Numbers, prices, times and dates as Spaniards say them

Key rules

• Dates: Spanish dates are written day/month/year, so 05/03/2026 is 5 March 2026.
• Prices: Spanish prices use a decimal comma and a point for thousands, as in 1.234,56 €.
• Written times: Written times use the 24-hour clock, such as 17:30, even though people speak with the 12-hour clock.
• Phone numbers: Spanish phone numbers have 9 digits with no area code, and the international form is +34 612 345 678.

Prices: comma for cents, point for thousands

Spain swaps the English signs. The comma separates cents and the point separates thousands, as in 1.234,56 €. The euro sign comes after the number, with a space: 3,50 €.

Four-digit amounts often have no separator (2500 €). From five digits you will usually see one (12.500 €). Banking software and English-language documents may use the opposite convention, so look twice.

Saying prices

• 3,50 € is "tres euros con cincuenta", or in a shop "tres cincuenta".
• 12,99 € is "doce euros con noventa y nueve", or simply "doce con noventa y nueve".
• Adding "céntimos" is optional.
• A round amount is "cinco euros". Informally, people say "cinco pavos".

Time: write 24-hour, speak 12-hour

Written times use the 24-hour clock, such as 17:30. You will also see 17.30 or 17 h. Timetables, appointments, official letters and opening hours all work this way. "a.m." and "p.m." are rare.

Speech uses the 12-hour clock plus a part of the day.

• 1:00 is "Es la una". Other hours are "Son las dos", "Son las tres" and so on.
• "En punto" means exactly: "las tres en punto".
• Quarter past is "y cuarto", half past is "y media", and quarter to is "menos cuarto". Others are "y diez", "y veinticinco" and "menos veinte".
• Noon is "mediodía" and midnight is "medianoche".

Add the part of the day so nobody is confused. "De la madrugada" covers the small hours, roughly 1 to 6. "De la mañana" runs until about noon. "Del mediodía" is 12 to 14. "De la tarde" runs until about 20 or 21, then "de la noche" takes over. So "las ocho de la tarde" is 20:00 and "la una y media de la madrugada" is 1:30.

In transport and formal settings, people may read 17:30 aloud as "diecisiete treinta". You will be understood either way.

Dates: day first

Dates are written day/month/year, so 05/03/2026 is 5 March 2026. Slashes, hyphens or points can separate the parts, and leading zeros are often dropped. Some foreign websites and forms use month-first dates, so check which one you are looking at.

Say it as "el cinco de marzo de dos mil veintiséis". Only the first of the month commonly takes an ordinal: "el uno" or "el primero de marzo". All other days use ordinary numbers. Months and weekdays are not capitalised.

Phone numbers: 9 digits

Spanish phone numbers have 9 digits with no area code. From abroad, write +34 612 345 678 (or 0034 instead of +).

• Mobiles start with 6 or 7. Landlines start with 8 or 9.
• Written groupings are 612 345 678 or 612 34 56 78.
• Numbers starting 900 are free. Numbers starting 901 to 905 are special-rate.

Say them digit by digit ("seis, uno, dos...") or in groups ("seiscientos doce...").

The mix-ups to avoid are in the warning below, and the FAQ has more examples to practise.

Number and date mix-ups that cause missed appointments

• Day and month swapped: A date like 05/03/2026 is read day/month/year in Spain, so it means 5 March, not 3 May. Some foreign sites and forms put the month first, and you could turn up on the wrong day. Write the month in words, for example "jueves 5 de marzo de 2026", and check the weekday matches your calendar.

• 12-hour and 24-hour times: Written times use the 24-hour clock, such as 17:30, while people speak with the 12-hour clock ("las cinco y media de la tarde"). a.m. and p.m. are rare, so 5:30 on a letter may not be the afternoon. Convert any spoken time into 24-hour form and read it back, for example "¿A las cinco y media de la tarde, o sea 17:30?"

• Decimal comma and thousands point: Spanish prices use a decimal comma and a point for thousands, as in 1.234,56 €. So 3,50 € is three euros fifty, and 12.500 is twelve thousand five hundred. Four-digit amounts are often written without any separator, like 2500 €. Check where the comma sits before you pay or sign. Confirm euros and céntimos (cents) separately, and ask for the total written down.

• Numbers that sound alike: Some numbers are easy to mishear: quince and cincuenta, dieciséis and sesenta, cinco and seis, siete and nueve, cuatro and cuarenta. This matters most for times, prices and phone numbers. Ask for the number again, repeat it digit by digit ("uno-cinco, no cinco-cero?") and ask for it in writing.

• Confirming in writing: A spoken date, time or price can still be misunderstood, even when you repeat it. Send a message such as "jueves 5 de marzo de 2026, 17:30 h, 12,99 €" and ask the other person to confirm it by message or email.

Frequently asked questions

How do I say a price like 12,99 € out loud?

You say 12,99 € as "doce euros con noventa y nueve", or simply "doce con noventa y nueve". The word "céntimos" is optional. Round amounts are "cinco euros", or "cinco pavos" informally.

How do I say a time like 4:45 in Spanish?

You say 4:45 as "las cinco menos cuarto" in everyday speech. Use "y cuarto" for 15 past, "y media" for 30 past and "en punto" for exactly on the hour.

How do I say a date like 05/03/2026 out loud?

You say it as "el cinco de marzo de dos mil veintiséis". Only the first of the month commonly uses an ordinal ("el primero de marzo"). Months and weekdays are not capitalised when written.

How do I read a phone number out loud in Spanish?

You can read a Spanish phone number digit by digit, or in pairs or triplets, such as "seis, uno, dos...".