Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to form and say dates in Italian using the day-month-year format. Understand the use of ordinal numbers for the first day of the month and cardinal numbers for other days. Practice including week days and referring to holidays like Natale and Pasqua in Italian.
  1. The year is always written after the month without an article.
  2. The first day of the month is expressed with an ordinal number. The others are expressed with cardinal numbers. Example: 'primo aprile' (April 1st); '3 aprile' (April 3rd).
Formato (Format)Esempio (Example)
Data completa (Complete date)1 gennaio 2023 (1 January 2023)
Data senza l'anno (Date without the year)15 agosto (15 August)
Data con il giorno della settimana (Date with the day of the week)Martedì, 5 luglio 2022 (Tuesday, 5 July 2022)
Domanda (Question)Che giorno è oggi? - E' il 3 aprile. (What day is it today? - It's 3 April.)
Uso in contesto (Use in context)Le vacanze iniziano il 15 giugno. (The holidays start on 15 June.)

Exceptions!

  1. For holidays, the day is often used without the article: 'Natale', 'Pasqua'.

Exercise 1: Come si forma la data?

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

25 dicembre, 10 luglio, 1 ottobre, 1 gennaio, 5 maggio, 30 aprile, 25 aprile, 12 agosto

1. 5/5:
Oggi è il ....
(Today is the 5th of May.)
2. 30/4:
La festa è il ....
(The party is on 30 April.)
3. 1/10:
Il mio compleanno è il ....
(My birthday is on 1 October.)
4. 25/12:
Il Natale è il ....
(Christmas is on 25 December.)
5. 1/1:
Capodanno è il ....
(New Year's Day is 1 January.)
6. 25/4:
Il prossimo ponte è il ....
(The next bank holiday is the 25th of April.)
7. 10/7:
Il mio amico nasce il ....
(My friend was born on 10 July.)
8. 12/8:
La vacanza inizia il ....
(The holiday starts on 12 August.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Oggi è il ____ maggio.

(Today is the ____ of May.)

2. La festa è il ____ agosto.

(The holiday is on ____ August.)

3. Il mio compleanno è il ____ aprile.

(My birthday is on ____ April.)

4. La riunione è il ____ gennaio 2023.

(The meeting is on ____ January 2023.)

5. ____ è una festa importante.

(____ is an important holiday.)

6. Domani è martedì, ____ luglio 2022.

(Tomorrow is Tuesday, ____ July 2022.)

How to Form Dates in Italian

This lesson focuses on teaching you how to correctly form and say dates in Italian, an essential skill for everyday communication, scheduling, and understanding announcements.

Date Format

In Italian, the standard date format follows day + month + year. For example, 1 gennaio 2023 means January 1, 2023. The year always comes after the month without any article.

Using Ordinal and Cardinal Numbers

The first day of the month is expressed using the ordinal number: primo aprile (April 1st). For all other days, cardinal numbers are used: 3 aprile (April 3rd), 15 agosto (August 15th).

Including the Day of the Week

You can also include the day of the week to be more specific, like Martedì, 5 luglio 2022 (Tuesday, July 5, 2022).

Common Expressions

  • Asking about the date: Che giorno è oggi? (What day is today?)
    Answer: È il 3 aprile. (It's April 3rd.)
  • Contextual use: Le vacanze iniziano il 15 giugno. (The holidays start on June 15.)

Special Dates and Holidays

For holidays, Italians often drop the article and simply say the name of the holiday, such as Natale for Christmas or Pasqua for Easter.

Differences from English

Unlike English, where dates are often said as "the first of April," Italian puts the day before the month and uses ordinal numbers only for the first day. English usually includes "the" before dates, such as "the 3rd of April," but in Italian the article il precedes the full date (e.g., il 3 aprile).

Useful words and phrases:

  • Giorno – day
  • Mese – month
  • Anno – year
  • Primo – first (used only for the first day of the month)
  • Che giorno è oggi? – What day is today?

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Fabio Pirioni

Bachelor in Humanities

University of Udine

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Last Updated:

Tuesday, 15/07/2025 00:08