No More Confusion: How to Say the Date in Spanish Like a Native

Ever tried to make a dinner reservation in Mexico City or wish a friend a happy birthday in Madrid and suddenly your mind goes blank? "Wait... how do I say the date again?"

Don't worry, you're not alone! Dates can be tricky in a new language, but the good news is that Spanish has a very consistent and easy-to-learn formula. Once you see it, you'll never forget it.

In this guide, we'll break down everything you need to know, from the days of the week to the months of the year, so you can talk about dates with confidence. ¡Vamos!

The Golden Formula for Spanish Dates

In English, we say "Monday, May 5th." Spanish flips this around and adds a couple of small words. The basic structure is always the same.

Let's break that down:

• el: The word for "the." You almost always need this little guy. To understand why it's "el" and not "la," check out our guide on noun gender and articles.
• [day number]: The number of the day (e.g., 5, 15, 25). If you need a refresher, check out our guide to Spanish numbers.
• deof: The word for "of."
• [month]: The month (e.g., mayo, julio, diciembre).

So, "May 5th" becomes el 5 de mayo. See? Simple!

If you want to add the year, just add another de and the year at the end:

el 5 deof mayo deof 2025

The Building Blocks: Days and Months

To use the formula, you'll need to know two things: the days of the week and the months of the year.

Los Días de la Semana (The Days of the Week)

Here are the seven days of the week. Notice anything different from English?

Spanish	English
lunesMonday	Monday
martesTuesday	Tuesday
miércolesWednesday	Wednesday
juevesThursday	Thursday
viernesFriday	Friday
sábadoSaturday	Saturday
domingoSunday	Sunday

The biggest takeaway? Days of the week are not capitalized in Spanish! This is a super common mistake for English speakers, but getting it right will make you sound much more natural.

Los Meses del Año (The Months of the Year)

Just like the days, the months are not capitalized either. Many of them look similar to English, so they're pretty easy to remember!

Spanish	English
eneroJanuary	January
febreroFebruary	February
marzoMarch	March
abrilApril	April
mayoMay	May
junioJune	June
julioJuly	July
agostoAugust	August
septiembreSeptember	September
octubreOctober	October
noviembreNovember	November
diciembreDecember	December

Let's Practice!

Ready to test your knowledge? Let's put the formula into action.

A Special Rule for the First

There's one tiny exception to the number rule: the first day of the month. Instead of uno (one), you use primerofirst.

• January 1st → el primero de enero
• December 1st → el primero de diciembre

Asking for the Date

So, how do you ask what day it is? Here are the two most common questions:

• ¿Cuál es la fechadate de hoytoday? (What is today's date?)
• ¿A qué fecha estamos? (What date are we at?)

To answer, you can simply say:

• Hoy es el 25 de mayo. (Today is May 25th.)

Let's practice building that sentence. Unscramble the words below!

Writing the Date: dd/mm/yyyy

Here's one last crucial tip, especially for travel. Most of the Spanish-speaking world writes the date with the day first, then the month, then the year.

This can be a lifesaver when booking travel and accommodation!

You've Got This!

See? Not so scary after all. Let's recap the key points:

• The Formula: el [number] de [month]
• No Capitals: Days and months are lowercase.
• The First: Use primero for the 1st of the month.
• The Format: Write dates as day/month/year.

Keep these simple rules in mind, and you'll be talking about dates like a pro. The best way to learn is to practice, so try saying today's date out loud right now!

Want to master more everyday Spanish? The InkLingo app has tons of interactive lessons and games to get you speaking confidently in no time. For more practice, try reading our A1-level short stories and see how many dates you can spot. Happy learning!