Level: Beginner / A1
Category: Beginner French
Estimated reading time: 5–7 minutes
Related SeriousFrench path: Module 1
Learning the months and seasons in French is one of the first steps toward talking about dates, birthdays, school schedules, weather, travel, and plans.
The good news: French months and seasons are not difficult to understand. The harder part is remembering the spelling, pronunciation, and which little words to use before them.
This guide explains the months, the four seasons, how to use them in simple sentences, and the most common beginner mistakes.
The Months in French
Here are the twelve months in French.
English | 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 |
In French, the months are usually written with lowercase letters.
English uses capital letters:
January, February, March
French normally uses lowercase:
janvier, février, mars
So in French, you write:
Je suis né en avril.
I was born in April.
Not:
Je suis né en Avril.
The Four Seasons in French
Here are the four seasons.
French | English |
le printemps | spring |
l’été | summer |
l’automne | fall / autumn |
l’hiver | winter |
French seasons usually appear with an article when you name them:
le printemps
l’été
l’automne
l’hiver
But when you say in spring, in summer, in fall, or in winter, French usually uses different little words.
How to Say “In” with Seasons
This is where many beginners get confused.
French usually says:
French | English |
au printemps | in spring |
en été | in summer |
en automne | in fall / autumn |
en hiver | in winter |
Examples:
French | English |
Au printemps, il fait doux. | In spring, the weather is mild. |
En été, il fait chaud. | In summer, it is hot. |
En automne, les feuilles changent de couleur. | In fall, the leaves change colour. |
En hiver, il fait froid. | In winter, it is cold. |
Notice the pattern:
au printemps
en été
en automne
en hiver
The odd one is au printemps. The others use en.
How to Say “In” with Months
With months, French uses en.
English | French |
in January | en janvier |
in February | en février |
in March | en mars |
in April | en avril |
in May | en mai |
in June | en juin |
in July | en juillet |
in August | en août |
in September | en septembre |
in October | en octobre |
in November | en novembre |
in December | en décembre |
Examples:
French | English |
Mon anniversaire est en janvier. | My birthday is in January. |
Je voyage en juillet. | I travel in July. |
Les cours commencent en septembre. | Classes begin in September. |
Il neige souvent en décembre. | It often snows in December. |
So the simple beginner rule is:
Use en before months.
Months and Seasons Together
Each season contains several months. The exact feeling of each season can depend on the country or region, but here is the common beginner association.
Season | French | Common Months |
spring | le printemps | mars, avril, mai |
summer | l’été | juin, juillet, août |
fall / autumn | l’automne | septembre, octobre, novembre |
winter | l’hiver | décembre, janvier, février |
Examples:
French | English |
Mars est au printemps. | March is in spring. |
Juillet est en été. | July is in summer. |
Octobre est en automne. | October is in fall. |
Janvier est en hiver. | January is in winter. |
You can also say:
Le printemps commence en mars.
Spring begins in March.
L’été commence en juin.
Summer begins in June.
L’automne commence en septembre.
Fall begins in September.
L’hiver commence en décembre.
Winter begins in December.
Talking About Weather with Months and Seasons
Months and seasons are often used with weather.
A useful phrase is:
Il fait… It is…
Examples:
French | English |
Il fait froid en janvier. | It is cold in January. |
Il fait chaud en juillet. | It is hot in July. |
Il fait doux au printemps. | It is mild in spring. |
Il pleut souvent en automne. | It often rains in fall. |
Il neige en hiver. | It snows in winter. |
Common weather words:
French | English |
il fait chaud | it is hot |
il fait froid | it is cold |
il fait doux | it is mild |
il pleut | it is raining / it rains |
il neige | it is snowing / it snows |
il y a du soleil | it is sunny |
il y a du vent | it is windy |
Talking About Birthdays
Months are also useful for birthdays.
A simple structure is:
Mon anniversaire est en + month.
My birthday is in + month.
Examples:
French | English |
Mon anniversaire est en février. | My birthday is in February. |
Mon anniversaire est en mai. | My birthday is in May. |
Mon anniversaire est en octobre. | My birthday is in October. |
To ask someone:
Ton anniversaire est en quel mois ?
What month is your birthday in?
A more natural version:
C’est quand, ton anniversaire ?
When is your birthday?
Common Beginner Mistakes
Mistake 1: Capitalizing French months
In English:
January
In French:
janvier
French months are normally lowercase unless they begin a sentence.
Correct:
J’étudie le français en septembre.
Not:
J’étudie le français en Septembre.
Mistake 2: Saying “dans janvier”
English says:
in January
But French normally says:
en janvier
Not:
dans janvier
Use en before months.
Mistake 3: Forgetting “au printemps”
Most seasons use en:
en été
en automne
en hiver
But spring is:
au printemps
Not usually:
en printemps
This little exception is worth memorizing early.
Mistake 4: Confusing “summer” and “winter”
Two important words look short and can be mixed up:
French | English |
l’été | summer |
l’hiver | winter |
Remember:
été = summer
hiver = winter
Quick Practice
Translate these into French.
- in January
- in summer
- in spring
- My birthday is in May.
- It is cold in winter.
- July is in summer.
- Classes begin in September.
- Fall begins in September.
Answers:
- en janvier
- en été
- au printemps
- Mon anniversaire est en mai.
- Il fait froid en hiver.
- Juillet est en été.
- Les cours commencent en septembre.
- L’automne commence en septembre.
Where This Fits in SeriousFrench
This topic connects to Module 1 in the SeriousFrench course.
Module 1 introduces beginner foundations such as greetings, names, spelling, numbers, dates, articles, plural nouns, subject pronouns, and the verb être.
Months and seasons are part of that early foundation because they help you talk about time, birthdays, schedules, weather, and simple personal information.
Articles like this explain one specific French topic. The SeriousFrench modules teach French in a structured order, step by step.
Continue Learning
If you are new to French, start with Module 1: Ça commence!
You will learn beginner French in order, with short lessons, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, audio, quizzes, and guided progression.