Tiene la fecha de hoy arriba.
It has today's date at the top.
On a sheet of paper, the first thing you look for is which day it is. La fecha de hoy is today's date.
From Suits · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "date" in Spanish
la fecha
nounfeminineplural: las fechasromantic date: la cita
"Date" in Spanish is la fecha when you mean a day on the calendar: ¿Cuál es la fecha del concierto? A romantic date, or an appointment with the doctor, is la cita: Tengo una cita el sábado.
Hear "fecha" in real movie scenes
A date on paper and a date that doesn't matter. Each video starts and stops on that line.
No importa la fecha ni el año
The date doesn't matter, and neither does the year
Some things stay true at any time, and with this line the speaker sweeps the calendar aside. Ni adds a second thing that doesn't matter either.
Fecha, cita and the other dates
English uses one word for all of these. Spanish splits them up.
| Spanish | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| la fecha | date on the calendar | la fecha de hoy, today's date |
| la cita | romantic date; appointment | una primera cita, a first date. una cita con el médico, a doctor's appointment. |
| salir con alguien | to date someone, go out with someone | Salgo con Laura. I'm going out with Laura. |
| la fecha de nacimiento | date of birth | You'll see it on forms and IDs. |
| la fecha de caducidad | expiration date | The usual phrase in Spain. In much of Latin America people say fecha de vencimiento. |
| el dátil | date (the fruit) | A separate word, with no link to fecha. |
Tip: To ask for today's date, say ¿Qué fecha es hoy? The answer puts the day first: Es el quince de mayo.
Grammar: la fecha, las fechas
Four points, including when to switch to cita.
Feminine
la fecha, una fecha, las fechas. La cita is feminine as well, so both words take la.The date of something
Spanish names the event after de: la fecha del concierto, the concert's date. De and el merge into del.Cuál for a fact, qué for today
¿Cuál es la fecha del concierto? asks about an event. ¿Qué fecha es hoy? is the set question for today.Calendar or person
A day on the calendar is la fecha. Meeting a person, romantic or not, is la cita: una cita a ciegas, a blind date.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
¿Cuál es la fecha del concierto?
What's the date of the concert?
La fecha es el quince de mayo.
The date is May 15.
Tiene la fecha de hoy arriba.
It has today's date at the top.
La fecha del concierto no está en el programa.
The concert date isn't on the program.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Tengo una fecha con Laura (a romantic date)
✓Tengo una cita con Laura
Fecha is only a day on the calendar. Plans to meet someone are una cita.
✗¿Qué es la fecha del concierto?
✓¿Cuál es la fecha del concierto?
When you ask for a specific piece of information with es, Spanish uses cuál.
✗FEH-kah (pronunciation)
✓FEH-chah
The ch in fecha sounds like the ch in English check.
Real conversation: inviting a friend to a concert
A short phone call about a concert date.
You call Alba, a friend who loves live music, to invite her to a concert.
Oye, ¿cuál es la fecha del concierto?
Hey, what's the date of the concert?
Entre mayo y junio.
Sometime between May and June.
Pues últimamente no tengo dinero.
Well, I'm short on money lately.
Your turn to answer
In the app you reply in Spanish for the last line.
Continue the conversation in WordyPractice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 31 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Fecha sounds a bit like fetch. Before you make plans, you fetch the calendar and check the fecha.
Questions about "date" in Spanish
How do you say date in Spanish?
La fecha for a date on the calendar, and la cita for a romantic date or an appointment.
How do you say "what's the date today" in Spanish?
¿Qué fecha es hoy? A typical reply is Hoy es 15 de mayo.
How do you say "go on a date" in Spanish?
Tener una cita or salir con alguien: Esta noche tengo una cita. Salir con alguien also means you're dating that person.
How do you say date of birth in Spanish?
La fecha de nacimiento. On Spanish forms you write it day first, then the month and the year.
