Learning how to express your birth date in Spanish is essential when talking about personal information or filling out forms. In this guide, we will cover the different ways to say “I was born on” in Spanish, including formal and informal variations. Additionally, we’ll provide regional variations where necessary. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
1. Formal Expressions
If you want to adopt a more formal tone when stating your birth date in Spanish, you can use the following expressions:
“Nací el [day] de [month] de [year].”
For example, if you were born on June 14, 1990, you would say:
“Nací el 14 de junio de 1990.”
Note that in Spanish, the day comes before the month.
2. Informal Expressions
When speaking with friends or in a casual setting, you can use the following informal expressions:
- “Nací el [day] de [month] de [year].”
- “Mi cumpleaños es el [day] de [month]”
- “Nací el [day], [month] [year].”
Continuing with the previous example, you could say:
“Nací el 14 de junio de 1990.”
“Mi cumpleaños es el 14 de junio.”
“Nací el 14, junio 1990.”
Feel free to choose the expression that feels most comfortable to you based on the context.
3. Regional Variations
Spanish is spoken across various countries and regions, which may have some slight differences in expressions. Here are a few regional variations:
3.1. Latin America
In Latin American countries, both formal and informal expressions introduced earlier can be used. However, it’s worth noting that some regions may use different vocabulary or phrasing. For example:
“Nací el [day] del mes de [month] del año [year].”
Thus, the previous example would be:
“Nací el 14 del mes de junio del año 1990.”
3.2. Spain
In Spain, the phrasing can be slightly different. Instead of using “de” (of) to separate the month and year, they often use the preposition “de” before the month and “de” before the year. For example:
“Nací el [day] de [month] de [year].”
Hence, the previous example in the Spanish variant from Spain would be:
“Nací el 14 de junio de 1990.”
4. Tips and Examples
Here are a few additional tips and examples to help you master the expression:
- When mentioning the day, use cardinal numbers (e.g., 14) rather than ordinal numbers (e.g., 14th).
- The names of months are not capitalized in Spanish except if they appear at the beginning of a sentence.
- In some informal contexts, you can omit the word “de” before the month and/or the word “el” before the day.
- Remember that different Spanish-speaking countries may have their own vocabulary variations regarding dates, so it’s always helpful to adapt and learn from locals.
Here are a few additional examples:
“Nací el 5 de julio de 1987.” (I was born on July 5, 1987.)
“Mi cumpleaños es el 20 de febrero.” (My birthday is on February 20.)
“Nací el 12 de enero, 1995.” (I was born on January 12, 1995.)
With these examples, you should now feel confident in expressing your birth date in Spanish.
Remember that practice is key to becoming proficient, so don’t hesitate to use these phrases in conversations and engage with native Spanish speakers. ¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)
