Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you needed to write the date in Spanish, but weren’t sure how? Maybe you were sending a postcard from your travels, or perhaps you were writing a business letter. Whatever the reason, it’s important to know how to write the date correctly in Spanish. Otherwise, you risk confusing your reader or making a mistake that could have serious consequences.
The good news is that writing the date in Spanish is actually quite simple. There are only a few basic rules to remember. First, the day of the month is always written as a number, followed by the month. For example, the 15th of January would be written as “15 de enero.” Second, the year is always written as a four-digit number. For example, the year 2023 would be written as “2023.”
In addition to these basic rules, there are a few other things to keep in mind when writing the date in Spanish. First, the months of the year are always capitalized. Second, the preposition “de” is always used between the day of the month and the month. Finally, the word “año” (meaning “year”) is not used when writing the date in Spanish. For example, the correct way to write “January 15, 2023” in Spanish would be “15 de enero de 2023.”
Spanish Date Formats
The Spanish language has several ways to express dates, each with its own set of conventions. The most common format is the "short date" format, which uses the following order:
- Day
- Month
- Year
For example, the short date for March 8, 2023, would be "8 de marzo de 2023."
Day
The names of the days of the week in Spanish are as follows:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| lunes | Monday |
| martes | Tuesday |
| miércoles | Wednesday |
| jueves | Thursday |
| viernes | Friday |
| sábado | Saturday |
| domingo | Sunday |
Month
The names of the months in Spanish are as follows:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| enero | January |
| febrero | February |
| marzo | March |
| abril | April |
| mayo | May |
| junio | June |
| julio | July |
| agosto | August |
| septiembre | September |
| octubre | October |
| noviembre | November |
| diciembre | December |
Year
The year is written in the same format as in English. For example, the year 2023 is written "2023."
Writing the Month
In Spanish, the month is written in lower case with the first letter capitalized. The following are the names of the months in Spanish:
| Month in English | Month in Spanish |
|---|---|
| January | enero |
| February | febrero |
| March | marzo |
| April | abril |
| May | mayo |
| June | junio |
| July | julio |
| August | agosto |
| September | septiembre |
| October | octubre |
| November | noviembre |
| December | diciembre |
Special Cases
There are two special cases when writing the month in Spanish:
- When the month is used in a date, it is preceded by the preposition “de” (of). For example, “January 1st” would be written as “1 de enero”.
- When the month is used in a possessive construction, it is preceded by the possessive article “de” (of the). For example, “the month of January” would be written as “el mes de enero”.
Using Ordinal Numbers
When writing dates in Spanish, ordinal numbers are used to indicate the day of the month. Ordinal numbers are formed by adding the suffix "-ésimo" or "-a" to the cardinal number.
For example:
| Cardinal Number | Ordinal Number |
|---|---|
| 1 | primero/a |
| 2 | segundo/a |
| 3 | tercero/a |
| 4 | cuarto/a |
| 5 | quinto/a |
To write the date in Spanish, simply write the day of the month followed by the ordinal number, followed by the month and year.
For example:
- 20 de julio de 2023 (July 20, 2023)
- 5 de marzo de 2024 (March 5, 2024)
- 30 de septiembre de 2025 (September 30, 2025)
Note:
- For the number 5, you can either use "quinto" or "quinta" depending on whether the preceding noun is masculine or feminine.
- For dates that fall on the 1st or 2nd of the month, you can use either the ordinal number or the cardinal number. For example, you could write 1 de enero de 2026 or 1º de enero de 2026 (January 1, 2026).
- The month is always written in lowercase.
Writing the Time
In Spanish, the time is typically written using a 24-hour clock. The hours are written as numbers, followed by a colon (:), and then the minutes. For example, 3:30 PM would be written as 15:30.
There are some exceptions to this rule. For example, the time can also be written using a 12-hour clock, especially in informal settings. In this case, the time is followed by AM or PM to indicate whether it is morning or afternoon. For example, 3:30 PM would be written as 3:30 PM.
Numbers
The numbers used to write the time are the same as the numbers used to write any other number in Spanish. However, there are some special rules for writing the number 12.
| Time | Spanish |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | doce de la noche |
| 12:00 PM | doce del mediodía |
The number 7
The number 7 is written as siete. However, when it is used to tell the time, it is often pronounced as las siete. This is because the word siete is feminine, and the word hora (hour) is also feminine. When two feminine words are used together in Spanish, the first word is often pronounced with an -s ending.
For example, instead of saying “Son las siete horas,” you would say “Son las siete y media.”
Using the 24-Hour Clock
The 24-hour clock, also known as military time, is a way of telling time that uses a 24-hour scale. This means that the day starts at 00:00 hours (midnight) and ends at 23:59 hours (11:59 PM). There is no AM or PM designation, as the hours are always written in a 24-hour format.
The 24-hour clock is commonly used in many countries around the world, including Spain. It is often used in official documents, military operations, and scientific applications. It can also be useful for avoiding confusion when communicating with people from different cultures.
Here is a table showing the conversion between the 12-hour clock and the 24-hour clock:
| 12-Hour Clock | 24-Hour Clock |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM (midnight) | 00:00 |
| 1:00 AM | 01:00 |
| 2:00 AM | 02:00 |
| 3:00 AM | 03:00 |
| 4:00 AM | 04:00 |
| 5:00 AM | 05:00 |
| 6:00 AM | 06:00 |
| 7:00 AM | 07:00 |
| 8:00 AM | 08:00 |
| 9:00 AM | 09:00 |
| 10:00 AM | 10:00 |
| 11:00 AM | 11:00 |
| 12:00 PM (noon) | 12:00 |
| 1:00 PM | 13:00 |
| 2:00 PM | 14:00 |
| 3:00 PM | 15:00 |
| 4:00 PM | 16:00 |
| 5:00 PM | 17:00 |
| 6:00 PM | 18:00 |
| 7:00 PM | 19:00 |
| 8:00 PM | 20:00 |
| 9:00 PM | 21:00 |
| 10:00 PM | 22:00 |
| 11:00 PM | 23:00 |
To convert from the 12-hour clock to the 24-hour clock, simply add 12 hours to the hour if it is PM. For example, 3:00 PM would be 15:00 in 24-hour time. To convert from the 24-hour clock to the 12-hour clock, simply subtract 12 hours from the hour if it is greater than 12. For example, 14:00 would be 2:00 PM in 12-hour time.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
1. Not using the correct word for “the”
In English, we use the word “the” before dates, but in Spanish, we use the word “el” for masculine dates and “la” for feminine dates. For example, in English, we would say “the first of May,” but in Spanish, we would say “el primero de mayo.”
2. Not using the correct preposition
In English, we use the preposition “on” before dates, but in Spanish, we use the preposition “en.” For example, in English, we would say “on May 1st,” but in Spanish, we would say “en el primero de mayo.”
3. Not using the correct format
In English, we can write dates in several different formats, but in Spanish, there is only one correct format: day, month, year. For example, in English, we could write “May 1st, 2023” or “05/01/2023,” but in Spanish, we would have to write “1 de mayo de 2023.”
4. Not using the correct punctuation
In English, we do not use punctuation in dates, but in Spanish, we use commas to separate the day, month, and year. For example, in English, we would write “May 1st, 2023,” but in Spanish, we would write “1 de mayo, 2023.”
5. Not using the correct capitalization
In English, we capitalize only the first letter of the month, but in Spanish, we capitalize both the first letter of the month and the first letter of the day. For example, in English, we would write “May 1st, 2023,” but in Spanish, we would write “1 de Mayo, 2023.”
6. Not using the correct plural form
In English, we use the plural form of the month when we are talking about more than one month, but in Spanish, we do not. For example, in English, we would say “May and June,” but in Spanish, we would say “mayo y junio.”
7. Not using the correct abbreviation
In English, we can abbreviate months with three letters, but in Spanish, we cannot. For example, in English, we can write “May” as “May,” but in Spanish, we have to write it out as “mayo.”
8. Not using the correct century
In English, we can use the abbreviation “BC” or “AD” to indicate the century, but in Spanish, we use the words “antes de Cristo” (BC) or “después de Cristo” (AD). For example, in English, we can write “1 BC” or “1 AD,” but in Spanish, we have to write “1 antes de Cristo” or “1 después de Cristo.”
9. Not using the correct ordinal number
In English, we use ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) to indicate the day of the month, but in Spanish, we use cardinal numbers (one, two, three, etc.). For example, in English, we would write “May 1st,” but in Spanish, we would write “el primero de mayo.”
10. Not using the correct format for dates that include a year
In English, we can write dates that include a year in several different formats, but in Spanish, there is only one correct format: year, month, day. For example, in English, we could write “2023 May 1st” or “May 1st, 2023” or “1st May 2023,” but in Spanish, we would have to write “1 de mayo de 2023.”
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| May 1st | el primero de mayo |
| on May 1st | en el primero de mayo |
| May 1st, 2023 | 1 de mayo de 2023 |
| May and June | mayo y junio |
| May | mayo |
| 1 BC | 1 antes de Cristo |
| first | primero |
| 2023 May 1st | 1 de mayo de 2023 |
How to Write the Date in Spanish
In Spanish, the date is typically written in the format of day, month, and year. The day and month are usually written in numerals, while the year can be written in either numerals or in words.
For example, the date January 1, 2023 can be written as 01/01/2023, 1/1/2023, or primero de enero de dos mil veintitrés.
When writing the date in Spanish, it is important to use the correct punctuation. The day and month are separated by a slash (/), while the month and year are separated by a comma (,). Additionally, the year is typically preceded by the word “de” (of).
People Also Ask
How do you write the date in Spanish using numbers?
To write the date in Spanish using numbers, simply write the day, month, and year in numerals. For example, the date January 1, 2023 can be written as 01/01/2023 or 1/1/2023.
How do you write the date in Spanish using words?
To write the date in Spanish using words, write the day, month, and year in words. For example, the date January 1, 2023 can be written as primero de enero de dos mil veintitrés.
What is the correct punctuation for writing the date in Spanish?
The correct punctuation for writing the date in Spanish is to separate the day and month with a slash (/), and the month and year with a comma (,). Additionally, the year is typically preceded by the word “de” (of).
