Portuguese Months: Gender and

First, let's meet the squad. Here are the twelve months: janeiro (January), fevereiro (February), março (March), abril (April), maio (May), junho (June), julho (July), agosto (August), setembro (September), outubro (October), novembro (November), and dezembro (December).

• All months in Portuguese are masculine.
• This is because the word for month, o mês, is masculine.
• They are not capitalized unless they start a sentence.

Yes, even native speakers forget the capitalization rule sometimes! But for you, it is a chance to show off your pro skills. Imagine writing a formal email. Keeping setembro in lowercase shows you really know the 1990 Orthographic Agreement. It is a small detail that makes a huge impact.

1. 1Using months in a sentence is a three-step process.
2. 2The Preposition: To say "in [Month]", you almost always use em.
3. 3The Connection: When you combine em with the month, it stays as em. For example: em maio.
4. 4The Specificity: If you are talking about a specific month in a specific year, you might use no. This is em + o. Example: no janeiro de 2024.
5. 5Most of the time, just stick with em. It is your best friend here. If you want to say "the month of...", use o mês de. For example: o mês de agosto é quente. It sounds a bit more formal, but it is very common in writing. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Em is your green light to keep the conversation moving.

You will use months in almost every "planning" scenario.

• Birthdays: Meu aniversário é em abril.
• Travel: Eu vou para o Brasil em dezembro.
• Work: A reunião é em março.
• Holidays: O Natal é em dezembro.

Real-world tip: If you are at a job interview and they ask when you can start, you'll need these. "I can start in July" becomes Posso começar em julho. It sounds sharp and professional. Also, think about seasons. In many Portuguese-speaking countries, the seasons are the opposite of the Northern Hemisphere. Knowing that junho is winter in Brazil but summer in Portugal is a total pro move.

Don't confuse months with days of the week. Days like segunda-feira (Monday) follow different rules. Also, don't use the feminine article a with months. Even though some months end in 'o' and some don't, they are all brothers in the masculine club.

• Do not say na maio. Correct: em maio.
• Do not say esta agosto. Correct: este agosto.

It is like trying to wear flip-flops to a snowy mountain. It just doesn't fit the environment. Stick to the masculine forms and you will stay warm and correct.

The "Big Boss" of mistakes is capitalization. English speakers want to write Janeiro. Please, resist the urge! Use janeiro.

Another common slip is the gender of the surrounding words. If you say "This August is cold," you must use este, not esta.

• ✗ Esta agosto está frio.
• ✓ Este agosto está frio.

Think of it this way: the months are a team of twelve men. They always want masculine adjectives. Also, be careful with março. That little tail on the ç is called a cedilla. It makes an 's' sound. If you forget it, it looks very strange to a Portuguese eye.

In English, months are like celebrities. They always get a capital letter. In Portuguese, they are like humble workers. They stay small.

If you know Spanish, you are in luck. The rules are very similar there. However, the spelling is different.

• Spanish: enero
• Portuguese: janeiro

Portuguese adds that lovely 'j' sound and the 'i' in the middle. It feels a bit more melodic. Unlike French, where you might use au or en, Portuguese keeps it simple with em. It is one of the few times Portuguese grammar actually tries to make your life easier!