Months and Seasons in French (and When to Say En vs Au)
The 12 French months and 4 seasons with pronunciation, plus the en/au rule: why it's en janvier but au printemps.
The French months are janvier through décembre, always lowercase. The 4 seasons are le printemps, l’été, l’automne, l’hiver. Use en for most months and seasons (en janvier, en été) but au for printemps: au printemps.
Quick answer
The French months are janvier through décembre, always lowercase. The 4 seasons are le printemps, l’été, l’automne, l’hiver. Use en for most months and seasons (en janvier, en été) but au for printemps: au printemps.
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The 12 months
| Month | French |
|---|---|
| January | janvier |
| February | février |
| March | mars |
| April | avril |
| May | mai |
| June | juin |
| July | juillet |
| August | août |
| September | septembre |
| October | octobre |
| November | novembre |
| December | décembre |
Like the days of the week, months are always lowercase - see days of the week in French for the same rule applied there.
The 4 seasons
| Season | French | Gender/article |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | le printemps | masculine |
| Summer | l’été | masculine, elided |
| Autumn | l’automne | masculine, elided |
| Winter | l’hiver | masculine, elided |
En vs au: saying “in” a month or season
Most months and seasons take en: en janvier, en été, en automne, en hiver (all vowel-starting or otherwise take en) - but printemps is the one exception, taking au: au printemps, because it’s masculine and consonant-initial. See French prepositions guide for the full logic this rule belongs to.
Saying the date (teaser)
Dates use cardinal numbers - le 3 mai - except the first of the month, which uses the ordinal le premier janvier. Full rules in how to say the date in French.
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Questions about this note
Are French months capitalized?
No - lowercase, unlike English.
Why is it au printemps but en été?
Printemps starts with a consonant and is masculine, taking au; the other seasons take en.
How do you say "in the summer"?
en été.
What are the 4 seasons in French?
le printemps, l'été, l'automne, l'hiver.
How do you say a specific date in French?
le + number + month: le 3 mai (except le premier for the 1st).