Italian Phrase
È il 20 ottobre.
Meaning
This phrase is the standard way to state the date in Italian. It combines the verb 'essere' (to be) with the definite article and the cardinal number of the day.
When to use
Use this phrase when someone asks for the date or when you need to specify a particular day in a conversation, email, or journal entry.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Èil20ottobre
È
The third-person singular form of the verb 'essere' (to be), used to state facts or identities.
il
The masculine definite article 'the', which is required before numbers in Italian dates.
20 (venti)
In Italian dates, cardinal numbers are used for every day except the first.
🗨In Conversation
Scusa, che giorno è oggi?
Excuse me, what day is today?
È il 20 ottobre.
It is October 20th.
✕Common Mistakes
È 20 ottobre.
In Italian, you must use the definite article 'il' before the number when stating the date.
È il ventesimo ottobre.
Italian uses cardinal numbers (1, 2, 3...) for dates, except for the first of the month (il primo).
↔Alternatives
Oggi è il 20 ottobre.
Today is October 20th.
Siamo al 20 ottobre.
We are at October 20th (idiomatic).
Cultural Tip
In Italy, dates are written in the order of Day-Month-Year. Note that months are not capitalized in Italian unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence.