How to Tell the Date in Italian

Being able to talk about dates is an essential part of communication in any language. Whether you’re making plans, talking about birthdays, referring to historical events, or simply stating today’s date, knowing how to express dates in Italian will make you sound fluent and confident. The good news is that the structure of dates in Italian is quite similar to English, but with some key differences in vocabulary and grammar that are worth mastering.

How to Ask for the Date

If you want to ask someone what the date is in Italian, there are two common and natural ways to phrase the question:

Both questions are correct and widely used, so you can choose either depending on the context. Che giorno è oggi? is slightly more informal, while Che data è oggi? is straightforward and neutral.

How to Answer the Date

When answering questions about the date in Italian, there is a standard structure that is easy to follow:

First, say the day using the article il. Then, say the month. Finally, state the year if needed. Here are some examples:

Notice that the article il is used before the day of the month. This is standard in Italian, and it helps indicate that you are specifying a particular date.

Days and Months

In Italian, ordinal numbers are generally used when expressing dates. For example, primo (first), secondo (second), terzo (third), and so on. The only exception is the number one, where primo is always used instead of uno.

Here are a few examples of ordinal numbers in dates:

Remember that il is used before all numbers because dates are considered masculine in Italian.

Adding the Day of the Week

If you want to include the day of the week, you place it before the number without the article il. This is similar to saying Monday, the 13th of July in English.

Days of the Week and Months

Here are the names of the days of the week and months in Italian to help you become familiar with them:

Days of the Week:

Months of the Year:

How to Say the Year

When expressing years in Italian, you simply read them as numbers. There’s no special word for year unless you’re specifying it in a sentence. For example:

Expressing Birthdays and Events with Years

When giving your birthdate or stating the year of an event, the format is the same as before: day, month, and year. You can also use il before the day and month:

Preposition Nel with Years

In Italian, the preposition used with years is in. When combined with the article il, it becomes nel. This is very common when talking about when someone was born, graduated, or an event occurred:

Centuries

Centuries in Italian can be expressed in two main ways. The first is by using the ordinal number followed by the word secolo (which means century). For example, Il diciannovesimo secolo translates to the 19th century. The second way is by using the name of the century itself, such as L’ottocento, which refers to the 1800s.

When talking about centuries, you always use the article il because secolo is a masculine noun. Additionally, when indicating a time period in a sentence, you use the preposition in, just like you would with years.

Talking About Decades

To talk about decades, you can use gli anni (the years) followed by the name of the decade:

Vocabulary for Time Periods

Here are some key terms related to time periods that are useful when discussing dates, decades, or centuries:

Summary

Expressing dates in Italian involves understanding a few key rules:

• Ask the date using Che giorno è oggi? or Che data è oggi?.
• Answer with the day (il + ordinal number), month, and optionally the year.
• Include the day of the week before the date without using il.
• Use ordinal numbers for days, except for the first day which is primo.
• Years are read as numbers, and the preposition nel is used when indicating the year of an event.
• Centuries and decades have their own expressions, using secolo, L’ottocento, or gli anni plus the decade.
• Familiarity with the days of the week and months is essential to sounding natural.

With practice, you’ll be able to discuss past, present, and future dates in Italian with confidence and fluency.