Learn Lithuanian: Months and Seasons

This lesson introduces the essential vocabulary for navigating the calendar in Lithuanian, covering the twelve months, the four seasons, and basic units of time. Learning terms like year (metai) and month (mėnuo) is a fundamental step toward describing your schedule and understanding the passage of time. Lithuanian month names are particularly interesting because, unlike many European languages, they do not derive from Latin. Instead, they are deeply rooted in nature and the changing landscape. For example, Liepa (July) is named after the linden tree, and Lapkritis (November) refers to the falling of leaves.

One important pattern to notice is that almost all Lithuanian months are masculine and often end in the suffix -is, such as Sausis (January) or Balandis (April). Gegužė (May) is the only month in this list with a feminine ending. Similarly, the seasons follow specific gender assignments: Vasara (summer) and Žiema (winter) are feminine, while Pavasaris (spring) and Ruduo (autumn) are masculine. Beyond the calendar, this lesson includes vital adverbs of time like šiandien (today), vakar (yesterday), and rytoj (tomorrow). Mastering these words will allow you to place events in context and better communicate your plans and experiences with native speakers.