Italian Phrase
È il cinque novembre.
Meaning
This phrase is the standard way to state the date in Italian. It combines the verb 'essere' (to be) in the third-person singular with the definite article and the cardinal number of the day.
When to use
Use this phrase when someone asks 'Che giorno è oggi?' or when you need to specify the date in a conversation or letter. It is suitable for both casual and professional contexts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Èilcinquenovembre
È (Essere)
The third-person singular of 'essere' used to identify the subject, in this case, the current day.
Il
The masculine singular definite article, which is required before numbers when expressing the date in Italian.
Cardinal Numbers
Italian uses cardinal numbers like 'cinque' (5) for all days of the month except for the first.
🗨In Conversation
Che giorno è oggi?
What day is it today?
È il cinque novembre.
It's November 5th.
✕Common Mistakes
È cinque novembre.
In Italian, you must include the definite article 'il' before the number when stating the date.
È il quinto novembre.
Except for the first of the month (il primo), Italian uses cardinal numbers (due, tre, quattro...) rather than ordinal numbers for dates.
↔Alternatives
Oggi è il cinque novembre.
Today is November 5th.
Siamo al cinque novembre.
We are at the fifth of November (idiomatic).
Cultural Tip
In Italy, dates are always formatted as Day/Month/Year. While Americans might say 'November 5th', Italians strictly use the number first, and they only use the ordinal number 'primo' for the 1st of the month; all other days use standard counting numbers.