Days, Months, and Dates: Mastering the Spanish Calendar

Talking about dates, planning events, and scheduling appointments are part of everyday life. To do this in Spanish, you'll need to know the names of the days of the week and the months of the year. These vocabulary items are fundamental for A1 level learners and beyond.

Let's dive into the Spanish calendar and learn how to say the days, months, and even how to form basic dates.

Index: Days, Months, and Dates

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Days of the Week (Los Días de la Semana)

Here are the seven days of the week in Spanish. Remember they are all masculine nouns, but typically the article `el` or `los` is used only when talking about specific days or habits.

  • lunes (Monday)
  • martes (Tuesday)
  • miércoles (Wednesday)
  • jueves (Thursday)
  • viernes (Friday)
  • sábado (Saturday)
  • domingo (Sunday)

Usage Notes for Weekdays:

  • Lowercase: Days of the week in Spanish are NOT capitalized unless they are at the beginning of a sentence.
  • Singular vs. Plural: The names for Monday through Friday end in -s and do not change spelling in the plural. Saturday and Sunday form their plural by adding -s.
    • el lunes (Monday / on Monday)
    • los lunes (on Mondays / every Monday)
    • el sábado (Saturday / on Saturday)
    • los sábados (on Saturdays / every Saturday)
  • "On" a Day: To say "on Monday," you just use the definite article el before the day: el lunes. To say "on Mondays" or "every Monday," use the plural article los: los lunes.
    • Tengo clase el miércoles. (I have class on Wednesday.)
    • Vamos al cine los viernes. (We go to the cinema on Fridays / every Friday.)
    • ¿Qué haces el domingo? (What are you doing on Sunday?)
  • Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday:
    • hoy (today)Hoy es martes. (Today is Tuesday.)
    • mañana (tomorrow)Mañana es miércoles. (Tomorrow is Wednesday.)
    • ayer (yesterday)Ayer fue lunes. (Yesterday was Monday.)

Unlike English, Spanish weekdays are derived from Roman gods and planets: Moon (lunes), Mars (martes), Mercury (miércoles), Jupiter (jueves), Venus (viernes). Saturday (sábado) comes from the Sabbath, and Sunday (domingo) from the Latin "Dominicus" (Lord's Day).

Months of the Year (Los Meses del Año)

Here are the twelve months in Spanish:

  • enero (January)
  • febrero (February)
  • marzo (March)
  • abril (April)
  • mayo (May)
  • junio (June)
  • julio (July)
  • agosto (August)
  • septiembre (September)
  • octubre (October)
  • noviembre (November)
  • diciembre (December)

Months in Spanish are also NOT capitalized unless they start a sentence.

Usage Notes for Months:

  • Gender: Months are masculine (el enero, el febrero), but you rarely use the article unless you're talking about a specific month (e.g., el mayo de 2022 - May of 2022).
  • "In" a Month: To say "in January," use the preposition en: en enero.
    • Mi cumpleaños es en julio. (My birthday is in July.)
    • Viajamos a España en abril. (We travel to Spain in April.)

Saying the Date (La Fecha)

To say the full date in Spanish, you typically follow this structure:

Day of the week, the + number + of + month + of + year

Structure: (El/Los + Day of the week,) el + number + de + month + (de + year)

  • ¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy? (What is today's date?)
  • Hoy es el dieciséis de octubre. (Today is October 16th - Literally: 'Today is the sixteen of October'.)
  • Hoy es martes, el dieciséis de octubre. (Today is Tuesday, October 16th.)
  • Es el cinco de mayo. (It's May 5th.)
  • Mi cumpleaños es el veintidós de diciembre. (My birthday is December 22nd.)
  • To add the year: Hoy es el dieciséis de octubre de 2023. (Today is October 16th, 2023.)

Note that in Spanish, you usually use cardinal numbers (one, two, three...) for the date, except for the first of the month, where you can use the ordinal number primero (first) or the cardinal uno.

  • Es el primero de enero. (It's January 1st.) OR Es el uno de enero. (Both are correct)
  • But always el dos de enero, el tres de enero, etc.

Practice Tips: Using Days, Months, and Dates

Start incorporating days and months into your daily Spanish practice:

  • Say the Date Daily: Every morning, say or write the full date in Spanish.
  • Talk About Your Schedule: Practice saying what you do on different days using el [day] or los [day]. "El lunes estudio español." "Los domingos descanso."
  • Discuss Events: Talk about holidays, birthdays, and important events using months and dates. "La Navidad es en diciembre." "Mi cita es el diez de noviembre."
  • Listen to the Calendar: Find Spanish videos or audio that mention days and months (e.g., weather forecasts, planning conversations).
  • Use a Spanish Calendar: Get or create a calendar with the days and months in Spanish.

Regular exposure and consistent practice are key to making days and months roll off your tongue naturally.

Practice Spanish Vocabulary on the LMS

Ready to practice days, months, and dates? Log in to your Sprachlingua LMS account and work through the dedicated vocabulary and exercises for these essential topics.

Access Spanish A1 Vocabulary Exercises

Test Your Spanish Calendar Knowledge!

Think you've mastered the days and months? Take our interactive quiz to test your knowledge of the Spanish calendar.

Take the Weekdays & Months Quiz

Ready to Talk About Time?

Knowing the days of the week and months of the year is a fundamental step in discussing schedules, plans, and events in Spanish. Combine this vocabulary with telling time and numbers, and you'll be able to communicate a wide range of information!

Sprachlingua's online Spanish courses provide structured lessons that cover these essential vocabulary topics, along with grammar and conversation practice, to help you gain fluency. Our interactive platform and experienced instructors will support you every step of the way.

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