

Quick recap

Here is the short version:

If you remember only one thing from this post, remember this:

The months in French are easy to learn when you practice them with real dates and simple phrases, not just as a list.

Final thoughts

The months in French are beginner vocabulary, but they are not small or useless.

They help you talk about your life, your plans, your birthday, your travel, the weather, and the calendar around you. That makes them some of the most practical words you can learn early.

Start with the list.
Practice the pronunciation.
Use the months in real sentences.

That is how they become part of your French instead of staying a school exercise.

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