English calendar terms are essential for learners to know—they help you discuss plans and schedules, whether you're planning your school year or an upcoming trip abroad! There's a lot of vocabulary to keep track of, and some important differences between English dialects. A year is divided into 12 months in the modern-day Gregorian calendar. The months are either 28, 29, 30, or 31 days long.
Months in English
Here are the twelve months in English with the pronunciation:
- January – /’gian.iu.e.ri/
- February – /’fe.bru.e.ri/
- March – /’ma:tc/
- April – /’ei.pril/
- May – /’mei/
- June – /’giun/
- July – /giu’lai/
- August – /’o:.gust/
- September – /sep’tem.ba/
- October – /ok’tou.ba/
- November – /nou’vem.ba/
- December – /di’sem.ba/
The 12 Months
The Gregorian calendar consists of the following 12 months:
January - 31 days
February - 28 days in a common year and 29 days in leap years
March - 31 days
April - 30 days
May - 31 days
June - 30 days
July - 31 days
August - 31 days
September - 30 days
October - 31 days
November - 30 days
December - 31 days
Abbreviations of the names of the months:
January - Jan.
February - Feb
. March - Mar
. April - Apr.
May - May
June - June
July - July
August - Aug.
September - Sept.
October - Oct.
November - Nov.
December - Dec.
The Months of the Year
Understanding the months is a basic yet vital part of English proficiency. The Gregorian calendar, the most widely used today, has twelve months. Below is a list of all months, their origins, and a brief description.
- January: Abbreviation - Jan. The first month of the year, named after the Roman god Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions.
- February: Abbreviation - Feb. Named after the Latin term februum, which means purification. It reflects the rituals performed in ancient Rome mid-month.
- March: Abbreviation - Mar. This is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. March was originally the first month of the Roman calendar.
- April: Abbreviation - Apr. Its name comes from the Latin word 'Aperire', which means 'to open,' probably referencing flowers opening in spring.
- May: Abbreviation - None. Named after Maia, the Greek goddess of fertility. In the ancient Roman calendar, it was the third month.
- June: Abbreviation - Jun. This month was named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and childbirth.
- July: Abbreviation - Jul. Named in honor of Julius Caesar. July is the seventh month of the year.
- August: Abbreviation - Aug. Named after Augustus Caesar, the first Roman Emperor.
- September: Abbreviation - Sept. From the Latin word "septem," meaning seven. In the ancient Roman calendar, it was the seventh month.
- October: Abbreviation - Oct. Its name originates from the Latin "octo," meaning eight. It was the eighth month in the ancient Roman calendar.
- November: Abbreviation - Nov. Named after the Latin "novem," meaning nine. It was the ninth month in the ancient Roman calendar.
- December: Abbreviation - Dec. Comes from the Latin "decem," meaning ten. It was the tenth month in the ancient Roman calendar.
Dates in English
When we say the date in English we normally use ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc) instead of cardinal numbers (one, two, three, etc). Let’s look at these ordinal numbers:
- 1st – first
- 2nd – second
- 3rd – third
- 4th – fourth
- 5th – fifth
- 6th – sixth
- 7th – seventh
- 8th – eighth
- 9th – ninth
- 10th – tenth
The basic English calendar terms are:
- day
- week
- month
- year
- decade (10 years)
- century (100 years)
- millennium (1000 years)
Old Names of Months
Months in the ancient Roman calendar include:
Mercedonius - an occasional month after February that would be used to realign the Roman calendar. Today we use Leap Day for this alignment. Quintilis - renamed July in honor of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE. Sextilis - renamed August in honor of Roman Emperor Augustus in 8 BCE.
Idioms and Fun Phrases Involving Months of the Year
English is full of colorful idioms and phrases, many of which involve months of the year. Understanding these will make your conversational English more natural and engaging. Here are some expressions for your vocabulary:
- "As cold as a January morning": This expression is used to describe something very cold, referencing the frigid weather often experienced in January.
- "Mad as a March hare": To be very crazy or silly. The phrase comes from the observed antics of hares during their spring mating season.
- "A long, hot summer": Often used metaphorically, it refers to a prolonged period of tension or unrest.
- "Be an April fool": To be tricked or pranked on April 1st, known as April Fools' Day.
- "Christmas in July": Celebrating Christmas-style festivities in the summer month of July.
- “To be in the January of one's life”: This means to be at the early stages of one's life.
- “An August presence”: Refers to someone with a commanding or imposing presence, drawing a parallel with the revered Augustus Caesar.
- “March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers”: This old saying talks about the transition of seasons and describes how good times always go after bad once.
- "In the merry month of May": This is often used to describe a happy, carefree time, as May is associated with spring and blossoming flowers in many cultures.
- "An Indian summer": A period of unusually dry, warm weather occurring in late autumn, usually after the first frost. Despite not referring to a specific month, it typically happens in late September or October.
Sentences about months :
- February is the shortest month of the year.
- March marks the beginning of spring in many countries.
- April showers bring May flowers.
- June is a popular month for weddings.
- July is known for its hot weather and summer vacations.
- August is a time when many people take their annual holidays.
- September signals the start of the school year for students in many places.
- October is associated with autumn and Halloween festivities.
- November is when many countries celebrate Thanksgiving.
Exercises:
1- It’s _____ right now. Christmas is next month.
a.
b.
c.
d.
2- The baby was born in _____, the third month of the year.
a.
b.
c.
d.
3- Our favourite month is _____, because we love Halloween.
a.
b.
c.
d.
4- We have school from _____ to Friday, but not on weekends.
a.
b.
c.
d.
5- My favourite thing about _____ is playing outside in the snow.
a.
b.
c.
d.
