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.
Understanding Numbers, Time & Date Reference
Spanish numbers change form in a few important situations. Uno becomes un before a masculine singular noun, such as un libro, and una before a feminine noun, such as una mochila. The same pattern appears in twenty one, thirty one, and larger numbers ending in one.
Some hundreds match the gender of the noun. Students may see doscientos libros but doscientas páginas.
These changes show that number words can carry grammar information. Learn the number by itself first, then practise it with real classroom objects, prices, ages, addresses, and quantities.
Large numbers are built in groups, so place value matters. Spanish uses mil for one thousand, and mil does not normally take a plural ending when it follows another number. A number such as two thousand books uses dos mil libros.
Million works differently because it is a noun, so it can be plural. Commas and periods in written numbers may follow a different regional convention from English. In many Spanish speaking places, a period separates thousands and a comma marks a decimal amount.
A price written as 12,50 may mean twelve units and fifty cents. Check the local convention when reading tickets, menus, bills, or statistics.
Time language depends on the situation. Schedules at schools, airports, train stations, and online bookings often use the twenty four hour clock. A train listed at 18.30 leaves in the early evening.
In ordinary conversation, people often use a twelve hour clock and add de la mañana, de la tarde, or de la noche when clarity matters. Use a las before the time of an event, as in a las ocho.
Expressions such as media for half past and cuarto for quarter past or quarter to make speech shorter. Pay attention to whether someone is stating the current time or saying when an activity happens, since those forms serve different jobs.
Ordinals describe order rather than amount. They appear in school years, floors of buildings, chapters, races, and royal names. They usually agree with the noun in gender and number.
Primero and tercero lose their final o before a masculine singular noun, giving primer piso and tercer capítulo. In everyday Spanish, cardinal numbers are often used after ten, especially for dates, floors, and rankings, so students may hear piso once rather than an ordinal form. Dates need careful listening because people commonly say only the day and month when the year is clear from context.
The first day of a month is often called primero rather than uno. Build accuracy by saying complete dates aloud, then write them from dictation. This practice strengthens spelling, listening, pronunciation, and word order at the same time.