📅 3.2. The Date

In this lesson, we will learn how to express and understand dates in English. Knowing how to say and write dates is essential for everyday conversations, writing formal documents, and understanding schedules or events. Let’s dive in!

Understanding the Structure of a Date

In English, dates follow a specific structure. They are usually written or spoken as:

Month + Day + Year (in American English)
or
Day + Month + Year (in British English)

Example:

• American English: January 15, 2023 → 🔊 January fifteenth, twenty twenty-three
• British English: 15th January 2023 → 🔊 The fifteenth of January, twenty twenty-three

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How to Say the Days of the Month

When saying dates, it’s important to know how to pronounce the days of the month. Here’s a table to help you:

Number	Ordinal Number	Pronunciation
1	1st	🔊 First
2	2nd	🔊 Second
3	3rd	🔊 Third
4	4th	🔊 Fourth
5	5th	🔊 Fifth
6	6th	🔊 Sixth
7	7th	🔊 Seventh
8	8th	🔊 Eighth
9	9th	🔊 Ninth
10	10th	🔊 Tenth
11	11th	🔊 Eleventh
12	12th	🔊 Twelfth
13	13th	🔊 Thirteenth
14	14th	🔊 Fourteenth
15	15th	🔊 Fifteenth
16	16th	🔊 Sixteenth
17	17th	🔊 Seventeenth
18	18th	🔊 Eighteenth
19	19th	🔊 Nineteenth
20	20th	🔊 Twentieth
21	21st	🔊 Twenty-first
22	22nd	🔊 Twenty-second
23	23rd	🔊 Twenty-third
24	24th	🔊 Twenty-fourth
25	25th	🔊 Twenty-fifth
26	26th	🔊 Twenty-sixth
27	27th	🔊 Twenty-seventh
28	28th	🔊 Twenty-eighth
29	29th	🔊 Twenty-ninth
30	30th	🔊 Thirtieth
31	31st	🔊 Thirty-first

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How to Say the Months

Here’s a list of the months of the year and their pronunciation:

Month	Pronunciation
January	🔊 January
February	🔊 February
March	🔊 March
April	🔊 April
May	🔊 May
June	🔊 June
July	🔊 July
August	🔊 August
September	🔊 September
October	🔊 October
November	🔊 November
December	🔊 December

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Writing Dates in Numbers

Dates can also be written using numbers. This is common in informal contexts or when space is limited. Here’s how:

Format:

• American English: MM/DD/YYYY (e.g., 01/15/2023 → January 15, 2023)
• British English: DD/MM/YYYY (e.g., 15/01/2023 → 15th January 2023)

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Asking and Answering About Dates

It’s common to ask about dates in English. Here are some useful phrases:

Asking:

• What is today’s date? → 🔊 What is today’s date?
• When is your birthday? → 🔊 When is your birthday?

Answering:

• Today is October 5th. → 🔊 Today is October fifth.
• My birthday is on June 22nd. → 🔊 My birthday is on June twenty-second.

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Practice Games

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Key Takeaways

• Dates are written differently in American and British English.
• Use ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) when saying dates.
• Practice asking and answering questions about dates to improve your fluency.

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Lesson Practice