12 Months in Spanish: How To Write And Use The Spanish Months Of The Year

Are you planning a trip to Spain? Besides Spanish travel phrases, you’ll also need to know the months in Spanish. You’re scheduling flights, meetings, booking museum tickets and you still get lost on the streets, so you need help from the locals.

Know how to use the 12 Spanish months of the year in context:

Lucky for you, Spring Spanish (a project I co-founded) made an amazing lesson on the months in Spanish:

Knowing the months and seasons in Spanish transforms from a simple exercise to a true connection to the heart of Spanish culture.

Let’s get on board and learn the months in Spanish with some useful cultural insights!

All the 12 months of the year in Spanish + Pronunciation

Here’s the table with all 12 months in Spanish with a little bit of audio help – click on any month to jump to their specific section where you’ll learn a great cultural fun fact about them!

BUT, before you know all the months in Spanish, you also have to know how to say the word ‘month’ in Spanish, so here it is:

el mes (sg.) = los meses (pl.)

Now that we cleared this out of the way, we can finally see all 12 months in Spanish, with example sentences:

Let’s read on to learn all about the cultural fun facts connected to the months in Spanish – some of them are connected to the 4 seasons in Spanish!

But first, a bit of Spanish grammar…

Learn the months and dates in Spanish correctly: the correct spelling

When writing or typing out the months in Spanish, it’s important to keep in mind several key orthographic rules

Here are the most significant ones:

Capitalization of Spanish months of the year

In Spanish, the names of the months are NOT CAPITALIZED unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence or in a title. This is one of the notable differences from English, where the months are always capitalized.

For example:

• “enero” (January)
• “febrero” (February)
• “marzo” (March)

A Spanish learning tip: no articles for months in Spanish

In general everyday usage, Spanish doesn’t require the use of articles before the months of the year. Like this: “3 de marzo” (March 3rd) doesn’t need an article before “marzo“. This is unlike some other instances in Spanish where articles are often used.

Full dates in Spanish

When writing full dates, Spanish typically follows the day-month-year format, contrary to the month-day-year format often used in the US. There is no comma between the day and the month: “5 de julio de 2023“.

And finally, it’s time to learn a bit about the cultural facts surrounding the months in Spanish:

1. Enero (January)

Enero, pronounced [eh-NEH-ro], marks the beginning of a new year. The name is derived from Janus, the Roman god of doors and gates, symbolizing new beginnings. In Spain, January is a time of fresh starts and resolutions.

“En enero comienza el nuevo año” (In January, the new year begins).

Cultural Fun Fact
Día de Reyes: On January 6th, Spain celebrates Epiphany, known as “Día de Reyes” or the Day of the Kings. Children receive gifts from the Magi – just as the Magi brought gifts to Jesus.

2. Febrero (February)

Febrero [feh-BREH-ro] is the month of Carnival in Spain. The month is named after the Latin term “februum,” meaning purification.

“En febrero celebramos el Carnaval” (In February, we celebrate Carnival).

Cultural Fun Fact
Especially in regions like Cadiz and the Canary Islands, February is known for its fun Carnival celebrations. Parades, costumes, and music fill the streets, and visitors visit from all around the world.

3. Marzo (March)

Marzo, pronounced [MAR-tho], usually signals the beginning of spring in Spain. The name originates from Mars, the Roman god of war, reflecting a time of renewal.

“En marzo florecen las flores” (In March, the flowers bloom).

Cultural Fun Fact
Las Fallas: In Valencia, the festival of Las Fallas begins in March. It features the construction and burning of ninots (large puppets or effigies), fireworks, and celebrations of spring’s arrival.

4. Abril (April)

Abril [ah-BREEL] is known for its rain showers that bring… May flowers! The name April is believed to come from the Latin word “aperire,” meaning to open, in reference to the opening or blossoming of flowers and trees.

“Abril aguas mil” (April showers).

Cultural Fun Fact
In Seville, the April Fair (Feria de Abril) is a week-long celebration of dance, music, food, and culture, starting two weeks after Easter with traditional dresses, horse riding, and flamenco dancing.

5. Mayo (May)

Mayo [MY-o], the month of blossoms and growth, has its name from Maia, the goddess of spring and growth.

“En mayo celebramos el Día de la Madre” (In May, we celebrate Mother’s Day).

Cultural Fun Fact
Cruces de Mayo: Throughout Spain, the Crosses of May festival is celebrated with crosses decorated with flowers placed in public spaces. Communities come together to enjoy food, drink, and dancing.

6. Junio (June)

Junio [HOO-nee-oh], welcoming the full swing of summer, is named after Juno, the Roman goddess and protector of women and marriage.

“En junio comienza el verano” (In June, summer begins) signals the start of the warmer season.

Cultural Fun Fact
Noche de San Juan: On June 24th, the feast of St. John the Baptist is celebrated with bonfires, beach parties, and fireworks.

7. Julio (July)

Julio [HOO-lee-oh], named in honor of Julius Caesar, embraces the heart of summer.

“En julio, mucha gente va de vacaciones” (In July, many people go on vacation).

Cultural Fun Fact
Festival Internacional de Benicàssim: One of Spain’s most popular music festivals takes place in July, attracting thousands of visitors from around the world for four days of music and entertainment.

8. Agosto (August)

Agosto [ah-GOS-toh] is named after Emperor Augustus and represents the continuation of the summer leisure period.

“En agosto, los días son largos” (In August, the days are long).

Cultural Fun Fact
In the town of Buñol, La Tomatina, a large tomato fight festival, takes place on the last Wednesday of August. Participants from all over the world throw tomatoes at each other in a spirited display of fun.

9. Septiembre (September)

Septiembre [sep-TYEM-breh], originally the seventh month in the Roman calendar, signifies the start of autumn.

“En septiembre comienza el otoño” (In September, autumn begins).

Cultural Fun Fact
La Vendimia: September marks the beginning of the grape harvest in Spain’s wine regions. Many towns celebrate with festivals that include grape stomping, wine tasting, and – of course – parades.

10. Octubre (October)

Octubre [ok-TOO-breh] is now known for its autumn festivals and the celebration of Hispanic heritage.

“En octubre celebramos la Fiesta Nacional de España” (In October, we celebrate the National Feast of Spain) – On October 12, known as Día de la Hispanidad, people commemorate Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas.

Cultural Fun Fact
In Zaragoza, the Fiestas del Pilar are celebrated in October in honor of the Virgin Mary. The city comes alive with concerts, parades, and religious ceremonies.

11. Noviembre (November)

Noviembre [noh-VYEM-breh], derived from “novem,” meaning nine in Latin, is a quieter month, marked by remembrance and the beginning of the cozy season.

El Día de los Muertos se celebra el 1 y 2 de noviembre en México.” (The Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd in Mexico.)

Cultural Fun Fact
On the Day of the Dead, families make “pan de muerto,” a sweet bread decorated to resemble bones, symbolizing the union between the living and the deceased.

12. Diciembre (December)

Diciembre [dee-SYEM-breh], from “decem” meaning ten, is filled with festive anticipation.

“En diciembre celebramos Navidad” (In December, we celebrate Christmas).

Cultural Fun Fact
Mercados de Navidad: Spain is known for its festive Christmas markets that pop up in town squares throughout December. These markets are filled with decorations, traditional foods, and handcrafted goods – all in the spirits of Christmas.

Abbreviation of months in Spanish

Understanding abbreviations comes in handy for writing letters, emails, or writing in casual chats.

Here’s how months in Spanish are abbreviated:

The Spanish calendar: seasons and months in Spanish

In Spanish-speaking countries, the calendar plays a role in the organization of work, school, and holidays.

Typically, the workweek runs from Monday to Friday, with schools aligning the parents’ work schedules closely.

Major holidays, like Christmas and Easter, see widespread closures. Schools also have fixed holiday periods, often including a two-week break around Christmas and Easter and a longer summer holiday.

Practice months in Spanish with Full Practice Worksheet Library

Fill in the blanks with the correct Spanish month.

This is just part of the exercise – click this button now and get access not just to the full exercise for months in Spanish, but also to our Full Practice Worksheet Library with lots and lots of exercises for Spanish!

Learn Spanish months with Conversation Based Chunking

In this article, we have not only showed the ways of expressing the months in Spanish but also slightly stepped into the cultural significance connected to each month.

If you use Conversation Based Chunking with these terms and chunks in your everyday talks, you will expand your vocabulary and also understand the language’s true flow – and months in Spanish is also part of that.

Conversation Based Chunking can speed up this process.

Focus on chunks in real-life conversations and you’ll learn not just the months in Spanish but also the language, in no time!