How to Write the Date in Spanish: Formats, Rules, and Cultural Considerations

By James AndersonLast Updated April 12, 2025

How to write the date in Spanish: complete guide

Write the date right in Spanish is essential for everything from scheduling appointments to fill out official documents. While the basic format is straightforward, there be important differences from English date formats that you need to understand avoiding confusion.

Basic Spanish date format

In Spanish speak countries, date typically follow this structure:

Did + DE + mes + DE + ANO

For example, December 25, 2023, would be written as:

25 de December de 2023

This format place the day 1st, follow by the month, and so the year â€” different from the month day year format normally use in the United States.

The days (lLosdDias)

In Spanish, days are written as cardinal number(( 1, 2, 3..)) except for the first day of the month, which use the ordinal form:

1: primer ((bbreviate as 1 Â° or 1. Â° ))r unoUNO
2: do
3: tree
…
31: grant y unUNO

For the first day of the month, you’d say” pprimer ode[[onth ]] or ” ” primprimer odeo[h ]. “]or alForther days, you use the cardinal number: ” do ” [ moDEh[, ” tr]de” mTREh ],[ etc.
]”

The months (lLosmMoses)

The months in Spanish are:

Nero ((aJanuary)
Ferrero (fFebruary)
Mario (march )
Abril (aApril)
Mayo (may )
Junior( June)
Julio (jJuly)
Augusto( august)
September ((eSeptember)
October (oOctober)
November ((oNovember)
December ((eDecember)

Important: unlike English, months in Spanish are not capitalized unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence.

The years (lLos Bano)

Years in Spanish are express as cardinal numbers and are read as whole numbers:

2023: do mil vanities
1995: mil Novocains nonovena cinCisco
2008: do mil echo

Numeric date formats in Spanish

For abbreviated or numeric dates, Spanish speak countries typically use the day / month / year format:

25/12/2023 or 25 12 2023 (dDecember25, 2023 )
01/05/2023 or 01 05 2023 (mMay1, 2023 )

This differs from theUnited Statess format( month / day / year), which can cause confusion. For example, 05/01/2023 would be jJanuary5, 2023, in the uUSbut mMay1, 2023, in sSpanishspeak countries.

ISO format

For international or technical documents, the ISO 8601 standard format (yYYYmm dd ))s sometimes useused

2023 12 25 (dDecember25, 2023 )

This format eliminates confusion across different regional standards.

Write the date in a letter or document

In formal letters or documents, the date is oftentimes written with the city include:

Madrid, 25 de December de 2023

En Madrid, a 25 de December de 2023

The second format is more formal and traditional, peculiarly in legal documents.

Regional variations in date formats

Spain

In Spain, the standard format is day / month / year. Formal documents ofttimes use the” en [[ity ]]a [ d[ ] d][ DEn[ ] de ]yeDE [” for]t mention supra.

Mexico

Mexico follows the day / month / year format, but in some contexts, particularly in business or when deal with us companies, the month / day / year format might be use.

Latin America

Most Latin American countries follow the day / month / year format, though there can be slight variations in formal writing styles.

Days of the week in Spanish

When will refer to specific days, you will need to know the days of the week in spaSpanish

Lines (mMonday)
Mates ((uTuesday)
Circles ( (dWednesday)
Jeeves (tThursday)
Earned ((rFriday)
Salado (sSaturday)
Domingo (sSunday)

Like months, days of the week are not capitalized inSpanishh unless they begin a sentence.

To specify a day of the week with a date, you’d say:

El lines, 25 de December de 2023

Common phrases for talk about dates

Ask for the date

Â¿ QuÃ© tech eEShhow ((hat date is it today? )
Â¿ A Que estates how? (what’s today’s date? )
Â¿ CuÃ¡l ES la tech de hhow ((hat’s today’s date? )

Tell the date

Ho yes El 25 de December de 2023. ((oday is deDecember5, 2023. )
Estates a 25 de December. ((t’s the 25th of deDecember)

Talk about future or past dates

La RÃ©union era eEl15 de eNero ( (e meeting will be on janJanuary. )
Mi cumulants fdueeEl10 de mayo. ((y birthday was on maMay0. )

Common mistakes to avoid

Use the wrong prepositions

In Spanish, we use” dDE” etween the day and month and between the month and year:

Correct:

25 de December de 2023

Incorrect:

25 December 2023

Capitalize months and days

Unlike English, Spanish does not capitalize months or days of the week:

Correct:

Lines, 25 de December

Incorrect:

Lines, 25 de December

Use the wrong date order

Remember that Spanish use day month year, not month day year:

Correct:

25/12/2023 (dDecember25, 2023 )

Incorrect:

12/25/2023 (this would be read as dDecember25, 2023, in the uUSbut would be confusing in sSpanishspeak countries )

Write dates for special occasions

Birthdays

When talk about birthdays, you’d say:

Mi cumulants eESeEl15 de mMario ((y birthday is on maMarch5. )

Holidays

For holidays, you might say:

La naiad seseecerebraeEl25 de dDecember ( (rChristmas celcelebrated deDecember5. )

Anniversaries

For anniversaries:

Maestro anniversary ES El 10 de junior.( our anniversary is on June 10.

Write dates on forms and official documents

When will fill out forms or official documents in Spanish speak countries, you’ll typically will need to write the date in the day / month / year format. Some forms may have separate fields for day, month, and year, label as:

Did (day )
Mes (month )
ANO (year )

For official documents, it’s best to write out the date in full to avoid any confusion:

25 de December de 2023

Cultural considerations

Date formats in business

In international business context involve Spanish speak countries and the United States, it’s ofttimes best to write out the month name to avoid confusion:

25 de December de 2023 / dDecember25, 2023

Historical dates

For historical dates, Spanish follow the same format:

La independence de mMexicosseecerebra El 16 de September de 1810. ((eMexico independence is cecelebratedn sSeptember16, 1810. )

Practical examples

Write today’s date

If today is March 15, 2023, you’d write:

Ho yes El 15 de Mario de 2023.

Write a future appointment

For an appointment on October 20, 2023:

La city ESTA program para el El de octOctober 2023.

Refer to a historic event

For the discovery of America:

ColÃ³n Lego aanAmerica El 12 de October de 1492.

Digital and technical contexts

Date formats in computing

In programming or database context involve Spanish content, be aware of the different date formats:

Spanish format: dd / mm / YYY
Us format: mm / dd / YYY
ISO format: YYY mm dd

Many systems allow users to select their prefer date format base on their location.

Date formats on websites

Spanish language websites typically display dates in the day month year format. Some international sites may offer language / region options that affect date displays.

Summary: key points to remember

Spanish dates follow the format: day + DE + month + DE + year
Numeric dates use the day / month / year format (25/12/2023 )
Neither months nor days of the week are capitalized inSpanishh
The first day of the month can be written ” “primero” or ” nUNO”
Ever use the preposition” dDE” etween day and month, and between month and year
Be aware of potential confusion with us date formats (month / day / year )

By understand these rules and formats, you’ll be able to write and understand dates right in Spanish, whether for travel, business, education, or personal communication with Spanish speakers.