Spanish Numbers, Days, and Dates: The Ultimate Guide

Table of Contents

• Part 1: The [Numbers](/spanish/vocabulary/a1/numbers) (Los Números)
  • The Essentials: 0-10
  • The Tricky Teens & Twenties: 11-29
  • Smooth Sailing: 30-100
  • The Big Guys: 100+
• Part 2: The [Days of the Week](/spanish/vocabulary/a1/daysoftheweek) (Los Días de la Semana)
• Part 3: The Months of the Year (Los Meses del Año)
• Part 4: Putting It All Together: Dates (Las Fechas)
  • Asking for the Date
• You've Got This!

Ever tried to book a hotel room in Madrid or make a dinner reservation in Mexico City and suddenly your mind goes blank? "I need a table for... uh... Thursday at... um... seven?" We’ve all been there.

Numbers, days, and dates are the absolute bedrock of daily communication. They’re how we schedule our lives, buy groceries, and talk about our own history. Getting them right is a huge step toward fluency and confidence.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from counting your first monedascoins to wishing someone a happy birthday on the right day. Let's dive in!

Part 1: The Numbers (Los Números)

First things first, let's learn to count. Spanish numbers are pretty logical once you get the hang of the basic patterns.

The Essentials: 0-10

These are the building blocks. Get these down, and you're already on your way.

• 0 - cerozero
• 1 - unoone
• 2 - dostwo
• 3 - tresthree
• 4 - cuatrofour
• 5 - cincofive
• 6 - seissix
• 7 - sieteseven
• 8 - ochoeight
• 9 - nuevenine
• 10 - diezten

The Tricky Teens & Twenties: 11-29

This is where the first patterns emerge. The numbers from 16 to 29 are formed by smashing words together.

• 11 - onceeleven
• 12 - docetwelve
• 13 - trecethirteen
• 14 - catorcefourteen
• 15 - quincefifteen

Now, for 16-19, think "diez y..." (ten and...) squished into one word:

• 16 - dieciséissixteen (diez y seis)
• 17 - diecisieteseventeen (diez y siete)
• 18 - dieciochoeighteen (diez y ocho)
• 19 - diecinuevenineteen (diez y nueve)

For 21-29, we do the same with "veinte y..." (twenty and...):

• 21 - veintiunotwenty-one (veinte y uno)
• 22 - veintidóstwenty-two (veinte y dos)
• 23 - veintitréstwenty-three (veinte y tres) ...and so on up to 29 (veintinuevetwenty-nine).

Smooth Sailing: 30-100

Great news! After 29, things get much easier. From 31 onwards, we stop squishing words together and use y ("and") to connect the tens and the ones.

• 30 - treintathirty
• 40 - cuarentaforty
• 50 - cincuentafifty
• 60 - sesentasixty
• 70 - setentaseventy
• 80 - ochentaeighty
• 90 - noventaninety
• 100 - cienone hundred

To make a number like 35, you just say "thirty and five": treinta y cinco.

The Big Guys: 100+

Once you hit 100, a few new rules appear.

• Cien vs. Ciento: Use cien for exactly 100. Use ciento for numbers from 101 to 199.

  • Tengo cien euroseuros. (I have 100 euros.)
  • El libro tiene ciento veinte páginas. (The book has 120 pages.)

• The Hundreds: Most are regular, but watch out for a few tricky ones.

  • 200 - doscientostwo hundred
  • 300 - trescientosthree hundred
  • 400 - cuatrocientosfour hundred
  • 500 - quinientosfive hundred (Irregular!)
  • 600 - seiscientossix hundred
  • 700 - setecientosseven hundred (Irregular!)
  • 800 - ochocientoseight hundred
  • 900 - novecientosnine hundred (Irregular!)

• Thousands and Millions:

  • 1,000 - milone thousand (Note: it's not "un mil" for 1,000)
  • 2,000 - dos miltwo thousand
  • 1,000,000 - un millónone million

Let's practice with a big number. Unscramble this sentence about a very old castle.

Part 2: The Days of the Week (Los Días de la Semana)

The days of the week in Spanish are all masculine, so you'll use the article el for a specific day ("on Monday") and los for a recurring day ("on Mondays").

• el lunesMonday
• el martesTuesday
• el miércolesWednesday
• el juevesThursday
• el viernesFriday
• el sábadoSaturday
• el domingoSunday

Notice something cool? From Monday to Friday, the singular and plural forms are the same!

• el lunes (on Monday) -> los lunes (on Mondays)
• el sábado (on Saturday) -> los sábados (on Saturdays)

Part 3: The Months of the Year (Los Meses del Año)

Just like the days, the months are also not capitalized. Many of them will look familiar to you!

• eneroJanuary
• febreroFebruary
• marzoMarch
• abrilApril
• mayoMay
• junioJune
• julioJuly
• agostoAugust
• septiembreSeptember
• octubreOctober
• noviembreNovember
• diciembreDecember

Part 4: Putting It All Together: Dates (Las Fechas)

Now we can combine everything we've learned to talk about dates. The formula is simple and consistent.

The Formula: el [day] de [month] de [year]

Let's break it down:

• el: You always start with the article "el".
• [day]: The cardinal number (uno, dos, tres...).
  • Special exception: For the first of the month, you can use primero instead of uno. "el primero de mayo" is very common.
• de: The word for "of".
• [month]: The month (enero, febrero...).
• de [year]: "of" followed by the year.

Example:

• October 31st, 2026 -> el treinta y uno de octubre de dos mil veintiséis

The biggest difference from English is that the day comes before the month.

Asking for the Date

Need to ask what day it is? Here are your go-to phrases:

• ¿Qué fecha es hoy? (What is today's date?)
• ¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy? (What is today's date?)

And to answer:

• Hoy es el... (Today is the...)
  • Hoy es el veinte de julio. (Today is July 20th.)

Let's try one final practice. Put this date sentence in the correct order.

You've Got This!

Whew, that was a lot, but you made it! From uno to un millón, from lunes to writing out a full date, you now have the essential tools for navigating daily life in Spanish.

The key to making it all stick is practice. Look at your phone's calendar and say the date out loud in Spanish every morning. Count the items in your shopping cart. The more you use it, the more natural it will become.

Happy learning!