Mastering the art of writing the date in Spanish is a crucial step in navigating the complexities of the language. Whether you’re planning a trip to a Spanish-speaking country, corresponding with a Spanish-speaking client, or simply expanding your linguistic repertoire, knowing how to express the date correctly is essential. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the intricacies of Spanish date formatting, exploring both formal and informal styles, and providing practical examples to enhance your written communication skills.
To begin, it’s important to note that the Spanish language follows a day-month-year structure. This means that the day of the month comes first, followed by the month, and then the year. For example, the date “March 15, 2023” would be written as “15 de marzo de 2023” in Spanish. When writing the day of the month, you can either use numerals (e.g., “15”) or ordinal numbers (e.g., “quince”). However, it’s more common to use ordinal numbers for dates that fall between the 1st and 9th of the month. For instance, you would write “3 de mayo” (May 3rd) instead of “3 mayo.”
In formal settings, the full name of the month is typically used, while in informal contexts, abbreviations are acceptable. The Spanish alphabet includes an additional letter, “ñ,” which is pronounced like “ny” in English. This letter appears in the names of some months, such as “enero” (January) and “noviembre” (November). When writing the year in Spanish, it’s customary to include all four digits. For years that begin with 0, it’s important to include the 0 in the written form. For example, “2005” would be written as “dos mil cinco” in Spanish.
Common Date Formats in Spanish
The Spanish language has several common date formats depending on the region and the preference of the speaker. Here are the most often used formats:
Day/Month/Year
This format is used throughout the Spanish-speaking world, although it is not the most common everywhere:
• 11/03/2023 (11th of March, 2023)
• 30/04/2023 (30th of April, 2023)
Day/Month/Year with Ordinal Numbers
In this format, the day is expressed using the ordinal number:
• 9° de marzo de 2023 (9th of March, 2023)
• 12° de mayo de 2023 (12th of May, 2023)
Month/Day/Year
This format is used primarily in the United States and is not as common in other Spanish-speaking countries:
• March 11th, 2023 (11th of March, 2023)
• February 15th, 2023 (15th of February, 2023)
Note: Spanish numbers do not require the use of commas as separators, unlike English numbers. Additionally, it is common to use accents in the Spanish language, which can affect the spelling of months and days of the week.
Expressing the Ordinal Day
Expressing the ordinal day correlates to how numbers are expressed in Spanish. Ordinal numbers describe the position of something in a series, and they are typically used with dates. In Spanish, ordinal numbers are formed by adding the suffix “-esimo” or “-esimo” to the cardinal number.
Here is a table of ordinal numbers from 1 to 10 in Spanish:
| 1 | primero |
| 2 | segundo |
| 3 | tercero |
| 4 | cuarto |
| 5 | quinto |
| 6 | sexto |
| 7 | séptimo |
| 8 | octavo |
| 9 | noveno |
| 10 | décimo |
For numbers 11 and up, the suffix “-eno” or “-eno” is used. Here is a table of ordinal numbers from 11 to 20 in Spanish:
| 11 | undécimo |
| 12 | duodécimo |
| 13 | decimotercero |
| 14 | decimocuarto |
| 15 | decimoquinto |
| 16 | decimosexto |
| 17 | decimoséptimo |
| 18 | decimoctavo |
| 19 | decimonoveno |
| 20 | vigésimo |
Writing the Year in Spanish
In Spanish, the year is written with four digits, just like in English. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when writing the year in Spanish:
- The year is always written in full. There is no abbreviation for the year in Spanish.
- The year is preceded by the word “año”. This word means “year” in Spanish.
- The year is placed after the month and day. This is the opposite of the way we write the date in English.
| English Date | Spanish Date |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2023 | 1 de enero de 2023 |
| February 14, 2024 | 14 de febrero de 2024 |
| December 25, 2025 | 25 de diciembre de 2025 |
Special Cases
There are a few special cases to keep in mind when writing the year in Spanish:
- When the year is part of a century, it is written in Roman numerals. For example, the year 2000 is written as “MM”.
- When the year is part of a date range, it is written with a hyphen. For example, the years 2020-2021 are written as “2020-2021”.
- When the year is part of a title, it is capitalized. For example, the year 2023 is written as “2023” in the title of a book.
Capitalization
Dates are not capitalized in Spanish unless they refer to a specific holiday or a historical event. For example, “El Día de la Independencia” (Independence Day) would be capitalized, but “el 15 de septiembre” (September 15th) would not.
Punctuation
In Spanish, the day and month are separated by a preposition (de), which is followed by a period. The year is then written after the period without any punctuation. For example, “15 de septiembre de 2023” (September 15, 2023).
4. Avoiding A.M. and P.M.
Unlike in English, Spanish uses a 24-hour clock, so there is no need to indicate A.M. or P.M. Instead, the hours are simply written from 0 to 23. For example, “10:00 de la mañana” (10:00 in the morning) would be written as “10:00” in Spanish. However, if you need to specify a time that falls between midnight and noon, you can use the abbreviation “a.m.” (ante meridiem) or “p.m.” (post meridiem). For example, “12:00 a.m.” (12:00 in the morning) or “12:00 p.m.” (12:00 in the afternoon).
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| 15 de septiembre de 2023 | September 15, 2023 |
| 10:00 | 10:00 (in the morning) |
| 12:00 a.m. | 12:00 (in the morning) |
| 12:00 p.m. | 12:00 (in the afternoon) |
Using Prepositions and Articles
Prepositions
In Spanish, the prepositions "en" (in) and "a" (at) are used to indicate the date:
-
En is used for months and years:
- Estoy en mayo. (I am in May.)
- Nací en 1980. (I was born in 1980.)
-
A is used for days of the week:
- Es martes a las 10:00. (It is Tuesday at 10:00.)
Articles
The definite articles el (the) and la (the) are used with the days of the week and months, respectively:
-
El is used with masculine days of the week:
- El lunes es el primer día de la semana. (Monday is the first day of the week.)
-
La is used with feminine days of the week and months:
- La martes es el segundo día de la semana. (Tuesday is the second day of the week.)
- La mayo es el quinto mes del año. (May is the fifth month of the year.)
Exceptions
There are a few exceptions to the rules above:
-
The preposition de (of) is used with the month of January:
- Es el 15 de enero. (It is the 15th of January.)
-
The definite article is omitted with the months of June and July:
- Es junio. (It is June.)
-
The definite article is optional with the days of the week when they are used in a general sense:
- Voy a la escuela los lunes. (I go to school on Mondays.)
Examples of Spanish Date Writing
Here are some examples of how to write the date in Spanish:
– 12/13/23 = 13 de diciembre de 2023
– 06/04/23 = 4 de junio de 2023
– 03/09/23 = 9 de marzo de 2023.
Spanish Date Writing Conventions
When writing the date in Spanish, there are a few conventions to keep in mind:
– The day of the month is written as a number, followed by the name of the month.
– The month is written in lowercase.
– The year is written as a four-digit number.
Using Ordinal Numbers
When writing the day of the month, you can use either cardinal numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3) or ordinal numbers (e.g., 1º, 2º, 3º). Ordinal numbers are used when the day of the month is followed by a noun, such as “de” (of) or “el” (the).
– For example:
– 1 de enero (1st of January)
– 2 de febrero (2nd of February)
– 3 de marzo (3rd of March)
Using Prepositions
When writing the date in Spanish, you can use the prepositions “de” (of) or “el” (the) before the month. “De” is used when the month is followed by a noun, such as “día” (day) or “mes” (month). “El” is used when the month is not followed by a noun.
– For example:
– 1 de enero de 2023 (1st of January, 2023)
– 2 de febrero de 2023 (2nd of February, 2023)
– 3 de marzo de 2023 (3rd of March, 2023)
Using Abbreviations
You can abbreviate the months of the year in Spanish using the following abbreviations:
| Month | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Enero | Ene. |
| Febrero | Feb. |
| Marzo | Mar. |
| Abril | Abr. |
| Mayo | May. |
| Junio | Jun. |
| Julio | Jul. |
| Agosto | Ago. |
| Septiembre | Set. |
| Octubre | Oct. |
| Noviembre | Nov. |
| Diciembre | Dic. |
Additional Notes
– When writing the date in Spanish, it is not necessary to include the day of the week.
– You can also use the format “dd/mm/aaaa” to write the date in Spanish. In this format, the day of the month is written first, followed by the month, and then the year.
Cultural Variations in Spanish Date Formats
In addition to the general Spanish date format outlined above, there are some cultural variations to be aware of.
Countries That Use the Day/Month/Year Format
- Much of South America, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela
- Some Central American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala
- Some Caribbean countries, including Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico
Countries That Use the Year/Month/Day Format
- Spain
- Some parts of Mexico
Countries That Use the Month/Day/Year Format
- United States
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- New Zealand
Other Variations
In some Spanish-speaking countries, the day of the week is written before the date. For example, in Spain, the date “June 15, 2022” would be written as “miércoles, 15 de junio de 2022.”
In some Spanish-speaking countries, the year is written with only two digits. For example, in Mexico, the date “June 15, 2022” would be written as “15/06/22.”
| Country | Date Format |
|---|---|
| Spain | Year/Month/Day |
| Mexico | Day/Month/Year or Year/Month/Day |
| Argentina | Day/Month/Year |
| United States | Month/Day/Year |
| United Kingdom | Day/Month/Year |
Informal vs. Formal Date Writing
In Spanish, there are two main ways to write the date: informally and formally. The informal way is more common in everyday speech and writing, while the formal way is more appropriate for official documents and correspondence.
informal Way
The informal way to write the date is to use the following format:
Day, Month Date, Year
For example:
Martes, 22 de agosto de 2023
The informal way to write the date can also be used to write the time. For example:
Martes, 22 de agosto de 2023, 17:00
Formal Way
The formal way to write the date is to use the following format:
Date Month, Year
For example:
22 de agosto de 2023
The formal way to write the date can also be used to write the time. For example:
22 de agosto de 2023, 17:00 horas
Number 8
The number 8 is written as “ocho” in Spanish. When writing the date, “ocho” is placed before the day of the month. For example:
8 de marzo de 2023
In a table format:
| Number | Spanish Word |
|---|---|
| 8 | ocho |
Writing a Range of Dates
To write a range of dates in Spanish, use the following format:
[start date] al [end date]
For example:
- 1 de enero al 31 de diciembre (January 1st to December 31st)
- 1990 al 2000 (1990 to 2000)
You can also use the word entre (between) to write a range of dates:
[start date] entre [end date]
For example:
Number 9
The number 9 in Spanish is written as nueve. When writing the date, the number 9 is written as follows:
- If the day is the 9th, it is written as 9.
- If the day is the 19th, it is written as 19.
- If the day is the 29th, it is written as 29.
Here are some examples of how to write the date with the number 9:
| Date | Spanish |
|---|---|
| September 9th | 9 de septiembre |
| January 19th | 19 de enero |
| February 29th | 29 de febrero |
Avoid Common Date Writing Errors
1. Check for Consistency
Ensure that dates are written consistently throughout your document. For example, if you start by writing the month as a number (e.g., 03), use numbers consistently for all subsequent dates. Avoid mixing numbers and words.
2. Avoid Redundant Information
When writing dates, do not include redundant information. For example, if you are writing the date as “March 8, 2023,” there is no need to also write “the 8th of March, 2023.” Simply write “March 8, 2023.”
3. Use the Correct Punctuation
Use commas correctly when writing dates. For example, the date “March 8, 2023” should be written with a comma after the day of the month (8th). However, the comma is not necessary in the following format: “03/08/2023.”
4. Avoid Leading Zeros
When writing days or months with single digits, do not include leading zeros. For example, instead of writing “08” for the 8th day of the month, simply write “8.”
5. Write Years in Full
When writing years, it is best practice to write them in full. For example, instead of writing “23” for the year 2023, write “2023.” This helps avoid confusion and ensures clarity in your writing.
6. Use Correct Date Format
Use the appropriate date format for the language and context you are writing in. For example, in Spanish, the most common date format is “dd/mm/yyyy” (day/month/year). However, you may encounter other formats, such as “yyyy-mm-dd” or “mm/dd/yyyy.” Ensure you use the correct format to avoid confusion.
7. Avoid Ambiguous Dates
When writing dates, avoid using ambiguous formats that could lead to confusion. For example, “03/08” could refer to March 8th or August 3rd. To avoid ambiguity, write the date in a more specific format, such as “March 8th” or “August 3rd.”
8. Use Ordinal Numbers When Necessary
When writing the day of the month in ordinal form (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd), ensure that the ordinal number matches the date. For example, write “the 1st of March” for March 1st and “the 2nd of March” for March 2nd.
9. Use Cardinal Numbers for Years
When writing years, always use cardinal numbers (e.g., 2023, 2022, 2021). Avoid using ordinal numbers (e.g., 2023rd, 2022nd, 2021st) to represent years.
10. Avoid Abbreviations and Nicknames
When writing dates, avoid using abbreviations or nicknames for months or days. For example, instead of writing “Jan” for January, write “January” in full. Similarly, avoid using abbreviations like “Tues” or “Wed” for days of the week; instead, write “Tuesday” or “Wednesday” in full. This helps maintain clarity and professionalism in your writing.
How to Write the Date in Spanish
The format for writing the date in Spanish is different from the format used in English. In Spanish, the day of the week and the date are typically written before the month and year. For example, the date July 4, 2023, would be written as “lunes, 4 de julio de 2023” in Spanish.
Here are some tips for writing the date in Spanish:
- The day of the week is always written first, followed by a comma.
- The date is written in numerical form, with the day of the month followed by the month and year.
- The month is written in lowercase letters.
- The year is written in full.
Here are some examples of dates written in Spanish:
- Monday, July 4, 2023: lunes, 4 de julio de 2023
- Tuesday, August 15, 2023: martes, 15 de agosto de 2023
- Wednesday, September 27, 2023: miércoles, 27 de septiembre de 2023
People Also Ask
How do you write the date in Spanish in numbers?
To write the date in Spanish in numbers, use the following format: DD/MM/YYYY. For example, July 4, 2023, would be written as 04/07/2023.
How do you write the date in Spanish in a letter?
To write the date in Spanish in a letter, use the following format:
- The day of the week is written first, followed by a comma.
- The date is written in numerical form, with the day of the month followed by the month and year.
- The month is written in lowercase letters.
- The year is written in full.
For example, the date July 4, 2023, would be written as “lunes, 4 de julio de 2023” in a letter.
How do you say “the date” in Spanish?
“The date” in Spanish is “la fecha”.
