# date - May 9th 2005 [saying dates]



## Artrella

Please, I need to know for sure the way English speakers write the dates currently and how do you read them.

May, 9th 2005

5/9/2005

9/5/2005

Please help me!! The only way I'm sure about is the first one... this has always been a ??? to me.

Thank you!


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## timpeac

I would say "the ninth of May two thousand and five" and I would write it 9/5/05. Americans, I believe, would put 5/9/05 and say "May ninth two thousand and five".


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## VenusEnvy

timpeac said:
			
		

> I would say "the ninth of May two thousand and five" and I would write it *9/5/05*.


Really? I have never heard of Brits doing that! Well, ya learn somethin new e'eryday!   



			
				timpeac said:
			
		

> Americans, I believe, would put 5/9/05 and say "May ninth two thousand and five".


This is true. We write the month first, then the day, then the last two digits of the year.

Although we may write it differently, we can read it a number of ways.
"May ninth two thousand and five"
"The ninth of May two thousand and five"
"May ninth oh five"
(if you can believe it -->) "Five nine oh five"


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## Helicopta

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Americans missed out the 'and'...
May ninth, two thousand five?


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## VenusEnvy

Helicopta said:
			
		

> Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Americans missed out the 'and'...
> May ninth, two thousand five?


At times, but it's not a fixed rule.


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## mjscott

Yes, it is a fixed rule. As a Math teacher, we are instructed to explicitly re-teach students that it is _two thousand five_. In Math, _and_ depicts a decimal point. The difference would be 2005 vs. 2000.5 (or, 2000,5 in some countries)--though I think Math teachers are not winning their technical plea. If you want correctness, regardless of what is popular (according to American Math teachers) save the _and_ for when you have a decimal point. 

5/7/05 (US) is written 7/5/05 in other countries. I have been told that Mormons write 7 May 2005 when doing geneaologies--only because there is a discrepancy between countries on how to post May 7, and it often gets transposed. Once they find out what the correct date is, they always write out the month, and separate the day and the year--so that no numbers from any point forward can be confused.


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## Helicopta

Slightly off the topic, but... 'and' depicts a decimal point??? 
If someone said thirty and five to me I'd think they meant 35. If they meant 30.5 I'd expect them to say thirty point five.


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## JJchang

2000.5 is two thousand point five here... Do you have to teach the students again when you put units behind the numbers? "two thousand five dollars" sounds just strange.


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## mjscott

Yes, strange to me, too. As I teach students that speak other-than-English in the home, it is made as a point to teach, for example,

135 = _one hundred thirty-five _
rather than
135 = _one hundred and thirty five _

Most American English speakers don't even make the distinction, or even know about it. Makes no sense with dollars--what's the point? It was taught to me to make that distinction. Why? So that some ESL kid will not get an answer wrong on a multiple-choice test down the road? Perhaps someone else can clarify for all three of us.

As said earlier, this is off-topic--so any other comments, I'll be glad to answer privately--but I agree with you.


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## Artrella

mjscott said:
			
		

> Yes, strange to me, too. As I teach students that speak other-than-English in the home, it is made as a point to teach, for example,
> 
> 135 = _one hundred thirty-five _
> rather than
> 135 = _one hundred and thirty five _
> 
> Most American English speakers don't even make the distinction, or even know about it. Makes no sense with dollars--what's the point? It was taught to me to make that distinction. Why? So that some ESL kid will not get an answer wrong on a multiple-choice test down the road? Perhaps someone else can clarify for all three of us.
> 
> As said earlier, this is off-topic--so any other comments, I'll be glad to answer privately--but I agree with you.





Hi mj my dear friend!! I really appreciate your explanations because this "and" was always a problem to me...so maybe off-topic but extremely helpful to me!!! Kiss!


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## te gato

Hey Art GF;

Just to add..in Legal documents..(_here_).. it is always written as such..

'Dated at the City of Calgary, in the Province of Alberta,
this 7th day of May, in the Year of 2005...(_sometimes 'in the Year of' is omitted_)

te gato


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## garryknight

Art: There was another thread where this topic was discussed. It might be worth doing a search for it as I think it went a little deeper than this one.


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## te gato

Hey Art GF;
I hope this works..mmmmm..Here is the link that Sir Garry was speaking of..

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=21614&highlight=date

te gato


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## lainyn

Where I am from the date is written as May 9/05, or May 9th, 2005 (more formal)

If we are forced to write it in digits completely, we write 05/09/(20)05, although I admit it's confusing.

And I always pronounce the year as "Two Thousand* 'n* Five"


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## AverageJoe

I would write it as 5/9, or 5/9/05 if the year is needed.  I might also write it as May 9, 2005 in a situation like a letter.

I would pronounce the year as "two thousan five." I don't know why, but naturally I don't pronounce the d.


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## Artrella

AverageJoe said:
			
		

> " I don't know why, but naturally I don't pronounce the d.





Maybe because of the /f/ sound that follows?


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## JJchang

If you say "two thousand'n five" then you can get that d sound...


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## Artrella

JJchang said:
			
		

> If you say "two thousand'n five" then you can get that d sound...




Yes JJchang, in that case you can pronounce it because you have the /n/ sound, the other way it is almost impossible to pronounce it...  at least I've tried several times, and I cannot produce the /d/ clearly..


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## Glaçon

In written English the dates are given like this:

- The meeting was held on 15 January

How should I read it?


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## VenusEnvy

Glaçon said:
			
		

> In written English the dates are given like this:
> 
> - The meeting was held on January 15.


Or,
- The meeting was held on the 15th of January.



			
				Glaçon said:
			
		

> How should I read it?


"The meeting was held on January fifteenth."

Or,

"The meeting was held on the fifteenth of January."


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## Glaçon

Thanks a lot!


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## fenixpollo

_


			
				VenusEnvy said:
			
		


			In written English the dates are given like this:

- The meeting was held on January 15

Click to expand...

 _
It doesn't matter if the date is written European style, as in the original post, or American style, as in Venus' correction...

They're still spoken the same: *January fifteenth* or *the fifteenth of January*.

Hope this helps.


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## Dalian

Hello all,

Is it read first of May? the first of May? and how about 'May 1'?
thanks a lot.

Regards,

Dalian


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## QUIJOTE

I use *the first of May *or *May 1st.*


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## panjandrum

QUIJOTE said:
			
		

> I use *the first of May *or *May 1st.*


~chuckle~. Once upon a time, a the BBC radio news reader said something about King Charles Ist ... (reading IST as a single word - like fist without the f).
How would you say May 1st?
*May first*? - not in BE.
*May the first*? - OK, but a bit strange.
I agree with QUIJOTE about *The first of May*... that would be normal


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## Biondo

In England it is quite normal to say...

"The first of May"

or

"May the first"

but you would read it as "The first of May"

I hope that clears up any confusion.

Biondo.


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## modgirl

I prefer putting the date ahead of the month for simple logistics (the day changes most frequently, then the month, then the year). I have no idea what the official way is to say it orally, but I personally say either *May first* or the *first of May*.


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## Merlin

Normally it's *First of May.* If it's May 1. I believe you can say it as *May One.* It's odd to say it *May 1st*. I remember a song entitled *"First of May"*


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## Biondo

Please remember that there are different forms of English i.e. Americans speak American English and say things differently from native English speakers, it doesn't make it right or wrong to say it differently but if you wanted to read or say it in correct English it would be, "The first of May"  

Biondo.


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## Rach404

Definately here in the UK people say "The first of May", here I have never heard anyone say "May first" or "May the first", maybe that's a US thing? I prefer "The first of May" it just sounds nicer.
Rach


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## garryknight

This kind of question has been asked before. Here is one example thread.

[By the way, what's the connection between the Star Wars movies and the 4th of May? On this particular day, a large number of radio DJs can be heard saying, "May the 4th be with you". True.]


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## fenixpollo

To again post the American perspective, it's more common to hear *May first*.  _The first of May_ is also acceptable, but I think it's seen as more formal.  I've never heard anyone say _May one_.  

It's also known as *May Day*, but nobody in the States knows that anymore because of our historical phobia against communism.


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## mari.kit

hello...

i think it will depend on how you use it.. like when you're telling this to someone.. _My birthday will be on May 1st._ And when you write about an event.. eg: "....on the first of May.."

anyhow, both are acceptable.


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## Nick

Personally, I write dates as "2 May 2005" and read them as "May second, two thousand five".

"The second of May" and "May the second" are also used and acceptable, but I don't say them myself.

My only problem is with "May two". I completely disagree with reading numbers in dates as numbers. I don't know any Americans who say "May two" or "August five". There probably are some people who do this, but I think most, if not all, Americans wouldn't say this.


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## Eugens

Hi!
I've already asked this in the Spanish-English forum, but as I was wandering off a little from the original question of the thread, I couldn't ask every detail. Therefore, I'll ask here.  
I think I was told once that sometimes there are parts of the dates that are read out but not written down. For example, if what is written down is "27th December", that may be read out as "*the* twenty-seventh *of* December". Is that true? Is it the same to write "27th December" as to write "the 27th of December"?
How would you read:
"Two months later, on July 6th, he fired Owens." ("on July the sixth" or "July sixth"?)
"'When's the concert?' 'On 6th July.'" ("on the sixth of July" or "on sixth July"?)
"The competition ends July 6." ("ends July six" or "ends on July the sixth"?)
"The date on the letter was 30th August 1962." (was the thirtieth of August of nineteen sixty two?)
Thanks in advance!


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## sallyjoe

*Today is Monday the 3rd of October 2005.  When we are teaching students to say and write the date we tell them to say it - as above but write it missing out 'the' and 'of'.  so its the same to write 3/10/05 or 3rd October 2005.*
*Hope this helps.*



			
				Eugens said:
			
		

> Hi!
> I've already asked this in the Spanish-English forum, but as I was wandering off a little from the original question of the thread, I couldn't ask every detail. Therefore, I'll ask here.
> I think I was told once that sometimes there are parts of the dates that are read out but not written down. For example, if what is written down is "27th December", that may be read out as "*the* twenty-seventh *of* December". Is that true? Is it the same to write "27th December" as to write "the 27th of December"?
> 
> Thanks in advance!


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## AverageJoe

American english differs greatly on the issue of dates.  But, we do use it for some formal writings.  But I do believe it would be written 27 December.  Meaning the 27th of December.  I usually pronounce it on December 27th.
For one, I would say July Sixth, but the first would be right as well.
For the second, I would say July sixth, but I have never seen something written like that.  6 July, not 6th July maybe.


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## Eugens

Thank you!


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## Brioche

You can also say 
[a]"To-day is Tuesday, October 4th" or 
* "To-day is Tuesday, October the fourth."

This is the more common usage in US.

Some barbarians say "October four"*


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## argentina

Hi! Can anyone help me with this doubt? Which are the possibilities of writing the date correctly both in BrE and AmE?

For eg.

May, Monday 5(th) Monday, May 5(th) Monday 5(th) May
Monday, 5(th) May
Thank you very much!


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## elroy

In American English, you can write

*Monday, May 1, 2006*

or

*Monday, 1 May 2006*

The former is more common, I think.


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## GenJen54

In the US, the standard business format is _Monday, May 1, 2006 - day, month/date/year, _although we don't always use the actual day name.

Most word processing applications allow for different options. 

In Europe I believe it is more common to have day/month/year.  This was the format I had to use when I lived there.


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## Daz

elroy said:
			
		

> In American English, you can write
> 
> *Monday, May 1, 2006*
> 
> or
> 
> *Monday, 1 May 2006*
> 
> The former is more common, I think.


And in British English, the latter is more common.


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## french4beth

elroy said:
			
		

> In American English, you can write
> 
> *Monday, May 1, 2006*
> 
> or
> 
> *Monday, 1 May 2006*
> 
> The former is more common, I think.


 
The format of 'dd mmm yy' is used in the military (for example 01 MAY 05), I haven't really seen it otherwise in the US


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## panjandrum

There are previous threads about date formats.  Use the advanced forum search and enter *date format* as Key Words.
Here is one:
Dates in British English 

In normal business, we use 1 May 2006, 21 June 2006.

In short form, the internationalisation of staff is leading us to adopt a standard of dd-mmm-yyyy to minimise the risks of confusion created by AE- and BE-trained staff working in the same organisation.


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## Thomas1

Does any English use Roman numerals in dates, please?

e.g.: 1.V.2006.


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## french4beth

The only time that I've seen Roman numerals in English is at the end of a movie, where they list the year only (for example, MCMLXIII for 1963).

Found this post here http://www.novaroma.org/via_romana/numbers.html:


> Roman numerals traditionally indicate the order of rulers or ships who share the same name (i.e. Queen Elizabeth II). They are also sometimes still used in the publishing industry for copyright dates, and on cornerstones and gravestones when the owner of a building or the family of the deceased wishes to create an impression of classical dignity.


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## Daz

Thomas1 said:
			
		

> Does any English use Roman numerals in dates, please?
> 
> e.g.: 1.V.2006.



Nope, I have never seen a Roman numeral used in a date.


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## jasoncang

Hi,

How do you read 'June 2'? Same as 'June 2nd'?
Is it ok to write 'June 2' in the first place?

Thanks a lot.
Jason


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## mjscott

Because June 2, 2006 is 06/02/06 in the US; and is February 6, 2006 in many Spanish-speaking countries, I usually opt for 2 June 2006.

(By the way, June 2, 2006 in many Spanish-speaking countries is 02/06/06.)


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## Yôn

If written with the year, I would opt for June 2, 2006 (still June 1 in this hemishpere ).  If written without the year, I would opt for June 2nd.

I think America does it backwards from most of the world, where it's Day, Month, Year. (logically goes from smallest to largest).  In America, however, it's Month, Day, Year.  Makes not a bean of sense to me, but that's the way it's done.




Jon


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## Brioche

jasoncang said:
			
		

> Hi,
> 
> How do you read 'June 2'? Same as 'June 2nd'?
> Is it ok to write 'June 2' in the first place?
> 
> Thanks a lot.
> Jason


 
I say "the second of June" or "June the second".

It's perfectly ok to write June 2nd, or June 2.

Always* say* second, not just two.
There are people who say June two, but it is not standard English.


_She was born on the second of June two thousand and six._
or
_She was born on June the second, two thousand and six._

_If I write all numerals, I write 2/6/2006._
_In North America, people write 6/2/2006._

Note 
in AE 2006 is two thousand six.
in BE 2006 is two thousand and six.


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## jasoncang

Thanks a lot everyone, especially Brioche. But I vaguely remember hearing people say 'July fourth'. Were they actually saying 'July THE fourth'? Or the 'the' can be omitted?


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## Brioche

jasoncang said:
			
		

> Thanks a lot everyone, especially Brioche. But I vaguely remember hearing people say 'July fourth'. Were they actually saying 'July THE fourth'? Or the 'the' can be omitted?


 
I'm a bit of a traditionalist, and I would not omit "the".

However, there are plenty of people who do.


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## mjscott

People also say The Fourth of July. Many news ads have Fourth of July Weekend sales, and a joke for an American youngester of the appropriate age (learning US holidays) is, "Do they have the fourth of July in other countries?"

As a Math teacher I was taught over and over again that two thousand six was 2006; and that two thousand *and* six was 2000.6. It could make a difficulty in international banking!


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## panjandrum

Previous threads:

Reading dates out 

How to read '1 May'? 

Dates in British English


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## jasoncang

Thanks a lot everyone!


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## Brioche

mjscott said:
			
		

> People also say The Fourth of July. Many news ads have Fourth of July Weekend sales, and a joke for an American youngester of the appropriate age (learning US holidays) is, "Do they have the fourth of July in other countries?"
> 
> As a Math teacher I was taught over and over again that two thousand six was 2006; and that two thousand *and* six was 2000.6. It could make a difficulty in international banking!


 
If I add two thousand and 6 [2000 + 6] I get 2006.
If I add two thousand and zero point six [2000 + 0.6] I get 2000.6

Looks like I would have flunked math in the US, 
even though I passed maths at university in Australia.

In BE we say "and" after hundred, 
and after bigger numbers, if there's nothing in between

1,000,001 = one million *and *one.
1,234,605 = one million two hundred *and* thirty-four thousand six hundred *and* five.
200,003 = two hundred thousand *and *three.
50,500 = fifty thousand five hundred.
40,003 = forty thousand *and* five.


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## river

Mathematically one would never include "and" in speaking a numerical value; however, in colloquial language, one hears, "Those tickets cost a hundred and twenty-five bucks." 

In response to post #7, two thousand and six/100 translates into 2000.06 _not_ 2000.6.


In standard grammar the date is written either 2 June or June 2 with the numeral used in cardinal rather than ordinal form and without the article. But in speech the ordinal form (2nd) is usually pronounced.


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## maxiogee

river said:
			
		

> Mathematically one would never include "and" in speaking a numerical value; however, in colloquial language, one hears, "Those tickets cost a hundred and twenty-five bucks."
> 
> In response to post #7, two thousand and six/100 translates into 2000.06 _not_ 2000.6.



Over here one would never omit an "and" as listed in the post from Brioche. Maybe it's an American/British thing.

* I know this is the English Only forum, But I'd be interested to know (in English) how other languages handle big numbers.
In Irish there is an "and" sometimes (even in small numbers like 21, which would translate as twenty and one) but sometimes not, 1978 would be one thousand nine hundred seventy-eight (LOL, I even have trouble trying to type that in English).


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## river

The use of "and" clouds the intended numerical result:  Could "two thousand and three" mean 2003, 2000 + 3, or (as in check style) 2000 and 3/100.  It is by far more precise to universally omit the use of "and" when expressing numerical value.


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## maxiogee

river said:
			
		

> The use of "and" clouds the intended numerical result:  Could "two thousand and three" mean 2003, 2000 + 3, or (as in check style) 2000 and 3/100.  It is by far more precise to universally omit the use of "and" when expressing numerical value.



What's the difference between 2003 and 2000 + 3 when one is stating a number?

Take 2003.19

Here in Ireland we would either say two thousand and three point one nine miles (or whatever, excluding money) or two thousand and three euro and nineteen cent. If there were no cents then it would be two thousand and three euro. Not a cloud on the horizon!


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## hamlet

Hey,

in American English, what's the difference between:
May 1st, 2007
May 1, 2007
May the 1st, 2007
?

Also, in spoken language (still American), how do you say the date?
On the first of May 2007?

or can you say "on May first" or "on May one" too?


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## panjandrum

Thanks for looking for previous threads, Hamlet 
This one should be helpful for the spoken dates - Date format: reading dates


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## hamlet

Sorry. Thanks for the links


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## hamlet

Brioche said:


> in AE 2006 is two thousand six.
> in BE 2006 is two thousand and six.


I heard some say "twenty o' six". In what case do you say that?


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## panjandrum

Sorry to keep doing this to you Hamlet - 
Pronunciation: years and decades past, present and future; the 2000s (noughties?), 2012 ... 

I know it's long, but it should be helpful.


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## Dingeling

Sorry to re-open an old thread, but I'm a native European, living in New Zealand, working for an American organi*z*ation/organi*s*ation, and communicating with colleagues across the globe. (Just to make things a little more interesting ;-)

Here is what I’ve been taught, and please correct me if I'm wrong (with an authoritative source if you would):

Depending on the nationality, in both *informal and formal spoken* English you would generally say:

“_On the first of October, two thousand and ten_” (UK/International English), or;
“_On October first, two thousand and ten_” (US English).

Note: In many English speaking countries I have heard both forms used interchangeably.


In *informal written* communication it is generally accepted to write the dates the way you say them, using ordinal numbers:
“On the 1st of October 2010” (UK/International English);
“On October 1st, 2010” (US English);
Or in abbreviated notation as in the technical and scientific examples below.

In *formal written* communications I am of the understanding that the following rules apply:

In *technical or scientific* documents (e.g. reports, calculations, accounting, etc.) it is generally accepted to use abbreviated date notations:
“1/10/10” [d/mm/yy], or “01/10/10” [dd/mm/yy], or “01/10/2010” [dd/mm/yyyy] (UK/International English);
“10/1/10” [mm/d/yy], or “10/01/10” [mm/dd/yy], or “10/01/2010” [mm/dd/yyyy] (US English).

In the body text of *formal (business) letters/documents*, dates are generally not abbreviated, nor are ordinals used:

“On 1 October 2010” (UK/International English);
“On October 1, 2010” (US English);
“On the first day of October, in the year two thousand and ten” (Very formal/legal documents).

I hope this is helpful.


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## Elle Paris

I say, "I was born on May first, nineteen hmpftymupf". 
If you ask me again, I'll still say the first part clearly.   ;-)


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## natkretep

Merlin said:


> Normally it's *First of May.* If it's May 1. I believe you can say it as *May One.* It's odd to say it *May 1st*. I remember a song entitled *"First of May"*





Nick said:


> My only problem is with "May two". I completely disagree with reading numbers in dates as numbers. I don't know any Americans who say "May two" or "August five". There probably are some people who do this, but I think most, if not all, Americans wouldn't say this.



Just to signal disagreement with Merlin and agreement with Nick. We need an ordinal rather than a cardinal number in speech for the day.



Dingeling said:


> In informal written communication it is generally accepted to write the dates the way you say them, using ordinal numbers:
> “On the 1st of October 2010” (UK/International English)



I think this is the spoken style. I don't think most people would bother to write 'the 1st of October 2010'. At most you'll see '1st October 2010'. I think in informal communication, you're more likely to see an abbreviated form like '1 Oct 10', or 1/10/10. I occasionally use roman numerals for the month: 1.x.10.


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## Dingeling

Yes, I agree Natkretep. I also personally would never say "May one" or "August five". 

I’ve been to and communicated with people from various English speaking countries around the world, including England, Canada, America, Australia, and New Zealand. On the odd occasion I’ve heard someone say "One May", but in my experience people generally tend to say "May first" or "The first of May."

When it comes to written communications, I also agree that in most informal communications people generally tend to opt for the abbreviated notations: 01/05/10 (UK) or 05/01/10 (US), or just "May 1st".

To be honest, I’ve also often seen the informal forms erroneously used in formal business letters and documents, but that’s why I thought it would be good to point out what (to my best understanding) the official rules are.


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## Brioche

Recently, particularly on Foxtel, the cable tv network in Australia, it has become very common for the announcers to say _August one_, or _September seventeen_.

I hate it, and always shout FIRST or SEVENTEENTH at the tv.

It has had no effect so far.


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## boozer

May I ask a question, then?

I always say "the first of September" but if I have to reverese the word order, I would still say "September *the* first" and I wold not say "September first" or "first September" without the definite article. Is that wrong?


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## Dingeling

boozer said:


> May I ask a question, then?
> 
> I always say "the first of September" but if I have to reverese the word order, I would still say "September *the* first" and I wold not say "September first" or "first September" without the definite article. Is that wrong?


 
No, I believe that including the definite article either way is actually the more correct way of saying it. 

However, the correct way of saying things isn’t always the most common way they are said. In some cases the incorrect usage has become so common that the correct usage sounds strange to many people. Take for example the mass misuse of “You and me” versus “You and I”; (but that’s a whole new topic for another thread). 

I guess how you say a date in conversational English also depends on the context of the sentence. For example, if I were to tell someone my birthday in a complete sentence I would tend to say:

“My birthday is on the sixth of June” or “My birthday is on June the sixth.”

However, if in a casual conversation someone were to ask me “When’s your birthday?” it would be fairly acceptable for me to answer with just “June sixth” (although like you, I personally would probably tend to still include the definite article and say “June *the* sixth”).


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## Elysium

"Early on the morning of Tuesday, November 18, 1980......"

I am interested in how an English speaker would say the date part........is it like "Tuesday, November the 18th, 1980"??

Is my guess wrong?


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## SwissPete

In American English: Tuesday, November 18, 1980.


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## ewie

In British English: just as you say, Elysium, with _the_ and _-th_.


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## Scherle

Elysium said:


> "Early on the morning of Tuesday, November 18, 1980......"
> 
> I am interested in how an English speaker would say the date part........is it like "Tuesday, November the 18th, 1980"??
> 
> Is my guess wrong?


 
Good day!

Tuesday, November 18, 1980.

Please be reminded that if we use "18th" in a date, it should be "18th of November".


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## Myridon

leigh1802 said:


> Please be reminded that if we ...


You should be add more qualification when you say "we." As is obvious from the other posts, some of "we" don't agree.



> "Early on the morning of Tuesday, November 18, 1980......"



I would say "Tuesday, November (the) eighteenth, nineteen-eighty".  I probably wouldn't add the "the" but it sounds fine with it.


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## Elysium

leigh1802 said:


> Good day!
> 
> Tuesday, November 18, 1980.
> 
> Please be reminded that if we use "18th" in a date, it should be "18th of November".



I think you are totally right. Thx.


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## ewie

Elysium said:


> I think you are totally right. Th_anks_. _(Please don't use SMS-speak in this forum ~ save it for your phone.)_


He isn't, Elysium (sorry, Leigh).  See previous posts in this now merged thread.


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## susanna76

Hi there,

I just read this long thread. I'm not clear on whether it's OK to write
January the 1st, 2012

at the top of a letter. I go for January 1, 2012 myself, and have learned that the British prefer 1 January 2012, but somewhere along the line I read in some English textbooks (written by French writers and translated into Romanian, for instance) that "January the 1st, 2012" is also an option. Is it?

Thanks!


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## natkretep

I would never write 'January the 1st, 2012' (and I suspect this to be true of almost all English speakers), although it wouldn't sound unusual when spoken.


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## Copyright

I would not write that, either. I think "written by French writers and translated into Romanian" tells you all you need to know about whether or not to trust their advice.


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## eachone

How to read "January 12, 1993"


Is the reading "January the twelfth, nineteen ninety-three" correct?

Can I read it like "January twelfth, nineteen ninety-three"?

<Eachone's post is now merged with an earlier mega-thread. Nat>


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## JillN

Both are correct.


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## susanna76

Hi eachone,

"January the twelfth" is BrE and "January twelfth" is AmE.


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## Elwintee

Althought I am a 'thousand n' five' person, if I were saying "two thousand five" then I would pronounce it: 
"two thousan t'five", so the 'd' sound is muted into a 't'.  That is my version of BE, of course.


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