mes día año
/mes dia aɲo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "month day year" is translated into Spanish as mes día año.
This phrase refers to the sequence used to write or say a specific date. In Spanish, dates follow the order of day, month and then year. For example, a date would be structured like 5 de noviembre de 2019. Note that when writing months such as enero, they are typically written using lowercase letters. If you are referring to the current date, use the word hoy.
Which one should you use?
While the English format is "month day year", Spanish speakers use the día mes año order for dates.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to the first day of a month, it is common to use el primero instead of el uno.
Did you know?
- Spanish has a specific word año bisiesto for a leap year. This comes from the word bisexto, meaning 'twice sixth', because the Romans added the extra day by doubling the sixth day before the Kalends of January.
- Because Spanish strictly follows the día mes año sequence, a date like 03/04 is read as April 3, whereas an English speaker would likely read it as March 4.
- In Spanish, the word mes is derived from the Latin mēnsis, which originally comes from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning to measure.
Examples in context
- La reunión está programada para el martes 15 de enero de 2023.The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15, 2023.
- La conferencia será el 10 de junio.The conference will be on June 10th.
- La entrega de premios será el primero de abril.The award ceremony will be on April 1st.
- La exposición fue inaugurada el 5 de noviembre de 2019.The exhibition was inaugurated on November 5, 2019.
- Quedemos el 27 para celebrar tu cumpleaños.Let's meet on the 27th to celebrate your birthday.
- ¿Necesitas el formato de mes día año?Do you need the month day year format?
- El sistema pide mes día año.The system asks for month day year.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are filling out a registration document.
- Lucía¿Cómo debo poner la fecha?How should I put the date?
- JavierUsa el formato de mes día año.Use the month day year format.
- LucíaVale, ¿el mes va primero?Okay, does the month go first?
- JavierSí, Lucía, así es correcto.Yes, Lucía, that is correct.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries año, día, mes, CC BY-SA 4.0.
