Italian Phrase
Oggi è il 20 marzo.
Meaning
This phrase is the standard way to state the current date in Italian. It combines the adverb 'oggi' (today) with the third-person singular of 'essere' (to be) and the specific date. Note that in Italian, months are typically not capitalized.
When to use
Use this sentence in daily life whenever you need to identify or confirm the date. It is appropriate for both casual conversation and formal settings like meetings or writing headers.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Oggièil20marzo
Il (Definite Article)
The masculine article 'il' is required before the number in dates, which is a key difference from English.
Essere (è)
The verb 'essere' is used in the third person singular to indicate the state of time or the calendar.
🗨In Conversation
Sai che giorno è oggi?
Do you know what day it is today?
Oggi è il 20 marzo.
Today is March 20th.
✕Common Mistakes
Oggi è 20 marzo.
In Italian, you must include the definite article 'il' before the number when stating the date.
Oggi è il ventesimo di marzo.
Except for the first of the month (il primo), Italian uses cardinal numbers (venti) rather than ordinal numbers (ventesimo) for dates.
↔Alternatives
Oggi ne abbiamo venti.
Today we have twenty (of them).
Siamo al 20 marzo.
We are at March 20th.
Cultural Tip
In Italy, the date format is always Day-Month-Year. Also, unlike in English, months of the year like 'marzo' or 'aprile' are written in lowercase unless they appear at the very beginning of a sentence.