diciembre
/diˈθjembɾe/masculine
In Spanish, December is diciembre.
diciembre is the name of the twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar. It is a masculine noun.
Meaning: twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar (name)
Which one should you use?
While diciembre is the standard form, you may encounter Diciembrito or Diciembrecito, which use diminutive suffixes to convey an affectionate tone.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'in December', use the preposition en before the month, as in en diciembre.
How do you pronounce it?
/diˈθjembɾe/
What mistakes should you avoid?
In Spanish, months are not capitalized unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence. Avoid writing Diciembre with a capital letter in the middle of a sentence.
Did you know?
- The name diciembre comes from the Latin word decem, meaning 'ten'. This is because in the original Roman calendar, it was the tenth month of the year.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, the concept of puente ('bridge') is common in diciembre, referring to long weekends created when a holiday falls near a weekend.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the phrase el diciembre is often associated with the concept of 'posada' or 'novenas', which are specific religious traditions held during this month.
Examples in context
- Maciek murió en diciembre.Maciek died in December.This sentence shows how to use diciembre when mentioning when someone died.Tatoeba #1797439 by marcelostockle, translation #552234 by CN
- La Navidad es el 25 de Diciembre.Christmas Day is December 25th.This sentence uses diciembre to state the date of Christmas.Tatoeba #1351483 by marcelostockle, translation #62804 by CK
- Diciembre tiene treinta y un días.December has thirty-one days.This sentence uses diciembre to describe the number of days in the month.Tatoeba #664035 by Shishir, translation #664032 by bluepie88
- 36 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are talking about their vacation plans.
- AlejandroVoy a viajar en diciembre.I am going to travel in December.
- Sofía¡Qué bien! ¿A dónde vas, Alejandro?How great! Where are you going, Alejandro?
- AlejandroQuiero visitar México en diciembre.I want to visit Mexico in December.
- SofíaEs una fecha perfecta para ir.It is a perfect date to go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “December” translations and entries diciembre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries diciembre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
