Talking about the date in Spanish is a little bit tricky. There are two things to keep in mind: the definite article is often used and (attn: American English speakers) the number always precedes the month.

To ask What's the date? say ¿Cuál es la fecha? or ¿A cuánto estamos hoy?

Use the following construction to respond:

Es el 8 de abril.
Estamos a 30 de octubre de 1977.
Hoy es el 2 de enero de 2000.

On the first day of the month, most speakers use the ordinal number primero (first) or 1^o (1st) rather than the cardinal number uno.

It's April 1st - Es el primero de abril, Hoy es el 1^o de abril.

but

It's July 4th - Es el 4 de julio.

To write the short form of the date, it is essential to remember that the date goes first, and then the month. This can be very confusing for American English speakers!

American English	April 4, 2000 = 4/8/00
Spanish	el 8 de abril 2000 = 8-4-00

If you want to answer with the day of the week, use the following construction:

Es sábado, 8 abril de 1977.
Hoy es martes, 25 de diciembre de 2000.
Estamos a lunes, 3 de agosto.

To ask What day (of the week) is it? say ¿Qué día es hoy?

To answer, simply use (Hoy) Es + the day of the week.

Hoy es sábado.
Es jueves.

Related Vocabulary + Lessons:

Calendar    Numbers    To be

Hacer in expressions of time
Hacer, which literally means "to do" or "to make," is found in a number of idiomatic expressions. One of this verb's most important uses has to do with expressing time.

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