december
/deːˈsɛmbər/masculine
december is the Dutch word for December.
december refers to the twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar.
Meaning: twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar (name)
How does it change in a sentence?
The month name is not capitalized in Dutch unless it is at the beginning of a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
/deːˈsɛmbər/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly capitalize the month in Dutch, but it should be lowercase in standard Dutch prose.
Did you know?
- In the Netherlands, december is often associated with Sinterklaas, a traditional celebration on 5 December that is far more central to Dutch culture than the arrival of Santa Claus.
- Dutch children often associate december with pepernoten, small anise-flavored cookies eaten during the festivities of the month.
- Dutch speakers use decembermaand as a compound word to specifically emphasize the duration or characteristics of the 'month of December'.
Examples in context
- Maciek overleed in december.Maciek died in December.Tatoeba #438081 by koosscharroo, translation #552234 by CN
- Oudejaarsavond is op 31 december.New Year's Eve is on December 31.Tatoeba #9979043 by Nylez, translation #12245273 by Miktsoanit
- Vandaag is het dinsdag 17 december.Today is Tuesday, December 17th.Tatoeba #8981466 by Nylez, translation #8981467 by Nylez
- Ik ben jarig in december.I have my birthday in December.
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Levi and Julia are discussing their holiday plans.
- LeviGa je in december op vakantie?Are you going on vacation in December?
- JuliaNee, ik blijf thuis in december.No, I am staying home in December.
- LeviDat is jammer, want het is mooi.That is a pity, because it is beautiful.
- JuliaIk vier december gewoon met mijn familie.I will just celebrate December with my family.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “December” translations and entries december, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
