Months of the Year in Spanish (los meses)

• El junio pasado fue muy lluvioso. (Last June was very rainy.) – Here, pasado (last) and lluvioso (rainy) are both masculine singular, agreeing with junio.
• Espero un diciembre nevado. (I hope for a snowy December.) – The adjective nevado (snowy) is masculine singular.
• Los eneros de mi infancia eran mágicos. (The Januaries of my childhood were magical.) – In this less common plural usage, the plural definite article los, and the plural adjective mágicos (magical), are all masculine plural to agree with eneros.

• el mes de [month]: This phrase translates literally to "the month of [month]" and serves as a common, slightly more formal or emphatic way to refer to a specific month. It explicitly states the noun "month."
• Estamos en el mes de abril. (We are in the month of April.)
• El festival ocurre en el mes de mayo. (The festival happens in the month of May.)

• a principios de [month]: Meaning "at the beginning of [month]."
• a mediados de [month]: Meaning "in the middle of [month]."
• a finales de [month]: Meaning "at the end of [month]."

• La conferencia es a principios de octubre. (The conference is at the beginning of October.)
• Nos vemos a mediados de agosto. (We'll see each other in the middle of August.)
• Mi proyecto debe estar listo a finales de noviembre. (My project should be ready by the end of November.)

• el próximo [month] / [month] que viene: Both translate to "next [month]." El próximo [month] is generally standard, while [month] que viene (literally, "[month] that comes") is also very common and can sound slightly more colloquial, especially in Latin America.
• ¿Qué harás el próximo marzo? (What will you do next March?)
• El examen final es en julio que viene. (The final exam is next July.)

• [month] pasado / el [month] pasado: Both mean "last [month]." The definite article el is optional but often included, especially when the month is the subject.
• Diciembre pasado fue muy frío. (Last December was very cold.)
• Viajé a Colombia el enero pasado. (I traveled to Colombia last January.)

• durante [month] / durante el mes de [month]: Meaning "during [month]" or "during the month of [month]." These are used to indicate an action or state that persists throughout the entirety or a significant portion of a month.
• Durante junio, el clima es perfecto. (During June, the weather is perfect.)
• No trabajamos durante el mes de agosto. (We don't work during the month of August.)

• cumpleaños en [month]: A straightforward and frequently used phrase meaning "birthday in [month]."
• Mi cumpleaños es en abril. (My birthday is in April.)

• los [month]es: This is a grammatically correct, albeit less common, plural form of a month. It refers to multiple occurrences or periods of that specific month, often carrying a nostalgic, generalized, or descriptive nuance.
• Los diciembres de mi infancia eran mágicos. (The Decembers of my childhood were magical.)
• Detesto los eneros, siempre hace frío. (I hate Januaries; it's always cold.)

• Q: Do I ever capitalize months in Spanish?

Only if they begin a sentence. Otherwise, months are invariably written in lowercase. For example, Marzo es mi mes favorito (March is my favorite month), but Mi mes favorito es marzo. This is a non-negotiable rule that fundamentally distinguishes Spanish orthography from English.

• Q: Are Spanish months masculine or feminine?

All months in Spanish are masculine nouns. They are inherently understood to be preceded by the masculine definite article el, even when el is not explicitly stated in a sentence. This gender assignment dictates how accompanying adjectives agree with them (e.g., un invierno frío en enero).

• Q: How do I say "in" a specific month?

Utilize the preposition en. For instance, en enero (in January), en junio (in June). This en directly translates to "in" and is consistently applied for general monthly references.

• Q: How do I say "on" a specific date, such as "on May 5th"?

Employ the definite article el directly preceding the day number: el cinco de mayo. It is grammatically incorrect to use en el in this context. The el here implicitly conveys "on the" specifically for the day.

• Q: How do I express "last [month]" or "next [month]"?

For "last [month]," use [month] pasado or el [month] pasado (e.g., marzo pasado, el marzo pasado). For "next [month]," use el próximo [month] or [month] que viene (e.g., el próximo abril, abril que viene).

• Q: Do months have plural forms?

Yes, though they are infrequently used. Plurals are formed by adding -s to months ending in a vowel (eneros, mayos) or -es to months ending in a consonant (abriles, though this is exceptionally rare). Plural months typically refer to repeated occurrences or generalized periods associated with that month, such as los eneros de mi juventud (the Januaries of my youth).

• Q: Is septiembre or setiembre correct?

Both spellings are accepted. Septiembre is the standard and more prevalent form in most regions, particularly in Spain and formal contexts. Setiembre is also valid and commonly used in certain Latin American areas. For broad consistency and recognition, septiembre is generally recommended.

• Q: How do Spanish month names integrate with other time concepts?

Months are an integral component of a coherent system for expressing time in Spanish. They combine with numbers to form complete dates (Los números), with the article el for specific days (Spanish Days of the Week), and with prepositions such as de (Spanish Connector Words) and en (Spanish Time Prepositions) to construct precise temporal phrases. A solid understanding of months significantly strengthens your grasp of the entire Spanish calendar system and broader temporal grammar.