¿cuál es la fecha?
The English phrase "what is the date?" is translated into Spanish as ¿cuál es la fecha?
Use ¿cuál es la fecha? when you want to know the specific calendar date, including the day of the month, the month and the year.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "which is the date?", where cuál means "which" and fecha means "date".
Which one should you use?
¿cuál es la fecha? asks for the full calendar date, whereas ¿qué día es hoy? is more commonly used to ask for the day of the week.
Did you know?
- Spanish speakers often omit the word fecha entirely when asking for the date in a casual setting, using phrases like a cuántos estamos? which literally means 'at how many are we?'
- In Spanish, the word fecha is used both for a calendar date and for a deadline. If a teacher gives you a fecha, they are likely telling you when a project is due.
- The word fecha comes from the Latin facta, which means 'things done'. This links the concept of a 'date' to an action that has already been completed in time.
Examples in context
- Hoy es 15 de mayo.Today is May 15th.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are filling out a form together.
- MateoSofía, ¿cuál es la fecha?Sofía, what is the date?
- SofíaHoy es el doce de mayo.Today is May twelfth.
- MateoGracias, ya lo escribí.Thanks, I already wrote it.
- SofíaDe nada, Mateo.You're welcome, Mateo.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuál, es, fecha, la, CC BY-SA 4.0.
