Days, months, seasons, and telling the time in English
You need days, months, and telling the time to make appointments, plans, and describe your routine. With which preposition goes where (on, in, at).
By Aslıgül Aşkın,
Guide: Learning vocabulary. Main post: Why don't new words stick? Five ways to forget less
To make appointments, plans, and describe your routine, you need days, months, and the time in English. Learning the right preposition with each one prevents the most common mistake.
Days and months
Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. In English, day and month names always start with a capital letter.
Play this topicMultiple ChoiceLevel A1Seasons
spring, summer, autumn (fall in American English), winter. “My birthday is in spring.”
On, in, at
Use on for days: “on Monday”, “on 5 May”. Use in for months, seasons, and years: “in June”, “in winter”, “in 2026”. Use at for times: “at 7 o'clock”, “at noon”. For the weekend, British English says “at the weekend” and American English “on the weekend”.
Telling the time
Question: “What time is it?” On the hour: “It's three o'clock.” Half: “It's half past three.” Quarters: “It's quarter past three.” / “It's quarter to four.” The easiest way with minutes is to say the numbers: “It's three twenty.” (3:20)
Practice
Write your weekly plan in English: “On Monday at 6 pm, I go to the gym.” Saying the date and time on your calendar out loud each day is a good habit too.
To keep going, see In, on, or at? English prepositions of time and place and Weather and clothes in English.
Frequently asked questions
Do I always need “o'clock”?
Only on the hour: “three o'clock”. It isn't used with minutes: “three twenty”.
How do you say a date in English?
British English usually says “the fifth of May” and American English “May fifth”.
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