Buenos días! If you’re eager to learn how to say the date in Spanish, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we will explore the different ways to express the month, day, and year in Spanish, including formal and informal ways. Feel free to bookmark this page so you can refer back to it whenever you need to.
Table of Contents
Formal Expressions
Formality is an important aspect of the Spanish language, especially when it comes to official or professional situations. Here’s how you can express the date formally:
The Month
In formal contexts, Spanish months are typically written using lowercase letters, just like in English. However, it’s important to remember that Spanish months are not capitalized unless they are at the beginning of a sentence or in a title. For example:
La reunión está programada para el martes 15 de enero de 2023.
(The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15, 2023.)
When saying the month out loud, you may use prepositions like “de” (of) or “del” (of the) before mentioning the month, as shown in the example above.
The Day
To express the day in formal Spanish, you can use the cardinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) followed by the word “de” (of). For example:
La conferencia será el 10 de junio.
(The conference will be on June 10th.)
Alternatively, you can also use the ordinal numbers (primero, segundo, tercero, etc.), which are more common in formal settings:
La entrega de premios será el primero de abril.
(The award ceremony will be on April 1st.)
The Year
When it comes to mentioning the year, Spanish follows the “day, month, year” order. The year is typically expressed as a four-digit number. Here’s an example:
La exposición fue inaugurada el 5 de noviembre de 2019.
(The exhibition was inaugurated on November 5, 2019.)
Informal Expressions
Informal contexts, such as conversations with friends and family, often call for a more relaxed approach in expressing dates. Here’s how you can do it:
The Month
In informal situations, you can use shorter forms of the month names to simplify your speech and make it less formal:
Vamos a ir de vacaciones en agosto.
(We are going on vacation in August.)
The Day
Just like in formal expressions, you have two options for expressing the day: using cardinal or ordinal numbers. However, in casual conversations, cardinal numbers are more commonly used. Here’s an example:
Quedemos el 27 para celebrar tu cumpleaños.
(Let’s meet on the 27th to celebrate your birthday.)
The Year
When discussing the year, you can follow the same order as in formal expressions, stating the day, month, and year. Remember that in informal settings, abbreviations are often used to simplify speech:
La película salió en el ’99 y fue un gran éxito.
(The movie came out in ’99 and was a great success.)
Additional Tips and Examples
Here are a few additional tips and examples to help you confidently express dates in Spanish:
Using “Hoy” and “Mañana”
When referring to today, use the word “hoy,” and when referring to tomorrow, use “mañana.” Here are a couple of examples:
La cita es hoy. (The appointment is today.)
La película se estrena mañana. (The movie premieres tomorrow.)
Using “Cumpleaños”
The word “cumpleaños” means “birthday.” It is common to use the phrase “feliz cumpleaños” (happy birthday) followed by the person’s name when wishing someone a happy birthday:
¡Feliz cumpleaños, Juan! (Happy birthday, Juan!)
Using “Próximo”
The word “próximo” means “next.” It can be used to indicate the upcoming month or day when discussing future events. For instance:
La conferencia será el próximo viernes. (The conference will be next Friday.)
Vamos a vernos el próximo mes. (We’ll see each other next month.)
Remember, practice makes perfect! The more you use and hear these expressions, the more natural they will become to you. ¡Buena suerte!
