Olá a todos! Welcome back to another lesson in our language-learning journey. Today, we’re diving into another crucial aspect of numbers: saying dates in European Portuguese. This includes how to express the day of the month and talk about years. Knowing how to correctly say dates will help you in everyday conversations and understand others in Portuguese.
Saying the Day of the Month
Let’s start with the basics – the days of the month. In Portugal, we use cardinal numbers to state the days. For example, if today is the 5th of June, you would say “today is day 5 of June” = hoje é dia cinco de junho. Here’s a quick refresher on the cardinal numbers from 1 to 31:
- 1: um
- 2: dois
- 3: três
- 4: quatro
- 5: cinco
- 6: seis
- 7: sete
- 8: oito
- 9: nove
- 10: dez
- 11: onze
- 12: doze
- 13: treze
- 14: catorze (or quatorze)
- 15: quinze
- 16: dezasseis
- 17: dezassete
- 18: dezoito
- 19: dezanove
- 20: vinte
- 21: vinte e um
- 22: vinte e dois
- 23: vinte e três
- 24: vinte e quatro
- 25: vinte e cinco
- 26: vinte e seis
- 27: vinte e sete
- 28: vinte e oito
- 29: vinte e nove
- 30: trinta
- 31: trinta e um
Talking About Years
In years, Portuguese is not the same as English. We read the year as a whole number:
- 1999: mil novecentos e noventa e nove (one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine)
- 2024: dois mil e vinte e quatro (two thousand and twenty-four)
This means we don’t say things like twenty-two hundred or I was born in “nineteen” eighty-three”
Quando nasceste? (When were you born?)
Nasci em mil novecentos e oitenta e três (I was born in one thousand nine-hundred and eighty-three)
Constructing Complete Dates
To put it all together, let’s construct a complete date. If you want to say “The 5th of June 2024,” you would say:
“Cinco de junho de dois mil e vinte e quatro.”
Here’s a breakdown:
- Cinco – the 5th
- de junho – of June
- de dois mil e vinte e quatro – of 2024
Now you can confidently say dates in European Portuguese!
Practice Makes Perfect
To help you practice, here are a few more dates to try translating:
- 1st January 2000
- 15th August 2021
- 23rd November 1987
A Sneak Peek into Birthdays
Speaking of dates, one of the most joyous occasions we celebrate is birthdays. In Portuguese, a birthday is called “aniversário“. Stay tuned for our next post, where we’ll delve into how to wish someone a happy birthday and all the related vocabulary. You’ll learn phrases like “Parabéns!” and “Feliz aniversário!“
Até à próxima lição! See you in next lesson!
Conclusion
Mastering dates is a small but significant step in your language-learning journey. Not only does it help in daily interactions, but it also enriches your understanding of Portuguese culture. Keep practising, and don’t forget to check out our upcoming lesson on birthdays!
Related Posts for further reading
- Counting in Portuguese
- Money in Portuguese
- Happy Birthday in Portuguese
- Telling Time in Portuguese