Questions & Answers about De wedstrijd is op de tiende maart.
Why is there no word for "of" in de tiende maart?
In Dutch, you don't need a word for "of" when giving a date. You simply put the ordinal number right next to the month, like de tiende maart (the tenth of March) or de eerste juli (the first of July).
How do you make ordinal numbers like tiende (tenth) in Dutch?
For most numbers from 2 to 19, you just add -de to the normal number. So tien (ten) becomes tiende (tenth), and vier (four) becomes vierde (fourth). Numbers 20 and higher get -ste, like twintigste (twentieth). Keep in mind that 1st, 3rd, and 8th are irregular: eerste, derde, and achtste.
Why isn't the month maart capitalized?
Unlike in English, months, days of the week, and seasons are not capitalized in Dutch. So it is always written with a lowercase letter as maart, not Maart, unless it is the very first word of a sentence.
Why do we use the preposition op here?
In Dutch, you use the preposition op when talking about exact days and dates. Just like you say op maandag (on Monday), you use op for specific dates like op de tiende maart (on the tenth of March).