Months and Dates

Level 2

Month names take a capital letter: Januarie, Mei, Desember. Use in with a month and op with a date: in Mei, op 5 Mei. The day comes first.

How It Works

1. The months. Januarie, Februarie, Maart, April, Mei, Junie, Julie, Augustus, September, Oktober, November, Desember. They always start with a capital letter, like the days of the week.

2. In with a month. Ons gaan in Desember see toe. (We are going to the seaside in December.)

3. Op with a date. My verjaarsdag is op 12 Maart. (My birthday is on 12 March.) The day comes first, then the month, then the year: 3 Junie 2001. Short dates follow the same order: day, month, year.

4. Reading dates aloud. You can say the plain number or an ordinal: op vyf Mei or op die vyfde Mei. Both are correct.

5. Years. Use in with a year: in 2024. Years before 2000 are usually read in two parts, as in English: negentien vier-en-negentig (1994).

6. Asking the date. Wat is vandag se datum? (What is today's date?) For birthdays, see is gebore: Ek is op 3 Junie gebore.

Tip: Remember that South Africa is in the south: In Julie is dit winter.

Examples (6)

  1. My verjaarsdag is op 12 Maart.

    My birthday is on 12 March.

    Word by Word: My birthday is on 12 March.

  2. Ons gaan in Desember see toe.

    We are going to the seaside in December.

    Word by Word: We go in December sea to.

  3. Sy is op 3 Junie 2001 gebore.

    She was born on 3 June 2001.

    Word by Word: She is on 3 June 2001 born.

  4. Wat is vandag se datum? Dis die vyfde Mei.

    What is today's date? It's the fifth of May.

    Word by Word: What is today's date? It's the fifth May.

    A date can be read aloud with an ordinal.

  5. In Julie is dit winter in Suid-Afrika.

    In July it is winter in South Africa.

    Word by Word: In July is it winter in South Africa.

  6. Die vergadering is op Maandag 14 Oktober.

    The meeting is on Monday 14 October.

    Word by Word: The meeting is on Monday 14 October.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing a month with a small letter.

    Ek is in mei gebore.
    Ek is in Mei gebore.

    Month names always start with a capital letter in Afrikaans.

  • Using op with a month.

    Ons gaan op Augustus met vakansie.
    Ons gaan in Augustus met vakansie.

    Use in with a whole month. Op goes with a date or a day.

  • Putting the month before the day.

    Die partytjie is op Mei 5.
    Die partytjie is op 5 Mei.

    Afrikaans dates put the day first, then the month.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Months and DatesLevel 2

Learn This First

Dates use ordinal numbers and are said like days of the week.

Words in This Pattern

JanuarieFebruarieMaartAprilMeiJunieJulieAugustusSeptemberOktoberNovemberDesember