nací el
/naθi el/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "I was born on" is nací el.
Use this phrase to introduce the specific date of your birth. Additionally, remember that names of months in Spanish are not capitalized unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I was born the", which is then followed by the specific date.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin America, you may also use the longer construction Nací el [day] del mes de [month] del año [year].
How do you pronounce it?
/naθi el/
Did you know?
- When stating a birth date, Spanish speakers use the masculine article el because the word for 'day' día is masculine, even though it ends in 'a'.
- If you want to sound more poetic or dramatic, you can replace the standard nací el with vine al mundo el. This translates to 'I came into the world on' and is a common literary way to describe birth.
- In highly traditional or religious contexts, a person might expand the phrase to include en el año de nuestro señor before the year. This translates to 'in the year of our Lord' and is a linguistic relic from old clerical traditions.
Examples in context
- Nací el 14 de febrero de 1960.I was born on February 14, 1960.This sentence is useful for practicing how to state a full birth date with nací el.Tatoeba #533238 by Shishir, translation #271869 by CN
- Yo nací el 31 de mayo de 1940.I was born on the 31st of May in 1940.This sentence shows the use of the subject pronoun yo with nací el.Tatoeba #1552395 by marcelostockle, translation #252424 by CN
- Nací el 13 de febrero de 1987.I was born on February 13, 1987.Tatoeba #9755676 by arh, translation #9719905 by Ricardo14
- Nací el 14 de junio de 1990.I was born on June 14, 1990.
- Nací el 5 de julio de 1987.I was born on July 5, 1987.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their birthdays in a cafe.
- Elena¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?When is your birthday?
- JavierNací el 20 de agosto.I was born on August 20th.
- Elena¡Qué bien! Yo nací el 5 de septiembre.Great! I was born on September 5th.
- JavierEstamos muy cerca.We are very close.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
