You probably already know the names of the months in Spanish, but let's review them just in case.
enero (January)
febrero (February)
marzo (March)
abril (April)
mayo (May)
junio (June)
julio (July)
agosto (August)
septiembre (September)
octubre (October)
noviembre (November)
diciembre (December)
Remember that the months of the year, like the days of the week, are not normally capitalized in Spanish. The names of the seasons aren't capitalized either.
To express a date, use the following formula: el + date + de + month. For example, to say “April fifteenth,” you would say: el quince de abril. Ordinal numbers are only used for the first of the month: el primero de julio. To refer to what happens “in” a month, use the preposition en: Llueve mucho en octubre.
Take a few minutes to write down the weather, events, and activities you associate with each month.
The Months
Listen to each example on Track 77 as you follow along in the text. Repeat each after you hear it.
Donde yo vivo hace más frío en enero que en los otros meses.
Comienza a hacer buen tiempo en febrero y trabajo mucho en mi jardín.
En abril y mayo puede hacer muy buen tiempo, pero a veces hay tor-mentas fuertes.
En noviembre celebramos el Día de Acción de Gracias; es la fiesta que más me gusta.
Take a few minutes to answer the following questions orally or in writing:
¿Qué tiempo te gusta más y por qué?
¿Qué mes te gusta más y por qué?
There are some interesting idiomatic expressions and sayings in Spanish that mention certain months. Look at the following examples:
Luna de enero, cielo sereno.
(January moon, calm sky.)
Febrerillo loco, un día peor que otro.
(Crazy little February, one day is worse than another.)
Marzo ventoso, abril lluvioso.
(Windy March, rainy April.)
tener … abriles (to be … old): Mi abuelo tiene noventa abriles.
(My grandfather is ninety years old.)
Cuando caen las lluvias de abril, crecen las flores de mayo.
(When the April rains fall, the flowers of May grow.)
En abril, aguas mil.
(In April, a thousand showers.)
Hasta el cuatro de mayo no te quites el sayo.
(Until the fourth of May, don't take off your smock.)
hacer / sacar su agosto (to make a bundle, a financial killing): Tu her-mano hizo su agosto cuando invirtió en esa estación de esquí.
(Your brother made a bundle when he invested in that ski resort.)
The names of the four seasons in Spanish are: primavera (spring), verano (summer), otoño (fall), and invierno (winter). Of course, there are idiomatic expressions that use the seasons, too, for example:
Está en la primavera (el otoño) de la vida.
(He's in the spring / fall of his life)
Una golondrina no hace verano.
(One swallow doesn't make it summer.)
Keep in mind that not every Spanish-speaking country has four seasons, and the weather features of any season may be different from what you experience where you live.
In many places, seasons are referred to as temporadas. Some countries divide the year into the dry and rainy season, for example: la temporada seca and la temporada de lluvias. This same word describes such things as “seasonal activities” actividades de temporada and “seasonal clothing” ropa de temporada. Many tourist destinations have high and low seasons, temporada alta and temporada baja, which is usually reflected in the number of tourists and the cost and availability of lodging. If you travel fuera de temporada (off-season), you can get some great deals but be sure the off-season climate suits your plans.
