Learn French: Noël est en décembre. - Christmas is in December.

Noël est en décembre.

Christmas is in December.

Breakdown of Noël est en décembre.

Questions & Answers about Noël est en décembre.

Why isn't "décembre" capitalized?

In French, months of the year (like décembre and janvier) and days of the week are not capitalized unless they are the very first word of a sentence.

Why do we use "en" for "in" here instead of "dans"?

When talking about months or years, French always uses en. You will see phrases like en décembre (in December) or en 2025 (in 2025). The word dans is mostly used for physical locations, like being physically inside a building or a box.

What do the two dots over the "e" in "Noël" mean?

Those two dots are an accent called a tréma. They tell you to pronounce that vowel separately from the vowel right before it. Because of the tréma, Noël is pronounced as two distinct syllables (No-el) instead of blending the o and e sounds together.

Don't French nouns usually need an article? Why isn't it "le Noël"?

You are right that French nouns almost always need an article like le, la, or un. However, a few major holidays are exceptions. Just like in English, Noël (Christmas) and Pâques (Easter) are typically used on their own without a word for "the".