Numbers, Time, and Dates in Spanish

Numbers, time, and dates are absolute essentials! You'll use them every single day for prices, appointments, schedules, ages, and more.

Numbers 0-10

These are the foundation - memorize them first!

Practice: Count out loud from 0 to 10, then backwards from 10 to 0.

Numbers 11-20

This range has unique words - memorize them!

Note: 16-19 are compound words: diez + y + seis = dieciséis

Numbers 20-29

Pattern: veinte + number (veintiuno, veintidós, etc.)

Numbers 30-100

Pattern: Base number + y + unit (treinta y uno, cuarenta y dos, etc.)

Tens (30-90)

Examples (31-99)

• 31 = treinta y uno (TRAYN-tah ee OO-noh)
• 42 = cuarenta y dos (kwah-REN-tah ee dohs)
• 55 = cincuenta y cinco (seen-KWEN-tah ee SEEN-koh)
• 67 = sesenta y siete (seh-SEN-tah ee see-EH-teh)
• 78 = setenta y ocho (seh-TEN-tah ee OH-choh)
• 89 = ochenta y nueve (oh-CHEN-tah ee NWEH-veh)
• 99 = noventa y nueve (noh-VEN-tah ee NWEH-veh)

Pattern: [tens] + y + [ones]

Numbers 100-1000

Hundreds

Important rules:

Cien vs. Ciento:

• Cien = exactly 100 ("cien dólares" = 100 dollars)
• Ciento = 101-199 ("ciento uno" = 101)

Gender agreement: Hundreds agree with the noun's gender:

• "doscientos pesos" (200 pesos - masculine)
• "doscientas personas" (200 people - personas is feminine)

Examples (100+)

• 101 = ciento uno
• 150 = ciento cincuenta
• 237 = doscientos treinta y siete
• 465 = cuatrocientos sesenta y cinco
• 999 = novecientos noventa y nueve

Large Numbers

Note: Spanish uses periods and commas differently:

• English: 1,000.50 (one thousand and fifty cents)
• Spanish: 1.000,50 (mil con cincuenta centavos)

Using Numbers in Context

Prices

"¿Cuánto cuesta?" (How much does it cost?)

• "Cuesta diez dólares" (It costs 10 dollars)
• "Son veinticinco euros" (It's 25 euros)
• "Vale cincuenta pesos" (It costs 50 pesos)

Tip: In markets, you'll hear: "¿A cuánto?" (How much? / At what price?)

Age

"¿Cuántos años tienes?" (How old are you?)

Formula: Tener + [number] + años

• "Tengo veinticinco años" (I'm 25 years old)
• "Mi hermana tiene treinta años" (My sister is 30 years old)
• "El bebé tiene seis meses" (The baby is 6 months old)

Remember: Spanish uses "tener" (to have) for age, not "ser" (to be)!

Phone Numbers

Say digits individually or in pairs:

Example: 555-123-4567

Option 1 (individual): "cinco, cinco, cinco, uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete"

Option 2 (pairs): "cincuenta y cinco, cincuenta y cinco, doce, treinta y cuatro, cincuenta y seis, siete"

Days of the Week

Los Días de la Semana

Important notes:

• Days are masculine (el lunes, el martes)
• Days are NOT capitalized in Spanish
• Use el for specific days: "el lunes" (on Monday)
• Use los for recurring days: "los lunes" (on Mondays)

Using Days of the Week

Talking about today:

• "Hoy es lunes" (Today is Monday)
• "Mañana es martes" (Tomorrow is Tuesday)
• "Ayer fue domingo" (Yesterday was Sunday)

Making plans:

• "Nos vemos el viernes" (See you on Friday)
• "Trabajo los lunes" (I work on Mondays)
• "Tengo clase los martes y jueves" (I have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays)

Months of the Year

Los Meses del Año

Important notes:

• Months are NOT capitalized in Spanish
• Use en for months: "en enero" (in January)

Examples:

• "Mi cumpleaños es en marzo" (My birthday is in March)
• "Vamos de vacaciones en julio" (We go on vacation in July)

Seasons

Las Estaciones

Usage:

• "Me gusta la primavera" (I like spring)
• "En verano hace calor" (In summer it's hot)

Dates

Saying the Date

Formula: [day of week], + el + [number] + de + [month] + de + [year]

Today's date: "Hoy es lunes, el 5 de febrero de 2024"

Important: Use cardinal numbers (uno, dos, tres), NOT ordinal numbers!

Exception: First of the month uses "el primero"

• "el primero de enero" (January 1st)
• "el dos de enero" (January 2nd) - NOT "el segundo"

Examples

• March 15 = el quince de marzo
• July 4 = el cuatro de julio
• December 25, 2023 = el veinticinco de diciembre de dos mil veintitrés

Asking the Date

• "¿Qué fecha es hoy?" (What's the date today?)
• "¿A cuántos estamos?" (What's today's date? - literally "At how many are we?")

Answering:

• "Hoy es el 10 de octubre" (Today is October 10th)
• "Estamos a 10 de octubre" (It's October 10th)

Writing Dates

Format: día/mes/año

• 15/03/2024 = March 15, 2024 (NOT April 3!)
• 01/12/2024 = December 1, 2024 (NOT January 12!)

Note: This is opposite of US format!

Telling Time

Asking the Time

Basic Time Structure

Formula: Es la / Son las + [hour]

Singular (1:00):

• "Es la una" (It's 1:00)

Plural (all other hours):

• "Son las dos" (It's 2:00)
• "Son las tres" (It's 3:00)
• "Son las once" (It's 11:00)

On the Hour

Minutes Past the Hour

Formula: Son las + [hour] + y + [minutes]

• 2:05 = Son las dos y cinco
• 3:10 = Son las tres y diez
• 4:15 = Son las cuatro y cuarto (or y quince)
• 5:30 = Son las cinco y media (or y treinta)
• 6:45 = Son las siete menos cuarto (or las seis y cuarenta y cinco)

Special Terms

• y cuarto = quarter past (15 minutes)
• y media = half past (30 minutes)
• menos cuarto = quarter to (45 minutes)

Examples:

• 3:15 = Son las tres y cuarto
• 4:30 = Son las cuatro y media
• 5:45 = Son las seis menos cuarto (literally: "It's 6 minus a quarter")

Minutes Before the Hour

Formula: Son las + [next hour] + menos + [minutes]

• 1:50 = Son las dos menos diez (It's 2 minus 10 = 1:50)
• 6:55 = Son las siete menos cinco (It's 7 minus 5 = 6:55)
• 11:40 = Son las doce menos veinte (It's 12 minus 20 = 11:40)

AM and PM

Spanish uses different terms:

Examples:

• "Son las ocho de la mañana" (It's 8:00 AM)
• "Son las tres de la tarde" (It's 3:00 PM)
• "Son las nueve de la noche" (It's 9:00 PM)
• "Son las dos de la madrugada" (It's 2:00 AM)

24-Hour Format

Common in Spain and formal contexts:

• 14:00 = "las catorce" (2:00 PM)
• 18:30 = "las dieciocho treinta" (6:30 PM)
• 23:45 = "las veintitrés cuarenta y cinco" (11:45 PM)

Asking and Telling When

At what time?

• "¿A qué hora es la clase?" (At what time is the class?)
• "La clase es a las nueve" (The class is at 9:00)

Examples:

• "La reunión es a las dos y media" (The meeting is at 2:30)
• "Nos vemos a las siete de la tarde" (See you at 7 PM)
• "El tren sale a las once" (The train leaves at 11:00)

Time Expressions

General Time

Past, Present, Future

Parts of the Day

Usage:

• "por la mañana" (in the morning)
• "por la tarde" (in the afternoon)
• "por la noche" (at night)

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Say These Numbers

1. 7
2. 15
3. 28
4. 43
5. 100
6. 256
7. 1,000

Answers:

1. siete
2. quince
3. veintiocho
4. cuarenta y tres
5. cien
6. doscientos cincuenta y seis
7. mil

Exercise 2: What Time Is It?

Say these times in Spanish:

1. 3:00
2. 4:15
3. 5:30
4. 6:45
5. 2:10 PM

Answers:

1. Son las tres
2. Son las cuatro y cuarto
3. Son las cinco y media
4. Son las siete menos cuarto (or Son las seis y cuarenta y cinco)
5. Son las dos y diez de la tarde

Exercise 3: What's the Date?

Write these dates in Spanish:

1. January 1st
2. July 4th
3. December 25th, 2024

Answers:

1. el primero de enero
2. el cuatro de julio
3. el veinticinco de diciembre de dos mil veinticuatro

Quick Reference Tables

Number Patterns Summary

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Using "Ser" for Age

• ❌ "Soy 25 años"
• ✅ "Tengo 25 años"

❌ Mistake 2: Wrong Time Structure

• ❌ "Son dos y media"
• ✅ "Son las dos y media" (need "las"!)

❌ Mistake 3: Capitalizing Days/Months

• ❌ "Lunes, Enero"
• ✅ "lunes, enero"

❌ Mistake 4: Using Ordinal Numbers for Dates

• ❌ "el segundo de enero" (for January 2nd)
• ✅ "el dos de enero" (use cardinal numbers!)

Your Action Plan

Week 1: Master Numbers 0-20

• Practice counting forward and backward
• Say phone numbers out loud
• Count objects around you

Week 2: Learn Days and Months

• Say the day every morning
• Practice saying your birthday
• Learn one month per day

Week 3: Practice Telling Time

• Say the time every hour
• Ask "¿Qué hora es?" throughout the day
• Schedule activities in Spanish

Week 4: Combine Everything

• Say full dates with days
• Make schedules in Spanish
• Tell your daily routine with times

Pro Tip: Set your phone to Spanish to see days, months, and times in Spanish every day. This passive exposure reinforces your learning!

Remember: Numbers, time, and dates are used constantly. The investment in learning them well pays off immediately in real conversations!