Months and Seasons in Spanish
The months in Spanish are enero, febrero, marzo, abril, mayo, junio, julio, agosto, septiembre, octubre, noviembre and diciembre. Like the days of the week, they are all lowercase, and most are easy to recognize from English. Read them once with your child and you are already halfway there.
Below you’ll find the full chart with pronunciation, the four seasons, the reason Christmas is hot south of the equator, and a free printable chart for your kitchen wall.
The twelve months, with pronunciation
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| enero | e-NE-ro | January |
| febrero | fe-BRE-ro | February |
| marzo | MAR-so | March |
| abril | ah-BREEL | April |
| mayo | MA-yo | May |
| junio | HOO-nyo | June |
| julio | HOO-lyo | July |
| agosto | ah-GOS-to | August |
| septiembre | sep-TYEM-bre | September |
| octubre | ok-TOO-bre | October |
| noviembre | no-VYEM-bre | November |
| diciembre | dee-SYEM-bre | December |
One sound to practice: mayo is said MA-yo. In Spanish the letters ll and y sound like the y in “yes,” the same sound you hear in amarillo (yellow). Everything else here sounds close to the way it looks.
The four seasons
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| la primavera | pree-ma-VE-ra | spring |
| el verano | ve-RA-no | summer |
| el otoño | o-TO-nyo | fall |
| el invierno | een-VYER-no | winter |
Each season carries its article, so la primavera and el verano quietly teach la and el at the same time. Like the months, seasons stay lowercase.
Never capitalized
Spanish spelling rules (per the Real Academia Española) keep months and seasons lowercase: Mi cumpleaños es en marzo. Kids who journal in both languages mix this up constantly. One gentle reminder on the wall chart fixes it.
“en” does the work
There is no extra word for “in.” Something born or happening in a month is en marzo; in a season it is en verano. No capital, no fuss. The little word en carries it.
Start with a birthday
A child’s own birthday month is always the first one they learn. Begin there, then work outward: siblings’ birthdays, then the holidays the family already counts down to.
The seasons are flipped south of the equator
Here is a fact that turns a vocabulary lesson into a globe lesson. Much of South America sits in the southern hemisphere, so its seasons run opposite to ours. When it is deep winter in Minnesota, it is verano in Chile. December is high summer down there, which is why Christmas there is a summer holiday: sandals, not snow boots.
Try it with a real globe or a map. Point to where you live and name your season, then slide a finger down past the equator and name the opposite one. Kids remember verano forever once it is attached to the strange, delightful idea of a summer Christmas. This is comprehensible input at its simplest: a real fact, a real object, a Spanish word riding along.
Winter here
En diciembre es invierno en Minnesota. (In December it is winter in Minnesota.)
Summer there
En diciembre es verano en Chile. (In December it is summer in Chile.)
How we practice at home: the birthday ritual
You do not need a worksheet for the months. You need the one month your child cares about most: their own birthday. Point at it on the chart and ask:
—¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
—¡En julio!
(“When is your birthday? In July!”) A note for parents: tu (no accent) means “your,” and the answer only needs enplus the month. Learn the birthday month first, then work outward to siblings’ birthdays and the holidays the family already loves.
- 1
Print the chart and hang it where breakfast happens. Visibility beats discipline.
- 2
Anchor the birthday month first. Mi cumpleaños es en julio. One month they will never forget.
- 3
Add family birthdays and holidays. Navidad es en diciembre. Attach each month to a day the family already counts down to.
- 4
Bring out the globe for the seasons. Name your season, then find the opposite one below the equator.
Get the free printable chart
One beautiful page: all twelve months with pronunciation, the four seasons, the lowercase rule, and the birthday question. Print it, tape it up, and the months teach themselves.
Download the Chart (Free PDF)How to pronounce the trickier ones
Most months sound the way they look. Your pronunciation does not need to be perfect; it needs to be brave. Your child is listening to your willingness, not your accent.
mayo (MA-yo)
The y sounds like the y in “yes,” so it is MA-yo, not MY-oh. Same sound as amarillo and lluvia (rain).
junio and julio (HOO-nyo, HOO-lyo)
The Spanish j sounds like an English h. Both start with a breathy HOO, the same sound as in jugo (juice).
Questions parents ask
What are the months of the year in Spanish?
In order: enero, febrero, marzo, abril, mayo, junio, julio, agosto, septiembre, octubre, noviembre, diciembre. All lowercase, and most of them are easy to recognize from English.
Are months capitalized in Spanish?
No. Months and seasons are always lowercase in Spanish, even in the middle of a sentence: Mi cumpleaños es en marzo. Only capitalize a month when it starts a sentence.
How do you say the seasons in Spanish?
la primavera (spring), el verano (summer), el otoño (fall), and el invierno (winter). Say them pree-ma-VE-ra, ve-RA-no, o-TO-nyo, een-VYER-no. Each one carries its article, so kids learn el and la right alongside the word.
Why are the seasons different south of the equator?
Much of South America is in the southern hemisphere, so the seasons are flipped. When it is winter in Minnesota it is verano in Chile, and December is high summer. South of the equator, Christmas is a summer holiday.
How do you say when your birthday is?
Say Mi cumpleaños es en… and add the month: Mi cumpleaños es en julio. To ask, say ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? (when is your birthday?). The little word en does all the work: born or happening in a month is en marzo, en verano, no capital and nothing extra.
Where the months show up next
A chart teaches recognition; the calendar makes the words stick, one birthday and one season at a time. Keep the days and months together on the wall, and let the free story pack carry the words into a tale your child asks to hear again.