A Complete Beginner Guide (Brazilian & European Portuguese)
The months of the year in Portuguese are easy to learn because they are very similar to English. Once you see them written, most will look familiar.
This lesson is part of our Portuguese Vocabulary Hub, where you’ll find essential beginner word groups organized step by step.
Let’s start with the full list.
Months of the Year in Portuguese
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| January | janeiro |
| February | fevereiro |
| March | março |
| April | abril |
| May | maio |
| June | junho |
| July | julho |
| August | agosto |
| September | setembro |
| October | outubro |
| November | novembro |
| December | dezembro |
As you can see, most Portuguese month names are close to their English equivalents.
Important Rule: No Capital Letters
In Portuguese, months are not capitalized.
❌ Janeiro
✅ janeiro
❌ Março
✅ março
This rule also applies to days of the week and languages.
To review weekdays, see:
👉 Portuguese Days of the Week
How to Say Dates in Portuguese
Portuguese dates follow this structure:
Day + de + Month
Examples:
- 5 de março
- 12 de julho
- 25 de dezembro
Notice the use of “de” between the day and the month.
If you need to review numbers used in dates, see:
👉 Portuguese Numbers 1–100
Pronunciation Guide (Brazil vs Portugal)
Here are simplified Brazilian pronunciation hints:
- janeiro → zhah-NEI-ro
- fevereiro → feh-veh-REI-ro
- março → MAR-so
- abril → ah-BREEL
- junho → ZHOON-yo
- julho → ZHOOL-yo
- dezembro → deh-ZEM-bro
European Portuguese pronunciation reduces unstressed vowels more strongly, but spelling remains identical.
Example Sentences
- Meu aniversário é em abril.
(My birthday is in April.) - O curso começa em setembro.
(The course starts in September.) - Vou viajar em dezembro.
(I’m going to travel in December.)
Notice the preposition:
em + month
If you’re still working on verb forms in these examples, review our
👉 Portuguese Verb Conjugation Guide
👉 Present Tense Portuguese Verbs
Talking About Seasons
In Brazil:
- verão → summer
- outono → fall
- inverno → winter
- primavera → spring
Example:
- O verão começa em dezembro no Brasil.
Remember that seasons are reversed between Brazil and Portugal due to hemisphere differences.
Common Beginner Mistakes
❌ Capitalizing months
Portuguese does not capitalize month names.
❌ Forgetting “de” in dates
Incorrect: 5 março
Correct: 5 de março
❌ Adding an article unnecessarily
Incorrect: em o abril
Correct: em abril
Practice Exercise
Translate:
- March
- July
- November
- January
- October
Answers:
- março
- julho
- novembro
- janeiro
- outubro
Ready to Practice?
Once you’re comfortable with months, combine them with:
- Days of the week
- Numbers
- Basic conversation phrases
If you want structured daily practice, check our guide to the Best Apps to Learn Portuguese — many of them include interactive date and calendar exercises.