Learning how to express, write, and comprehend dates is a crucial aspect of studying English. So, let’s explore the essential information you need to know to effectively use dates in English!
Asking about the day of the week:
To inquire about the current day of the week, you can say:
What day is it today? or What’s today’s day?
What day is it tomorrow? or What’s tomorrow’s day?
To respond to these questions, you can say:
Today is Monday. or It’s Monday today.
Tomorrow will be Tuesday. or It’s Tuesday tomorrow.
Asking for the date:
If you want to ask about the specific date, you can say:
What’s the date today? or What’s today’s date?
What’s the date tomorrow? or What’s tomorrow’s date?
You can answer by saying:
Today is September 27th. or It’s September 27th today.
Tomorrow will be September 28th.
Expressing the date:
When discussing dates in English, we use ordinal numbers. For instance, instead of saying “one” for January 1st, we say “first.” We precede the number with “the” and follow it with “of.” For example:
It’s the first of January.
It’s also possible to invert the month and day. For example:
It’s January first.
In this case, you don’t need to include “the” and “of.”
Ordinal numbers:
Here are the ordinal numbers you need to use:
For numbers from 13 to 19, we add “-th” to form the ordinal numbers (thirteenth, fourteenth, etc.)
For numbers from 21 to 31, the ordinal numbers are based on the ending of the second number. For example:
21 – twenty-first
22 – twenty-second
23 – twenty-third
24 – twenty-fourth
Writing the date:
When writing a date, we don’t include “the” and “of” as we do when speaking. For example:
It’s the first of January – speaking
It’s January 1st – writing
As you can see, you don’t need to write out the entire number, but we usually add the last two letters of the ordinal number. For example:
First – 1st
Second – 2nd
Third – 3rd
Fourth – 4th
Saying the year:
There are two ways to express the year in English. Until the year 2000, each year was pronounced as two numbers. For example:
1485 – fourteen eighty-five
1750 – seventeen fifty
1900 – nineteen hundred
For the initial years of previous centuries, we add a “0.” For example:
1801 – eighteen o one
For the first ten years of the 21st century, we use the word “thousand.” For example:
2000 – two thousand
2006 – two thousand six
From 2010 onwards, you can revert to using two numbers. For example:
2012 – twenty twelve
However, some people still use “thousand” and say:
2012 – two thousand twelve
Centuries:
When referring to a century in English, we use ordinal numbers. For example:
1800-1900 = the nineteenth century
1900-2000 = the twentieth century
Centuries are further divided into decades, which are periods of ten years.
Historical dates:
When discussing a year in the distant past, you can use B.C. and A.D. B.C. stands for “before Christ.” For example:
The first Olympic Games were in 776 B.C.
A.D. stands for “Anno Domini,” which marks the birth of Christ. This year is 2019 A.D. However, it’s only necessary to add A.D. when the time period is unclear. For example:
Romulus Augustulus was the last Roman Emperor from 475-476 A.D.
American vs. British English difference:
There is a difference in the order of indicating the date and the month between American and British English. In American English, it’s common to mention the month first, followed by the date. For example:
09.25.2019 – September 25, 2019
While in British English, the same date is expressed as:
25.09.2019 – 25th September 2019
So, when writing dates as numbers, be cautious. Depending on your audience, you may need to include the month to ensure clarity.
Getting the date right is crucial when making arrangements in English, such as work meetings or hotel reservations.
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