The days of the week in Spanish are lunes, martes, miércoles, jueves, viernes, sábado and domingo, and the months run from enero to diciembre. All are written in lower case. Learn these five first: lunes (Monday), sábado (Saturday), enero (January), la semana pasada (last week) and el mes que viene (next month).
- Words
- 40: days, months, seasons, time phrases
- Capital letters
- No: lunes, enero
- Week starts
- On Monday (lunes)
- Level
- A1
40 Spanish calendar words
Days and months are listed without an article; both are masculine (el lunes, un enero frío). The other nouns come with el or la. This is the calendar pack the Contos web app uses for flashcard review.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| lunes | Monday |
| martes | Tuesday |
| miércoles | Wednesday |
| jueves | Thursday |
| viernes | Friday |
| sábado | Saturday |
| domingo | Sunday |
| enero | January |
| febrero | February |
| marzo | March |
| abril | April |
| mayo | May |
| junio | June |
| julio | July |
| agosto | August |
| septiembre | September |
| octubre | October |
| noviembre | November |
| diciembre | December |
| la primavera | spring |
| el verano | summer |
| el otoño | autumn |
| el invierno | winter |
| la fecha | date |
| el calendario | calendar |
| el siglo | century |
| la década | decade |
| la estación | season |
| la tarde | afternoon |
| la medianoche | midnight |
| el amanecer | dawn |
| pasado mañana | the day after tomorrow |
| anteayer | the day before yesterday |
| la semana pasada | last week |
| el mes que viene | next month |
| este año | this year |
| el día festivo | public holiday |
| el año bisiesto | leap year |
| el día entre semana | weekday |
| la quincena | fortnight |
How do you say "on Monday" in Spanish?
Spanish uses the article instead of a preposition. El lunes means on Monday (one particular Monday) and los lunes means on Mondays (every Monday). Never put en in front of a day.
El lunes tengo una reunión.
I have a meeting on Monday.
Los sábados voy al mercado.
I go to the market on Saturdays.
Hoy es viernes.
Today is Friday.
When you say what day it is, there is no article.
The days from lunes to viernes already end in -s, so the plural changes only the article: los martes, los jueves. Sábado and domingo add -s: los sábados, los domingos. Parts of the day follow with por: el lunes por la mañana, el viernes por la noche.
Es lunes por la mañana.Writing and saying dates: el veinte de mayo
A date in Spanish is el + number + de + month: el veinte de mayo, el tres de enero. Use ordinary numbers, not "twentieth". For the first of the month, Spain usually says el uno de mayo, while much of Latin America prefers el primero de mayo. Written down, the day comes before the month: 20/5 is the twentieth of May.
La iglesia está lista para el veinte de mayo.¿Qué día es hoy?
What day is it today?
¿A qué fecha estamos?
What is the date today?
Mi cumpleaños es el doce de octubre.
My birthday is on the twelfth of October.
Nací en 1998.
I was born in 1998.
Say the year as a full number: mil novecientos noventa y ocho.
Septiembre is the standard spelling, but setiembre is also accepted and appears in parts of Latin America. Both are pronounced as written.
Seasons, holidays and phrases for time
The four seasons are la primavera, el verano, el otoño and el invierno, and "in summer" is simply en verano. La estación means a season as well as a station. If you are going to Argentina or Chile, remember that el verano there falls in December, January and February.
Aquel sábado de septiembre, el patio del instituto olía a tierra caliente y a paella.A few words in the list need a note. El día entre semana is a weekday, and entre semana on its own means "on weekdays"; a working day is el día laborable. El día festivo, or just un festivo, is a public holiday, and when a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, people in Spain may hacer puente, taking the day in between off for a long weekend. La quincena is a fortnight, though in speech quince días is more common.
| Past | Now | Future |
|---|---|---|
| anteayer (the day before yesterday) | hoy (today) | pasado mañana (the day after tomorrow) |
| la semana pasada (last week) | esta semana (this week) | la semana que viene (next week) |
| el mes pasado (last month) | este mes (this month) | el mes que viene (next month) |
| el año pasado (last year) | este año (this year) | el año que viene (next year) |
Read a Spanish story that starts on a Monday morning: tap any word to see its meaning.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
Are days of the week capitalised in Spanish?
No. Days and months are written in lower case: lunes, martes, enero, febrero. They take a capital only at the start of a sentence or in a title.
How do you say "on Monday" in Spanish?
El lunes. Spanish uses the article, not a preposition, so never say en lunes. For a habit, use the plural article: los lunes, "on Mondays".
How do you write the date in Spanish?
Day first, then month: el 15 de marzo de 2027, or 15/3/2027. In speech, use a plain number for the day (el quince de marzo). For the first, Spain says el uno and much of Latin America el primero.
Is it septiembre or setiembre?
Both are accepted. Septiembre is the standard spelling and the one you will see in Spain; setiembre is also correct and is used in some Latin American countries.