primero de mayo
/pɾimeɾo de maʝo/from spelling rules
May first in Spanish is primero de mayo.
The phrase refers to the first day of the month of May.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina or Uruguay, people sometimes use the form 1° de mayo instead of primero de mayo.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as an ordinal number for the first day of a month, the masculine form primero is used, but it is often shortened to primer if it precedes a masculine noun (e.g., el primer día de mayo).
How do you pronounce it?
/pɾimeɾo de maʝo/
When do people say it?
In many Spanish-speaking countries, May 1st is known as El Día del Trabajo. In many Spanish-speaking countries, primero de mayo is the official date for celebrating International Workers' Day (Día del Trabajo).
Did you know?
- The word mayo shares the same root as the English word 'major'. Both derive from the Latin 'maius', which means 'greater'.
- While English speakers use 'first' for any first day, Spanish speakers typically use primero only for the first day of the month. For any other date, such as May 2nd, they switch to cardinal numbers like dos.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, saying uno de mayo instead of primero de mayo can sound unnatural or overly formal to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- El evento tendrá lugar el primero de mayo.The event will take place on May first.
- La fecha de entrega es el 1 de mayo.The deadline is May first.
- Vamos a celebrar tu cumpleaños el día primero de mayo.We are going to celebrate your birthday on May first.
- Nos vemos el primero de mayo en la plaza.See you on May first at the square.
- El festival será el 1° de mayo en Buenos Aires.The festival will be on May first in Buenos Aires.
- Es el primero de mayo.It is May first.
- Tenemos una fiesta el primero de mayo.We have a party on May first.
- ¿Qué harás el primero de mayo?What will you do on May first?
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are discussing their plans for the upcoming holiday.
- JavierSofía, ¿tienes planes para el primero de mayo?Sofía, do you have plans for May first?
- SofíaNo, todavía no sé nada.No, I don't know anything yet.
- JavierYo quiero ir al parque ese día.I want to go to the park that day.
- Sofía¡Qué buena idea, Javier!What a great idea, Javier!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, mayo, primero, CC BY-SA 4.0.
