English Listening Practice: Learn the months in English while uncovering the secrets behind their names
In this episode, you’ll learn how months like July and August got their names and why our calendar still follows ancient rules. We also touch on other calendars from Japan to India. Each fascinating fact will help improve your English and boost your understanding of history.
A calendar is the heartbeat of civilization
⭐ Dr. Sarah Seager, MIT Astrophysicist
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More About This Lesson
📆 Why Does September Mean ‘Seventh’ When It’s the Ninth Month? Have you ever wondered why the months of the year have such unusual names? Or why February is the only month that sometimes gets an extra day? Today, we’re uncovering the fascinating history of the calendar—where it came from, how it changed over time, and why the months are named the way they are.
Time is the wisest counselor of all
⭐ Pericles, Ancient Greek Statesman
From the Roman Empire to Pope Gregory XIII, the calendar we use today has a long and surprising past. You'll also discover why different cultures follow their own unique calendars, and how these influence daily life around the world. You'll also:
- You improve listening skills with authentic spoken English.
- You practice clear pronunciation by reciting month names.
- You build vocabulary by repeating basic calendar terms.
- You engage actively by following spoken instructions.
- You gain cultural insight from historical month facts.
- You learn sentence structure from simple narration.
- You practice transitional phrases for smooth speech.
- You discover fun facts that boost language retention.
- If you feel we have helped you please consider supporting us https://adeptengli.sh/donate
If you’re learning English, this episode helps with pronunciation, vocabulary, and useful historical knowledge—all in a natural, engaging way. So, listen in, improve your English, and take away some surprising facts that you can share with others. Let’s get started! 🎧
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Why should I learn the months in English through their history? Learning the months isn't just about memorizing words - it's about understanding the rich cultural context behind them. When you connect January to the two-faced Roman god Janus or realize that September (our 9th month) originally meant "7th month," you're building stronger mental connections. This technique of learning vocabulary through etymology and cultural history is exactly what makes language acquisition more engaging and memorable. You'll find yourself naturally remembering these words because they now have meaning beyond just being calendar entries.
- How can I practice pronouncing the months correctly in British English? Start by listening to how native speakers say them in the podcast. Pay special attention to stress patterns: JANuary, FEBruary, MARCH, aPRIL. Practice by recording yourself and comparing it to the audio. Don't worry about getting it perfect right away - focus on the rhythm first. What's really helpful is to practice them in context: "I'm going to London in February," or "The weather is lovely in June." This way, you're not just memorizing isolated words, but learning to use them naturally in conversation.
- What's the connection between language learning and cultural understanding in this lesson? The lesson brilliantly combines language acquisition with cultural literacy. When you learn that August was named after Augustus Caesar, or that different cultures like Thailand name their months after zodiac signs, you're not just learning vocabulary - you're gaining insights into how different societies view time and organize their world. This deeper understanding helps you think more naturally in English because you're connecting with the cultural context behind the language. Remember, true fluency isn't just about words - it's about understanding the cultural framework they exist in.
- How can I use this calendar knowledge in everyday English conversations? Calendar discussions come up constantly in real-world situations - scheduling meetings, planning trips, discussing holidays. Understanding the months gives you confidence in these everyday conversations. Try creating simple sentences about annual events: "Chinese New Year changes dates because it follows a different calendar," or "In England, the weather is usually best in July and August." This knowledge also helps you understand cultural references, like why April is associated with spring flowers (from the Latin 'aperire' meaning 'to open').
- What's the best way to remember the order of months in English? Instead of just memorizing the sequence, create meaningful connections. Notice how the last four months have number prefixes (Sept-, Oct-, Nov-, Dec-) that actually don't match their current positions - this interesting "mistake" makes them memorable. Practice saying them in groups of three (January-February-March, April-May-June, etc.), and create personal associations for each group. For example, summer months (June-July-August) might remind you of holidays. When you combine this with understanding their origins, like March being named after Mars, the Roman god of war, you're creating multiple memory hooks that make recall much easier.
Most Unusual Words:
- Gregorian: Related to Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced the modern calendar.
- Julian: Named after Julius Caesar, referring to the earlier version of the calendar.
- Leap: A special extra day added to the calendar every four years.
- Astronomer: A person who studies stars, planets, and space.
- Discrepancy: A difference between things that should match.
- Regime: A system or way of doing things, often used for governments.
- Standardise: To make things the same across different places or situations.
- Solar: Related to the sun.
- Ritually: Done as part of a tradition or ceremony.
- Purification: The act of making something clean or pure.
Most Frequently Used Words:
| Word | Count |
|---|---|
| Calendar | 53 |
| Months | 10 |
| Called | 10 |
| Gregorian | 10 |
| English | 8 |
| Names | 8 |
| Julian | 8 |
Listen To The Audio Lesson Now
Transcript: Why Do Months Have Strange Names: Improve Your English and Find Out
All about the calendar
Hi there and welcome to this podcast from Adept English. Let's have a look today at something that you learn in your first English lessons - the months of the year. The calendar, in other words. But let's make it more interesting. Where do the names of the months come from? What's their history? And what's the history of our calendar? That's C-A-L-E-N-D-A-R. In many languages and countries where the same calendar is used, the names of the months are similar to what they are in English. And in some countries of the world, completely different calendars are used. So this is a classic English lesson from Adept English. We cover the basics like the months of the year, but with their history. And some interesting twists to keep you listening. Let's investigate the calendar today. If you listen to this podcast, not only will your English improve, but I guarantee you'll learn some interesting facts that you didn't know.
Hello, I’m Hilary, and you’re listening to Adept English. We will help you to speak English fluently. All you have to do is listen. So start listening now and find out how it works.
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The Gregorian Calendar
So today, the calendar that we use in the UK, in English-speaking countries, in Europe and much of the rest of the world. First of all, this basic English learning is best done like many things by reciting, by repeating. You probably learned the days of the week this way as well. So the months of the year in English are, say them with me:-
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December.
You probably know those, but it's worth repeating them if you don't. So this calendar is used in most places in the world, at least as a 'civil' or official calendar, even if other calendars are used as well. Strictly speaking, it's called the Gregorian Calendar. And this is because the most recent changes to it were made in the 16th century in the time of Pope Gregory XIII. So we're talking about a time when the Catholic Church decided such things. Before the Gregorian calendar, it was the Julian Calendar. Called after Julius Caesar. And it was very similar. But in the time of Pope Gregory XIII in the 1500s, it had been noticed that the Julian calendar was getting a bit out of step. A bit out of sync with the years. The days and the ways of counting years were not quite aligned, not agreeing with the planets and the day lengths. So a change was made around leap years. That's L-E-A-P. Most of us are aware of leap years because we add an extra day. We have a 29th of February, once every four years. That's a leap year. But the new rule, which was cleverly set in 1582, making the new Gregorian calendar was as follows:-
📷
Which calendar do you really follow—Gregorian or something else?
'Every year that divides exactly by four is a leap year. Except for the years that divide exactly by 100, which are not leap years. Unless those years divide also by 400'.
So that meant that the years 1700, 1800, were not leap years. But the year 2000 was a leap year because it divided evenly by 400. Gosh, much more complicated than I thought! But well done to those 16th century astronomers for working that out. And what they arrived at still works today, of course. So that was the most recent change, creating the Gregorian Calendar.
Previously the Julian Calendar
But before that, the Julian Calendar was in widespread use. And this is still what our calendar today is based upon. It's where our months get their names from. So coming from the same place, of course, the city of Rome in Italy, but from a very different regime, that of the Roman Empire. That's what determined the Julian Calendar. So what happened to create the Julian Calendar? Well, before this, the Roman calendar did not have 365 or 366 days in a year. They had, in fact, a variable number of days. And as you might imagine, this wasn't working. Things were getting out of step, out of sync. So the big change that Julius Caesar made to create the Julian calendar was to standardise the length of the year to 365 or 366 days. This helped the calendar line up better with planetary movements. That was clever, then. A solar calendar or a calendar based on the movement of the sun.
And this was all on the advice of a Greek astronomer called Sosigenes, who told Julius Caesar that the Egyptians had it right with 365 or 366 days in a year. And the Julian Calendar came into force on the 1st of January, 45BC, or 45BCE, if you want to be politically correct. So the Julian calendar was better and more accurate than what went before. And of course, as I said, there was a slight discrepancy, which was corrected by the Gregorian Calendar in 1582.
Why do the autumn months seem to have the wrong names?
One of the things which puzzled me when I was learning European languages at school, why does the 9th month, September, sound like the 7th month with the SEPT at the start? If you know the numbers in Latin or Latin languages, then OCT, as in the start of October, sounds like the 8th month. NOV, as in the start of November, the 9th month. And DEC, as in the start of December - well, that sounds like the 10th month, even though it's the 12th.
Well, the answer is that way before Julius Caesar, the Roman Calendar started in March, which makes the 7th month, September, etc. And apparently, it was King Numa Pompilius, who added two months around 700BC. Ianuarius, or January, and Februarius or February. That's why the month names don't agree with their numbers or their word origins.
Another change much later, the 5th month was called Quintilis, and this was named Iulius, or July, in 44BC, in honour of Julius Caesar. That's when his birthday was. And August, originally called Sextilis, or the 6th month, was renamed Augustus, or August, in 8BC, in honour of Augustus Caesar, because the month of August was when he rose to power. So it took many centuries and much understanding of astronomy to arrive at our modern Gregorian Calendar, which does now actually work, and keeps us aligned with the sun and the moon and the seasons.
Where do the names of the other months come from?
What about the names of the months, though? Well, as I've described, the months towards the end of the year, September, October, November, December, mean literally the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months, even though they aren't. And the original names for July and August, Quintilis and Sextilis, meant the 5th and 6th months. But what about the first six months of the year? How did they get their names? Well, January, as I said, was added by King Numa Pompilius in 700 BC, and Ianuarius is called after the Roman god Janus, J-A-N-U-S in English. The god Janus was the Roman god of doorways and has two heads, one looking backwards, one looking forwards. And this fits well with our modern idea of January, being the start of the year, when we both look backwards and look forwards to the new year. February is called after the Roman festival of purification, Februa, during which people were ritually washed. March is called after the Roman god of war, Mars, and April, Aprilis in Latin - well, its name is a little more uncertain, but it's probably called after the Latin verb aperire, meaning 'to open', and related to the opening of flowers and buds in April. May, Maius, M-A-I-U-S in Latin, is called after Maia, a Roman earth goddess associated with fertility and growth. Lots of that happens in spring in May, so that makes sense. And June, well, it's always good to appease the wife of the king of the gods, Jupiter, so Juno gave her name to the month of June.
Other calendars of the world
And there are so many other calendars of the world. A bit of a list here, there's the Hindu Calendar, the Buddhist Calendar, the Islamic Calendar, the Hebrew Calendar, or Jewish Calendar, the Persian Calendar, the Chinese Calendar, the Bahāʾī Calendar, the Tamil Calendar, the Coptic Calendar, the Ethiopian Calendar, and the Mayan Calendar. So the Gregorian Calendar is far from the only one.
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Many countries of the world use their own traditional calendar alongside the Gregorian Calendar as the civil or official calendar. For example, North Korea has its own North Korean Calendar. Taiwan uses the Minguo Calendar, and Japan uses a Japanese Calendar. Thailand has its own Thai Solar Calendar, this one with names which relate to what we would recognise as the signs of the zodiac. For example, April is 'the month of the ram', like Aries. May is 'the month of the bull', like Taurus. And June is 'the month of the pair', like the twins Gemini. That's recognisable to most of us then.
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Another fascinating fact, in India before 1955, there were some 30 different calendars in use, reflecting the different religions, cultures, and languages in India. The Indian National Calendar was adopted in 1957, again with months named after what we would recognise as zodiac signs, but this time with the names in the Sanskrit language. This is known as the Śaka or Shaka Calendar. In Iran and Afghanistan, they don't use the Gregorian Calendar, but instead share the Solar Hijri Calendar for administrative and religious purposes. Similarly, Nepal uses the Vikram Samvat Calendar, and Ethiopia uses its own Ethiopian Calendar. Israel uses the Hebrew Calendar, as well as the Gregorian one, and Bangladesh uses the Bangla Calendar.
Goodbye
There are so many different calendars around the world. It makes me want to research and understand more. I'm sure in all of this, there must be at least one fact that you've learned that's new. Let us know what you learned in this podcast, as well as doing your normal English language practice.
Enough for now. Have a lovely day. Speak to you again soon. Goodbye.
Thank you so much for listening. Please help me tell others about this podcast by reviewing or rating it. And, please share it on social media. You can find more listening lessons and a free English course at adeptenglish.com
Links
- The Roman Calendar
- Months of the year
- Roman Calendar
- Julian calendar
- Country Calendars
- Which months were added
- Thai solar calendar
- Indian national calendar
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