# Days of the week and months in Esperanto

Source: https://esperantopedia.org/phrases/days-months/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-07

> Esperanto days (lundo, mardo…), months (Januaro…Decembro) and seasons with pronunciation, plus how to say dates and tell the time.

The Esperanto days of the week are ***lundo, mardo, merkredo, ĵaŭdo, vendredo, sabato, dimanĉo*** – Monday to Sunday. The months are ***Januaro, Februaro, Marto, Aprilo, Majo, Junio, Julio, Aŭgusto, Septembro, Oktobro, Novembro, Decembro***. All are nouns ending in *-o*, and most will look familiar to speakers of European languages. Pronunciation guides split words into syllables, with the stressed syllable in capitals.

## Days of the week

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | *lundo* | LUN-do |
| Tuesday | *mardo* | MAR-do |
| Wednesday | *merkredo* | mer-KRE-do |
| Thursday | *ĵaŭdo* | ĴAŬ-do |
| Friday | *vendredo* | ven-DRE-do |
| Saturday | *sabato* | sa-BA-to |
| Sunday | *dimanĉo* | di-MAN-ĉo |

The names closely follow French (*lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, dimanche*); *sabato* is closer to Italian *sabato*. Days are written with a small letter, because they are not proper names. *Semajnfino* means "weekend".

**"On Monday"** is *lundon* (with *-n*) or *en lundo*: *Mi venos lundon* – "I'll come on Monday". The adverb *lunde* has a different meaning: "on Mondays", that is, every Monday or on some Monday.

## Months of the year

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| January | *Januaro* | ja-nu-A-ro |
| February | *Februaro* | fe-bru-A-ro |
| March | *Marto* | MAR-to |
| April | *Aprilo* | a-PRI-lo |
| May | *Majo* | MA-jo |
| June | *Junio* | ju-NI-o |
| July | *Julio* | ju-LI-o |
| August | *Aŭgusto* | aŭ-GUS-to |
| September | *Septembro* | sep-TEM-bro |
| October | *Oktobro* | ok-TO-bro |
| November | *Novembro* | no-VEM-bro |
| December | *Decembro* | de-CEM-bro |

Remember that [*j* sounds like English "y"](https://esperantopedia.org/learn/alphabet/): *Januaro* starts like "yah", and *Junio* like "you". Because stress falls on the second-to-last vowel, *Junio* and *Julio* are stressed on the *i*.

**Capital or small letter?** The *Fundamento* and Zamenhof wrote month names with a capital, and the reference grammar PMEG recommends this, because months are proper names. Many people now write them in small letters (*januaro*), which PMEG describes as very common but not recommended. Either way, months never take the article *la*.

## Seasons and time words

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| spring | *printempo* | prin-TEM-po |
| summer | *somero* | so-ME-ro |
| autumn, fall | *aŭtuno* | aŭ-TU-no |
| winter | *vintro* | VIN-tro |
| day / night | *tago / nokto* | TA-go / NOK-to |
| morning / evening | *mateno / vespero* | ma-TE-no / ves-PE-ro |
| noon / midnight | *tagmezo / noktomezo* | tag-ME-zo / nok-to-ME-zo |
| afternoon | *posttagmezo* | post-tag-ME-zo |
| week / month / year | *semajno / monato / jaro* | se-MAJ-no / mo-NA-to / JA-ro |
| today | *hodiaŭ* | ho-DI-aŭ |
| yesterday / tomorrow | *hieraŭ / morgaŭ* | hi-E-raŭ / MOR-gaŭ |
| the day before yesterday | *antaŭhieraŭ* | an-taŭ-hi-E-raŭ |
| the day after tomorrow | *postmorgaŭ* | post-MOR-gaŭ |

Add *-e* to make "in…" adverbs: *somere* "in summer", *vintre* "in winter", *matene* "in the morning". With the [accusative *-n*](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/accusative/), a time noun means "at that time": *la pasintan semajnon* "last week", *la venontan monaton* "next month".

## How to say the date

A date uses an ordinal number (ending in *-a*) for the day, then *de* and the month:

| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| *Kiu dato estas hodiaŭ?* | What's the date today? |
| *Hodiaŭ estas la sepa de Oktobro.* | Today is 7 October. |
| *Hodiaŭ estas merkredo, la 7-a de Oktobro 2026.* | Today is Wednesday, 7 October 2026. |
| *Mi naskiĝis la 3-an de Majo.* | I was born on 3 May. |
| *Esperanto aperis en 1887.* | Esperanto appeared in 1887. |

Two details matter. *De* is always used between day and month, because the number really describes the (unsaid) word *tago*: *la unua de Majo* = "the first (day) of May". To say **on** a date, add *-n* to the number: *la 3-an de Majo* "on 3 May". In writing, PMEG recommends the international format 2026-10-07 or a written-out month, since 7.10 and 10/7 are read differently in different countries.

## How to tell the time

| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| *Kioma horo estas?* | What time is it? |
| *Estas la tria (horo).* | It's three o'clock. |
| *Estas la tria kaj dek kvin.* | It's 3:15. |
| *Estas la tria kaj duono.* | It's half past three. |
| *Estas kvarono antaŭ la kvara.* | It's a quarter to four. |
| *Je la oka.* | At eight o'clock. |
| *Je la dek-kvina kaj tridek.* | At 15:30. |
| *Je kioma horo komenciĝas la koncerto?* | What time does the concert start? |

Clock times use ordinals, just like dates: *la tria* is literally "the third (hour)". To say **at** a time, use *je*, not *-n* – PMEG warns that *la trian* would mean "on the third day of the month". Both the 12-hour and 24-hour systems are used; add *antaŭtagmeze* (a.m.) or *posttagmeze* (p.m.) when needed. For the numbers themselves, see [Esperanto numbers](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/numbers/); for tickets and bookings, see [travel phrases](https://esperantopedia.org/phrases/travel/).

## Common questions

### What are the days of the week in Esperanto?

*Lundo, mardo, merkredo, ĵaŭdo, vendredo, sabato, dimanĉo* – Monday to Sunday. They are written with a small letter.

### Are Esperanto months capitalised?

Traditionally yes: *Januaro, Februaro…* The *Fundamento* and PMEG use capitals, but lower-case months (*januaro*) are very common today.

### How do you say "on Monday" in Esperanto?

*Lundon* or *en lundo* for a specific Monday. For a regular habit, use *lunde* "on Mondays".

### How do you write the date in Esperanto?

*La 7-a de Oktobro 2026* – the day as an ordinal, then *de* and the month. In a sentence meaning "on that date", add *-n*: *la 7-an de Oktobro*.

## Sources

- [PMEG: Datoj (dates)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/nombroj/datoj.html)
- [PMEG: Horoj (clock times)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/nombroj/horoj.html)
- [PMEG: Majuskloj ĉe propraj nomoj (months and weekdays)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/propraj_nomoj/majuskloj.html)
- [PMEG: N-finaĵo por tempopunkto (lundon, la sekvantan dimanĉon)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/rolmontriloj/n/tempopunkto.html)
- [PMEG: Uzo de E-vortoj (lunde, matene)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/e-vortoj/uzo.html)
- [PMEG: Bazaj elparolaj reguloj (stress)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/skribo_elparolo/elparolo/bazaj_reguloj.html)