Days, months and seasons in English: on Monday, in May
By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026
English has seven days, twelve months and four seasons. The words are easy. The small words before them (on, in, at) and the capital letters need a little care: on Monday, in May, in summer.
| Time | Small word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ||
3 | ||
| ||
| ||
2026 | ||
| (UK) | |
Quick check
Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.
Pick the right one
0/3Pick on, in or at.
I'm free Monday.
My birthday is May.
It's cold here winter.
The seven days of the week
| Day | Short | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | workday |
| Tue | |
| Wed | "WENZ-" |
| Thu | |
| Fri | workday |
| ||
|
A week, Monday to Sunday. Every day starts with a capital letter.
Saturday and Sunday are the weekend. Monday to Friday are weekdays.
Say with two parts, not three: "WENZ-day". The
first d is silent.
- Today is Tuesday. (the day now)
- The shop is closed on Sunday. (you cannot go in on Sunday)
The twelve months
| Month | Short | Month | Short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Jul | ||
| Feb | Aug | ||
| Mar | Sep | ||
| Apr | Oct | ||
| Nov | |||
| Jun | Dec |
Read down the first two columns, then the next two. May has no short form. It is already short.
- My birthday is in April. (the month of my birthday)
- December is a cold month in the UK. (winter there)
The four seasons
| Season | Months in the UK | Example |
|---|---|---|
| , , | It's warm in spring. | |
| , , | We go to the sea. | |
| , , | The leaves fall. | |
| , , | It's cold and dark. |
Spring, summer, autumn, winter. No capital letters for the seasons.
Autumn is the British word. In American English, people say fall. Both are correct: in autumn (UK), in the fall (US).
In the south of the world, the seasons come at other times: In Australia, Christmas is in summer. (December is hot there).
Capital letters: Monday and May, but summer
Days and months always start with a capital letter. Seasons do not.
| Type | Right | Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| ||
| ||
|
.(capital M)Tom .(capital J).(small w)
A season takes a capital letter only at the start of a sentence: Summer is my favourite season. (first word, so a capital S).
On, in and at: on Monday, in May, in summer
Use a small word before the time. Look at the size of the time: a day is small, so on; a month, season or year is big, so in.
| Word | Use with | Example |
|---|---|---|
. | ||
. | ||
. | ||
Ana 2020. | ||
| (UK) | . |
At the weekend is British English. In American English, people say on the weekend (the same two days).
Some time words need no small word at all:
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Today is Monday. | ||
| See you tomorrow. | ||
| I was at home yesterday. |
The same is true for next and last: See you next Monday. (usually the coming Monday; some people mean the Monday after, so check) I saw him last May. (the most recent May).
Dates: the third of May
We write a number, but we say an order word: first, second, third.
| Write | Say | Write | Say |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 4th | ||
| 2nd | 5th | ||
| 3rd | 21st | - |
The full list, with the spellings that catch everyone (fifth, twelfth), is on the ordinal numbers page.
In the UK, write the day first: 3 May or 3rd May. Say it like this:
- the third of May (the usual way)
- May the third (also fine)
In the US, people write May 3 and say May third. So 3/5 is 3 May in the UK, but March 5 in the US: write the month as a word when it matters. For the year, see years in English.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| in Monday | on Monday | . |
| on May | in May | . |
| on summer | in summer | . |
| in june | in June | . |
| in the Summer | in the summer | . |
| the three of May | the third of May | . |
| on tomorrow | tomorrow | . |
The first two are the big ones. A day is small, so on. A month is big, so in.
What to do next
- Say today's date out loud: Today is Monday, the third of May.
- Do the drills below. Then read ordinal numbers for the other dates.