For English learners, saying or writing the date in English can be tricky because the formats are different.
In British English, the order of elements is day, month, and year, while in American English, the order of the elements is reversed: month, day, year.
Besides learning new vocabulary like days, months, and ordinal numbers to understand the calendar, you also need to learn the different date formats depending on whether you’re studying American or British English.
In this lesson, you’ll learn everything you need to form dates correctly in both formats, in writing and speaking (with audio examples).
Plus, there’s a final exercise to test your knowledge.
Let’s go!
Table of contents →
Days, Months, and Years
Indicating dates in English involves mastering 4 elements:
- Days (Monday, Tuesday…)
- Numbers (1, 15, 31…)
- Months (January, February…)
- Years (46 BC, 1945…)
Days of the week and abbreviations
To indicate the date in English, you first need to know the days. On some documents like statements or tickets, it’s common to see the date abbreviated.
| Days | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Monday | Mon. |
| Tuesday | Tu. / Tue. / Tues. |
| Wednesday | Wed. |
| Thursday | Th. / Thu. / Thur. / Thurs. |
| Friday | Fri. |
| Saturday | Sat. |
| Sunday | Sun. |
Ordinal numbers in English up to 31
Ordinal numbers (as opposed to “cardinal”) are used to show the order of things. In English, they are also used to express the day of the month.
Here are the ordinal numbers up to 31 in English:
| 1 to 10 | 11 to 20 | 21 to 31 |
|---|---|---|
| 1st = the first | 11th = the eleventh | 21st = the twenty-first |
| 2nd = the second | 12th = the twelfth | 22nd = the twenty-second |
| 3rd = the third | 13th = the thirteenth | 23rd = the twenty-third |
| 4th = the fourth | 14th = the fourteenth | 24th = the twenty-fourth |
| 5th = the fifth | 15th = the fifteenth | 25th = the twenty-fifth |
| 6th = the sixth | 16th = the sixteenth | 26th = the twenty-sixth |
| 7th = the seventh | 17th = the seventeenth | 27th = the twenty-seventh |
| 8th = the eighth | 18th = the eighteenth | 28th = the twenty-eighth |
| 9th = the ninth | 19th = the nineteenth | 29th = the twenty-ninth |
| 10th = the tenth | 20th = the twentieth | 30th = the thirtieth |
| 31st = the thirty-first |
In general, you can create an ordinal number by adding -th to the cardinal number. For example, 14 (fourteen) becomes 14th (the fourteenth). However, watch out for some spelling changes!
Days 5 and 9 lose an -e:
- 5 = five → the fifth
- 9 = nine → the ninth
For numbers ending in -y, this changes to -ieth:
- 20 = twenty → twentieth
- 30 = thirty → thirtieth
Numbers 1, 2, and 3 are irregular:
- 1 = one → the first
- 2 = two → the second
- 3 = three → the third
Note: In English, days are always capitalized!
The months of the year
To say the date in English, you also need to know the months. Like the days of the week, months are often abbreviated. Here are the 12 months to remember:
| English | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| January | Jan |
| February | Feb |
| March | Mar |
| April | Apr |
| May | May |
| June | Jun / June |
| July | Jul / July |
| August | Aug |
| September | Sep / Sept |
| October | Oct |
| November | Nov |
| December | Dec |
Note: In English, months are always capitalized!
How to write a year in English
In English, the way of writing a year is different from the way of saying it.
- To express a year up to 1999, we split the number into 2:
- 1538 = 15 – 38 = fifteen thirty-eight
- 1758 = 17 – 58 = seventeen fifty-eight
- 1984 = 19 – 84 = nineteen eighty-four
- For years ending in 00 (1500, 1700, 1800, 1900, etc.), use the term hundred for the last 2 digits:
- 1700 = seventeen hundred
- 1800 = eighteen hundred
- For the first 9 years of each century, there are two ways to say it:
- 1604 = sixteen hundred and four ou sixteen oh four
- 1901 = nineteen hundred and one ou nineteen oh one
- From 2001 onwards, there are always 2 possibilities, or even 3 if we take into account the difference between British English and American English (explained later on this page):
- 2000 = two thousand (only one way)
- 2001 = two thousand and one (British) or two thousand one (American)or twenty oh one
- 2014 = two thousand and fourteen (British) or two thousand fourteen (American) or twenty fourteen
How to say “Before Christ” in English
There are two ways to indicate a date before Christ in English: BC (Before Christ) or BCE (Before Common / Current / Christian Era).
Similarly, there are two ways to indicate a date after Christ: AD (Anno Domini) or CE (Common/Current/Christian Era).
| Before / After Jesus Christ | Expression | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Before Jesus Christ | Vercingetorix died in 46 BC. | The date is before the birth of Christ, and BC is used after the year to show this. |
| After Jesus Christ | Nero was born in Antium, south of Rome, in AD 37. | The date is after the birth of Christ, and AD is placed before the year to indicate this. |
Note: BC is written after the year, while AD comes before the year!
The different date formats in English
There are two main ways to give dates in English: the British format (UK), used mainly in the United Kingdom, and the American format (US), used mainly in the United States. These formats differ in both written and spoken English.
What is the British date format?
In British English, the order is day, month, year. For example: 25 April 2021.
There are various ways to write a date in British English, with or without abbreviations. For instance, April 25, 2021, can be written in these forms:
- 25 Apr
- 25 April
- April 25, 2021
- 25th April 2021
- April 25th, 2021
- the 25th of April, 2021
If you want to include the day of the week, it can be placed:
- either at the beginning separated by a comma: Sunday, 25 April 2021
- or written with the and of: Sunday the 25th of April 2021
To write the date in numbers, the British format follows the same order as in writing: day, month, year order. These formats are correct:
- 25/04/2021
- 25.04.2021
- 25-04-2021
How to say the date in British English
To say the date in British English, the format is always te same: the + ordinal number + of + month + year. For example: the 25th of April 2021.
| Date | British (UK) format | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| 25 April 2021 | The twenty-fifth of April twenty twenty-one / two thousand and twenty-one | |
| Sunday, 25 April 2021 | Sunday, the twenty-fifth of April twenty twenty-one / two thousand and twenty-one | |
| 10 November 2018 | The tenth of November two thousand and eighteen / the tenth of November twenty eighteen | |
| 1 May 1984 | The first of May nineteen eighty-four |
What is the American date format?
In American English, the order is month, day, year. For example, January 2, 2003.
There are three ways to write a date in American English:
- Apr 25
- April 25
- April 25, 2021
You can also add the day of the week, separated by a comma:
- Sunday, April 25, 2021
Note: Adding -th to writing is not common in American English, but it is not incorrect.
To write the date in numbers in the American format, follow the rule: month, day, year. Be careful, as this can be confusing (especially for dates up to the 12th of the month):
- 04/25/2021
- 04.25.2021
- 04-25-2021
So, note that dates in American English are different from British English. In the US, the day is written after the month, while in the UK, it is written before the month. However, the two cultures share one thing in common: on both sides of the Atlantic, the same date can be written in several different ways.
How to say a date in American English
To express the date orally in American English, the structure is: month + ordinal number + year. For example: January, the second, 2021.
| Date | American (US) format | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| April 25, 2021 | April, the twenty-fifth, two thousand twenty one / twenty twenty-one | |
| Sunday, April 25, 2021 | Sunday, April the twenty-fifth, two thousand twenty one / twenty twenty-one | |
| October 11, 2018 | October, the eleventh, twenty eighteen / two thousand eighteen | |
| January 5 1984 | January, the fifth, nineteen eighty-four |
Note: In spoken American English, adding the before the ordinal number is optional. You can also say:
| Date | American (US) format | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, April 25, 2021 | Sunday, April twenty-fifth, twenty twenty-one | |
| October 11, 1984 | October, eleventh, nineteen eighty-four |
How to ask for and give a specific date: Today’s date, anniversary
There are several ways to ask for or give a specific date in English. To ask for today’s date, you can naturally say What day is it? For giving your birthday, you would say, My birthday is on… or I was born on…
How to ask for the date in English:
To ask the date in English, there are several options. You can ask: What’s the date today?, What is today’s date?, What day is it?
To answer, you will simply say:
- Today is June 8, 2021.
- Today’s date is Friday, May 4, 2021.
| Question | Answer | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| What’s the date today? | Today is June 8, 2021. | |
| What is today’s date? | Today’s date is Friday, May 4, 2021. | |
| What day is it? | It is Tuesday, July 4, 2021. |
How to give your date of birth in English
There are different ways to say your date of birth in English. You can start with My birthday is on… or I was born on….
In either case, the structure depends on whether you’re using British or American English.
- British English: the + ordinal number + of + month (+ year)
- American English: month + (the +) ordinal number (+ year)
Here are some examples in British English:
| British English | Audio |
|---|---|
| My birthday is on the sixth of March. | |
| I was born on the sixth of March nineteen seventy-seven. |
And here are some examples in American English:
| American English | Audio |
|---|---|
| My birthday is on March the sixth. | |
| I was born on March the sixth nineteen seventy-seven. |
2 exercises to test your knowledge
Exercise
Write what the following two dates correspond to in British English and American English. For each, indicate the different oral and written forms:
- 11/02/2000
- 01/12/1986
Answers
For 11/02/2020
UK written:
- 11 February 2000
- 11th February 2000
- February 11th, 2000
- the 11th of February, 2000
US written:
- November 2, 2020
UK spoken:
- the eleventh of February two thousand
US spoken:
- November the second, two thousand
- November second, two thousand
For 01/12/1986
UK written:
- 1 December 1986
- 1st December 1986
- December 1st, 1986
- the 1st of December, 1986
US written:
- January 12, 1986
UK spoken:
- the first of December nineteen eighty-six
US spoken:
- January the twelfth, nineteen eighty-six
- January twelfth, nineteen eighty-six
