Being able to tell time, count, and talk about days and months is essential for everyday communication in Italian. Whether you're asking for the price of something, setting up a meeting, or talking about your plans, you'll need to use numbers, days, and months frequently.

These are foundational vocabulary and grammar points that you will learn right at the beginning of your Italian journey. Getting comfortable with Italian numbers and dates is a key part of our Italian course curriculum and helps you quickly start using the language in practical situations.

Let's explore Italian numbers, the days of the week, and the months of the year.

1. Numeri (Numbers) - 1 to 100+

Let's start with the building blocks: numbers 0 to 20, then move on to the tens and forming larger numbers.

Numbers 0-20

The Tens (20-100)

Numbers 21-99

To form numbers between the tens (like 21, 35, 99), you combine the ten's number and the single digit number. There's a simple rule for numbers ending in 1 or 8:

• If the second digit is 1 or 8, you drop the last vowel of the ten's number before adding the single digit.
  • 21: ventuno (<- venti + uno, drop the 'i')
  • 28: ventotto (<- venti + otto, drop the 'i')
  • 31: trentuno (<- trenta + uno, drop the 'a')
  • 38: trentotto (<- trenta + otto, drop the 'a')
  • ...and so on for all tens up to novanta.
• For all other numbers (22, 23, 24, etc.), you simply combine the ten's number and the single digit number without dropping vowels.
  • 22: ventidue
  • 35: trentacinque
  • 47: quarantasette
  • 99: novantanove

Numbers 100+

Cento means 100. To form numbers above 100, you add the hundreds value before the rest of the number.

• 101: centouno
• 115: centoquindici
• 150: cinquantacinque
• 200: duecento
• 300: trecento
• 1000: mille (plural: mila)
• 2000: duemila
• 1.000.000: un milione (plural: milioni)

2. Giorni della Settimana (Days of the Week)

The days of the week are all masculine nouns in Italian.

• lunedì (Monday)
• martedì (Tuesday)
• mercoledì (Wednesday)
• giovedì (Thursday)
• venerdì (Friday)
• sabato (Saturday)
• domenica (Sunday)

Notes on Days:

• The first five days (lunedì-venerdì) have accents and are invariable in the plural. Sabato and domenica change their articles in the plural (`i sabati`, `le domeniche`).
• Days of the week are generally *not* capitalized in Italian unless at the beginning of a sentence.
• To say "on Monday," "on Tuesday," etc., you use the definite article: il lunedì (on Monday), il martedì (on Tuesday), il sabato (on Saturday), la domenica (on Sunday).
• To say "on Mondays" (every Monday), you use the plural article: i lunedì (on Mondays), i martedì (on Tuesdays), i sabati (on Saturdays), le domeniche (on Sundays).

3. Mesi (Months)

The months of the year are all masculine nouns.

• gennaio (January)
• febbraio (February)
• marzo (March)
• aprile (April)
• maggio (May)
• giugno (June)
• luglio (July)
• agosto (August)
• settembre (September)
• ottobre (October)
• novembre (November)
• dicembre (December)

Notes on Months:

• Months are also generally *not* capitalized in Italian.
• To say "in January," "in February," etc., you typically use the preposition a or in, often `a` is more common for specific months, while `in` is used with seasons or years.
  • Vado in Italia a luglio. (I'm going to Italy in July.)
  • Siamo in agosto. (It is August - literally "We are in August.")
  • L'estate inizia a giugno. (Summer starts in June.)
• To refer to a specific month, you might see it used with the definite article, e.g., il mese di ottobre (the month of October).

4. Saying the Date (La Data)

To say the date in Italian, you usually follow this pattern:

il + number + di + month

• Today is May 15th: Oggi è il quindici di maggio.
• My birthday is August 3rd: Il mio compleanno è il tre di agosto.

The only exception is the 1st of the month, which uses the ordinal number `primo`:

• Today is June 1st: Oggi è il primo di giugno.

To say "on [Date]," you use the definite article `il` (or `l'` before primo) before the date:

• On July 20th: il venti di luglio
• On December 1st: il primo di dicembre

Conclusion: Essential for Practical Italian

Numbers, days of the week, and months are fundamental vocabulary for navigating everyday situations in Italy and communicating effectively in Italian. Memorizing the basic numbers and the names of the days and months is a crucial first step.

Pay special attention to how numbers combine (especially those ending in 1 or 8), the use of articles with days of the week, and prepositions with months. Consistent practice through counting, saying dates, and using them in sentences is key. Our speaking-focused Italian classes and interactive online Italian classes provide a great environment to practice using numbers and dates in conversation. For learners in India, our Italian language classes in Chennai are available.

Ready to add practical vocabulary and phrases to your Italian toolkit?

Keep counting, naming the days, and marking your calendar in Italian! Buon apprendimento! (Happy learning!)