This cheat sheet covers the Spanish numbers, time expressions, and date patterns students use in class, travel, schedules, and everyday conversation. It helps students quickly check spelling, word order, and common phrases without searching through notes. The reference is especially useful because Spanish time and dates follow patterns that differ from English.
Students in grades 6-12 can use it to build accuracy and confidence in speaking and writing.
Key Facts
- Cardinal numbers answer how many, such as uno, dos, tres, diez, veinte, treinta, cien, and mil.
- Numbers 16-29 are written as one word, such as dieciséis, veintidós, and veintinueve.
- To tell time, use Es la una for 1:00 and Son las dos, Son las tres, or Son las cuatro for all other hours.
- Minutes after the hour use y, as in Son las cuatro y veinte for 4:20.
- Minutes before the next hour often use menos, as in Son las cinco menos diez for 4:50.
- Dates in Spanish use el + number + de + month + de + year, as in el 15 de marzo de 2026.
- Days and months are not capitalized in Spanish, so write lunes, martes, enero, and febrero in lowercase.
- Ordinal numbers used most often are primero, segundo, tercero, cuarto, quinto, sexto, séptimo, octavo, noveno, and décimo.
Vocabulary
- número cardinal
- A cardinal number tells quantity, such as uno, cinco, veinte, or cien.
- número ordinal
- An ordinal number tells order or position, such as primero, segundo, tercero, or cuarto.
- la hora
- La hora means the time or the hour when asking or saying what time it is.
- la fecha
- La fecha means the date and is usually written in Spanish as day + de + month + de + year.
- mediodía
- Mediodía means noon, or 12:00 in the middle of the day.
- medianoche
- Medianoche means midnight, or 12:00 at night.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Writing Spanish months and days with capital letters is wrong because they are lowercase unless they begin a sentence.
- Using Son la una is wrong because 1:00 is singular, so the correct phrase is Es la una.
- Translating English dates word for word is wrong because Spanish uses el 10 de mayo, not mayo 10.
- Forgetting accent marks in numbers such as dieciséis, veintidós, and veintitrés is wrong because accents show correct pronunciation and spelling.
- Using y for times before the next hour can sound awkward, because Spanish often uses menos, such as Son las seis menos cuarto for 5:45.
Practice Questions
- 1 Write the Spanish number for 27 and 36.
- 2 Translate into Spanish: It is 3:15.
- 3 Write the date in Spanish: Monday, October 7, 2024.
- 4 Explain why Es la una is used for 1:00 but Son las dos is used for 2:00.