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Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to form dates in Spanish using the structure día + de + mes + de + año, with examples like "1 de enero de 2023" and "15 de agosto"; note that months and days of the week are written in lowercase.
  1. Dates follow the order: día + de + mes + de + año.
  2. Months are always written in lowercase.
  3. To say only the day and month: "15 de agosto", without the year.
Formato (Format)Ejemplo (Example)
Fecha completa (Complete date)1 de enero de 2023 (1 January 2023)
Fecha sin año (Date without year)15 de agosto (15 August)
Fecha con día de la semana (Date with day of the week)Martes, 5 de julio de 2022 (Tuesday, 5 July 2022)
Pregunta (Question)¿Qué día es hoy? - Es el 3 de abril. (What day is it today? - It's the 3rd of April.)
Uso en contexto (Usage in context)Las vacaciones empiezan el 15 de junio. (The holidays start on 15th June.)

Exceptions!

  1. The first day of the month uses "el 1º" or "el primero."
  2. To talk about an annual event, use "cada año el 6 de enero".
  3. The days of the week are not capitalized in Spanish.

Exercise 1: ¿Cómo se forman las fechas?

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

3 de abril, el 25 de diciembre, el 31 de diciembre, el 12 de octubre, El 10 de mayo, el primero de julio, el 15 de septiembre, 5 de junio

1. 25/12/2023:
Mañana celebramos navidad, ... con la familia.
(Tomorrow we are celebrating Christmas, December 25th, with the family.)
2. 3/4/2023:
Hoy es el ... y hace buen tiempo.
(Today is 3 April and the weather is nice.)
3. 10/5/2023:
¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? - ....
(When is your birthday? - The 10th of May.)
4. 15/9/2023:
El curso empieza ... cada año.
(The course starts on 15 September each year.)
5. 5/6/2023:
Hoy es lunes, ... y tengo examen.
(Today is Monday, 5 June and I have an exam.)
6. 31/12/2023:
Cada año celebramos la Nochevieja ....
(Every year we celebrate New Year's Eve on December 31st.)
7. 1/7/2023:
Nos vamos de vacaciones ....
(We go on holiday on the first of July.)
8. 12/10/2023:
El próximo puente es ....
(The next bank holiday is on the 12th of October.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. La Navidad es ___ cada año.

(Christmas is ___ every year.)

2. Las vacaciones empiezan ___ .

(Vacation starts ___ .)

3. La Semana Santa es en ___ , según el año.

(Holy Week is in ___ , depending on the year.)

4. El año nuevo comienza ___ .

(The new year begins ___ .)

5. La Nochevieja es ___ .

(New Year's Eve is ___ .)

6. El fin de semana empieza ___ .

(The weekend starts ___ .)

How to Form Dates in Spanish

This lesson teaches you how to express dates clearly and correctly in Spanish, focusing on the basic structure and common formats used in everyday conversation and writing. Understanding date formation is essential for scheduling, talking about birthdays, holidays, and events.

Basic Date Format

In Spanish, dates typically follow this order: day + de + month + de + year. For example, "1 de enero de 2023" translates as "January 1, 2023." The word de acts similarly to "of" or "’s" in English but is always used between the day, month, and year.

Common Variations

  • Full Date: "1 de enero de 2023"
  • Date without Year: "15 de agosto"
  • Date with Day of the Week: "Martes, 5 de julio de 2022" (Tuesday, July 5, 2022)
  • Questions about the date: "¿Qué día es hoy?" – "Es el 3 de abril." (What day is today? – It’s April 3.)
  • Using Dates in Context: "Las vacaciones empiezan el 15 de junio." (The holidays start on June 15.)

Important Details

  • Months: Always written in lowercase (e.g., enero, febrero, marzo).
  • First Day of the Month: Can be said as "el 1º" or "el primero".
  • Annual Events: When speaking about events that repeat annually, use constructions like "cada año el 6 de enero."
  • Days of the Week: Also written in lowercase (e.g., lunes, martes).

Comparison with English Date Formats

Unlike English, Spanish places the day first, then the month, and finally the year. Also, Spanish uses the connecting word de between these elements, which is not reflected in English dates.

Example: English says "July 5, 2022," but Spanish says "5 de julio de 2022."

Another difference is capitalization: in Spanish, months and weekdays are not capitalized, whereas in English, they always start with capital letters.

Useful Date-Related Words and Phrases

  • día: day
  • mes: month
  • año: year
  • hoy: today
  • ayer: yesterday
  • mañana: tomorrow
  • fecha: date
  • ¿Qué día es hoy?: What day is today?
  • el primero / el 1º: the first (day of the month)

Summary

Remember to always structure dates as day + de + month + de + year, use lowercase for months and weekdays, and include the article "el" before the day when speaking about dates. This lesson prepares you to confidently read and say dates in Spanish for everyday use.

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