Latest / Learn French with Fexingo / French Months of the Year Basics
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey Luna, nice to have you back. Today I thought we could talk about something simple but super useful: the months of the year in French. Luna: Oh, that's great. I've been wanting to know how to say the months. I always mix them up. So, how do we start? Lucas: Let's begin with the first few. January is janvier. Can you say that with me? Janvier. Luna: Janvier. Hmm, that's not too hard. So, February must be février? Lucas: Exactly, février. And March is mars. It's spelled like the planet, but in French, it's the month. Mars. Luna: Mars. So, April is avril? That sounds similar to English. Lucas: Yes, avril. And then we have mai for May. Just like the month in English, but spelled m a i. Mai. Luna: Mai. Okay, so that's janvier, février, mars, avril, mai. That's five. What about June and July? Lucas: June is juin, and July is juillet. Listen carefully: juin, juillet. Luna: Juin, juillet. Juillet sounds a bit tricky. Is it like 'jwee-yeh'? Lucas: Almost. Just try to copy me: juillet. You'll get it with practice. Luna: Juillet. Okay, I'll keep practicing. What about August? That's a tricky one. Lucas: August is août. It's very short, just two letters. Août. The 't' is silent. Luna: Août. That's so short. I like it. So, September, October, November, December? Lucas: Right: septembre, octobre, novembre, décembre. They're quite similar to English, so you'll catch on fast. Luna: Septembre, octobre, novembre, décembre. I can do this. So, all together: janvier, février, mars, avril, mai, juin, juillet, août, septembre, octobre, novembre, décembre. Lucas: Perfect. Now, let's put them into a sentence. To say 'My birthday is in January', you say 'Mon anniversaire est en janvier.' Let's try that: Mon anniversaire est en janvier. Luna: Mon anniversaire est en janvier. So, you always use 'en' before the month? Lucas: Yes, for months, you use 'en'. So, 'en février', 'en mars', 'en avril', and so on. But be careful with 'au' for months that start with a vowel sound, like 'en août' but also 'au mois d'août'. Luna: So, 'en août' and 'au mois d'août' both work. That's handy. Lucas: Exactly. Now, let's practice a little. If I say 'Quel mois sommes-nous?' - what month are we in? You can answer 'Nous sommes en mai.' Luna: Nous sommes en mai. Got it. So, if someone asks me, I can say that. Lucas: Right. And if you want to say 'I go on vacation in July', you'd say 'Je pars en vacances en juillet.' Luna: Je pars en vacances en juillet. That's a good one to know. I love July. Lucas: Before we go on, Luna, I want to mention something. If Fexingo has been helping you make progress with French, and today's episode was worth a cup of coffee to you, consider supporting us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small gesture that keeps the show going. Luna: Yeah, every little bit helps us keep making these episodes. We really appreciate it. Lucas: Now, back to months. Let's do a quick review. Say the months again with me, but this time, I'll point to you randomly: janvier, février, mars, avril, mai, juin, juillet, août, septembre, octobre, novembre, décembre. Luna: Janvier, février, mars, avril, mai, juin, juillet, août, septembre, octobre, novembre, décembre. I got it! Lucas: Excellent. Now, let's try a tiny scene. Imagine you're planning a trip with a friend. You say: 'Je vais à Paris en septembre.' Your friend says: 'Ah, c'est bien. Septembre est agréable.' Luna: Je vais à Paris en septembre. Ah, c'est bien. Septembre est agréable. That sounds nice. So, you can use months to talk about plans. Lucas: Absolutely. And that's a wrap for today. Practice saying the months, and try to use them in a sentence. We'll see you next time on Fexingo.