Questions & Answers about Mi cumpleaños es el cinco de noviembre.
Why does it say cinco (five) instead of "fifth"?
In Spanish, we use regular numbers (one, two, three) for dates instead of placement numbers (first, second, third). So, instead of saying "the fifth of November", you say el cinco de noviembre (the five of November). The only exception is the first day of the month, which is el primero. Why isn't noviembre capitalized here?
In Spanish, the months of the year and the days of the week are always written with lowercase letters, unless they are the very first word of a sentence. Cumpleaños ends with an "s". Is it a plural word?
It is singular in this sentence, which we can tell because it uses Mi (my) and es (is). Cumpleaños is a combination of cumple (completes) and años (years). Because it contains the plural word años, it always ends in "s", even when you are just talking about one birthday. Do I always need to use el and de when giving a date?
Yes! The standard formula for giving dates in Spanish is el + [number] + de + [month]. It literally translates to "the [number] of [month]". You cannot skip el or de when giving a specific date like this. Learn Mi cumpleaños es el cinco de noviembre and more in Spanish
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