You can start by saying hoy es (OY ESS) before the date, which means “today is. " For example, if someone asked you the date, you could say “Hoy es el dos de febrero,” or “Today is February second. " In most contexts it is also acceptable simply to say the date.
There is one exception to this rule. When you are talking about the first of the month in Spanish, you use the word primero, which means “first. " If you aren’t yet comfortable with your numbers, practice counting in Spanish. You can also post notes around your house with the numeral and the Spanish word for that number so you get used to associating the two.
January is enero (ay-NAIR-oh). February is febrero (fay-BRAY-roh). March is marzo (MAR-soh). April is abril (AH-breel). May is mayo (MY-oh). June is junio (HOO-nee-oh). July is julio (HOO-lee-oh). August is agosto (ah-GOHS-toh). September is septiembre (sayp-tee-AIM-bray). October is octubre (ahk-TOO-bray). November is noviembre (noh-bee-AIM-bray). December is diciembre (dee-see-AIM-bray).
In English you may have become accustomed to a shortened way of expressing years. For example, if you want to say 1991 in English, you would say “nineteen ninety-one. " However, in Spanish you say the whole number: “mil novecientos noventa y uno,” or “one thousand nine hundred and ninety one. "
Just as in speech, there is an exception when you’re talking about the first of the month. Use the numeral 1 with a superscripted o that looks similar to a degree symbol when writing the first: 1º. This symbolizes “the first” in Spanish. For example, you could write, “Hoy es 1º de febrero,” or “Today is February 1st. "
You can use numerals (“2”) or spell out the number (“dos”).
For example, if you were writing about the second of April in Spanish, you would write “2 de abril. "
Just as in speech, include the word de between the month and the year. For example, you might write “2 de abril de 2018” for April 2, 2018.
For example, if you wanted to write the short form of “March 28, 2018” in Spanish, you would write “28-3-2018” or “28-03-2018. " You can separate the numbers with dots, dashes, or slashes. Different regions may prefer one form over the others, but Spanish speakers will recognize the date whichever form you choose.
Sunday is domingo (doh-MEEN-goh). Monday is lunes (LOO-nays). Tuesday is martes (MAR-tays). Wednesday is miércoles (mee-AIR-coh-lays). Thursday is jueves (hoo-AY-bays). Friday is viernes (bee-AIR-nays). Saturday is sábado (SAH-bah-doh).
For example, if someone asked you in Spanish what your favorite day of the week was, you could reply “el viernes” or “los viernes. " This response could be translated either as “Friday” or “Fridays. "
You can also drop the hoy from the end and simply ask “¿Qué día es?”
Hacer + length of time + que (KAY) + the past tense conjugation of the verb describes an action that occurred at a particular point in time in the past. For example, you might say “Hace tres años que empecé a trabajar aquí” to mean “I started working here three years ago. " To talk about a past action that continues into the present, use hacer with the present tense conjugation of the verb. For example, you might say “Hace tres años que trabajo aquí” to mean “I’ve worked here for three years. "
For example, “La conozco desde junio” means “I’ve known her since June. "
Today is hoy (OY). Yesterday is ayer (AY-air). Tomorrow is mañana (mahn-YAHN-ah). The day before yesterday is anteayer (aunt-ay-air) or “antes de ayer. "
