Let’s explore how to express dates in Spanish, including the use of ordinal numbers, and some common vocabulary related to months and years. ¡Empecemos!
Date Format
In Spanish, dates follow a specific format:
día + de + mes + de + año
For example:
- 15 de mayo de 2023 (May 15, 2023)
- 7 de octubre de 1985 (October 7, 1985)
Ordinal Numbers in Dates
- First day of the month: Use the ordinal number “primero”
- el primero de junio (June 1st)
- el primero de enero (January 1st)
- Other days: Use cardinal numbers
- el dos de julio (July 2nd)
- el veinte de agosto (August 20th)
Common Months in Spanish
- enero (January)
- febrero (February)
- marzo (March)
- abril (April)
- mayo (May)
- junio (June)
- julio (July)
- agosto (August)
- septiembre (September)
- octubre (October)
- noviembre (November)
- diciembre (December)
Additional Notes
- Months are not capitalized in Spanish unless they begin a sentence.
- When speaking about a specific date, use the definite article “el” before the number:
- El 15 de mayo es mi cumpleaños. (May 15th is my birthday.)
- Years are typically read as whole numbers:
- 2023: dos mil veintitrés
- 1985: mil novecientos ochenta y cinco
Conclusion
Remember that while “primero” is used for the first day of the month, other ordinal numbers are rarely used in dates. Stick to cardinal numbers for all other days. With practice, expressing dates in Spanish will become second nature! ¡Hasta luego!