Log inSign up

Il compleanno di Marco è il ventotto novembre.

Il compleanno di Marco è il ventotto novembre.
Marco's birthday is November 28th.
From Lesson 54:Dates (il + number)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Il compleanno di Marco è il ventotto novembre.

Why do we use il ventotto (the twenty-eight) instead of an ordinal number like "the twenty-eighth"?
In English, we use ordinal numbers (first, second, third) for dates. In Italian, you only use the ordinal for the first of the month (il primo). For every other day, you just use the regular number. So, November 28th is literally phrased as the twenty-eight November.
Why is there an il right before the number?
In Italian, you must use the masculine singular article il (the) before the number when stating a date. This is because it implies il giorno (the day), which is a masculine word.
Why does it say Il compleanno di Marco instead of "Marco's compleanno"?
Italian does not have an apostrophe-s to show ownership. Instead, you always use the word di (of) to link the objects. To say Marco's birthday, you must literally say The birthday of Marco (Il compleanno di Marco).
Why isn't novembre capitalized?
Unlike in English, the names of the months and the days of the week are not capitalized in Italian unless they appear at the very beginning of a sentence.
Why is ventotto written as one word without the letter i from venti?
To make numbers like 28, you combine venti (twenty) and otto (eight). However, because venti ends in a vowel and otto starts with one, the final vowel in venti is dropped to make it easier to say. That is why it becomes ventotto instead of "ventiotto"otto".

Learn Il compleanno di Marco è il ventotto novembre and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →