the first six months of this year vs the first half of this year

Both phrases are correct and commonly used in English. They refer to the initial period of time in a year. 'The first six months of this year' is more specific and 'the first half of this year' is more general.

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Last updated: March 21, 2025 • 5592 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used to refer to the initial half of a year.

"the first six months of this year"

This phrase is used to specify the exact period of the first half of the year, from January to June.

Examples:

The company saw a significant increase in sales during the first six months of this year.
I plan to travel to Europe in the first six months of this year.

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At the end of 2000, Mr Bolkestein and myself were in this plenary when the Commissioner promised on that occasion that he would take measures if nothing had changed in the first six months of this year.
During the first six months of this year 60% of the deals being done on the American oil market were for virtual oil that was repeatedly sold and re-sold.
Unfortunately, I have no option but to grade the German Presidency as overall 'unsatisfactory' for the first six months of this year.
The first six months of this year have demonstrated, once more, the need for European integration on the one hand and the need to continue the process of enlargement on the other.
In the first six months of this year, the surplus was EUR 20 billion and looks like becoming EUR 40 billion for the whole year, so one needs to keep questions of trade in perspective, to put it very gently.
I would like to make public here that the Gdansk shipyard was the beneficiary that received the lowest subsidies and despite that was the only one of them to make a profit in the first six months of this year.
Consequently, the major part of this debt must be rescheduled within the framework of the Paris Club which brings together the principle creditor states and which, Mrs Aelvoet, will meet during the first six months of this year.
These meetings will take place in Brussels in the first six months of this year, and we shall be talking about everything I have just mentioned and also about the separate and specific problems you have raised about actual cases of political prisoners.
In this connection, I think it is worth mentioning, Commissioner, how very low the utilisation of the budget allocation for Latin America has been - barely 2 % in the first six months of this year.
If another accident were to take place during the first six months of this year, the cover would only be around 250 million euros, which is more than concerning.
In my opinion, it is absolutely crucial that a compromise be reached during the Luxembourg Presidency, or in other words in the first six months of this year.
Madam President, honourable Members have expressed contrasting opinions about what the Commission and the presidency have been able to achieve in the first six months of this year.
In fact, the first six months of this year will represent a pivotal stage in the development of the Union.
It was also stipulated that this would be revised in the light of new scientific information on preserving species, of which we hope to see examples in the first six months of this year.
The first pilot seminar was held in Ireland in November 1996 and there will also be seminars in Portugal and in Greece in the first six months of this year.
The data corresponding to the first six months of this year show that the proportion of counterfeit banknotes is falling in relation to the increase in the number of genuine notes put into circulation.
At the beginning of the year we saw snow on the ground yet, if you look at the figures, you will see that the first six months of this year were the warmest on record across the globe.
By making the substantive part of the FIFG regulation an implementing regulation, the Commission will cause fisheries to be the only area in the agricultural and structural domain not to be decided on in the first six months of this year.
Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council for the first six months of this year before handing over to the Netherlands for the second half.
I am sure that we can count on the support of the incoming Swedish Presidency in the first six months of next year.

Alternatives:

the initial six months of this year
the first half of the current year

This phrase is correct and commonly used to refer to the initial half of a year in a more general way.

"the first half of this year"

This phrase is used to refer to the beginning part of the year without specifying the exact months.

Examples:

The project will be completed in the first half of this year.
She started her new job in the first half of this year.

Show examples from the web [+]

The initial debates on all such implementation measures are scheduled to start in the first half of this year.
I note the work done by the Spanish Presidency, taking into account the particularly difficult circumstances which marked the first half of this year.
In this respect, I am happy to inform you that the manual for 'Integrating environment concerns into development and economic cooperation' will be finalised and made operational during the first half of this year.
Therefore, I urge the Commission to continue to monitor the human rights situation there and to present a comprehensive report on the situation during the first half of this year.
As the Governing Council has stressed previously, the quarterly growth rates for the first half of this year have been subject to strong temporary and compensatory factors, notably weather-related effects on the profile of construction activity.
During the first half of this year a good 80 juveniles had already been admitted to the Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis in Delft as a result of excessive drinking.
The Commission hopes to have the negotiating directives adopted and, if conditions allow, actually to start negotiating with these two Latin American sub-regions within the first half of this year.
The European Food Safety Authority carried out a scientific consultation on this subject in the first half of this year and the results of the consultation do not provide any reasons to ban cloning.
That document will serve as a basis for a second round of consultation, possibly in the first half of this year.
Mr Titley, the two monitoring reports that we delivered in the first half of this year have indeed resulted in positive outcomes.
In the first half of this year, gas suppliers' fuel oil prices fell by up to 40%.
In Austria and in Germany the ratification process for the latter is already under way and will probably be completed in the first half of this year.
During the first half of this year alone, you had an average of 14 operations a month and you hurt an average of 2.8 people each time.
The revitalisation of Europe's railways may then be on the agenda later on in the first half of this year.
entered into force in the first half of this year.
The need for a twofold response to the food crisis has been underlined by two high-profile visitors to Development Committee in the first half of this year.
Road transport undertakings are, however, in a serious state of crisis owing to the major increase in oil prices in the first half of this year, as acknowledged by two recent legislative acts in Italy (Law 133/2008 and Decree Law 162/2008).
Other major issues on the agenda this week are recent political developments in Hungary and the presentation of the Danish presidency program for the first half of this year.
For example, in the food safety area in the first half of this year, an intensive programme of inspections was carried out, especially regarding beef, fishery products and poultry.
It is possible that the negotiations might be completed in the first half of this year but, equally, that might not happen.

Alternatives:

the initial part of this year
the beginning of this year

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the first six months of this year vs the first half of this year

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