Numbers, dates, time and quantities

What you'll learn

Numbers, dates, time and quantities form essential building blocks for CIE IGCSE Spanish across all four assessment objectives. Examiners test these elements in listening comprehension exercises, reading passages about daily routines and appointments, written tasks requiring biographical information, and speaking assessments covering personal details. Accuracy with these fundamentals directly impacts marks in multiple question types, from straightforward number recognition to complex descriptive writing about schedules and measurements.

Key terms and definitions

Los números cardinales — the basic counting numbers (uno, dos, tres) used for quantities, prices, telephone numbers, and mathematical operations in exam contexts.

Los números ordinales — ordinal numbers (primero, segundo, tercero) indicating position or sequence, typically tested through reading comprehension about floor levels, race results, or historical dates.

La hora — expressions of clock time, requiring different structures for formal (son las trece horas) and informal (es la una de la tarde) contexts that regularly appear in timetable tasks.

La fecha — date expressions combining day, month and year, tested extensively in diary entries, invitations, and biographical reading passages.

Las cantidades — quantity expressions including weights (kilos, gramos), measures (litros, metros), and collective amounts (docena, par) essential for shopping dialogues and recipe descriptions.

El horario de veinticuatro horas — the 24-hour clock system preferred in formal Spanish contexts such as train timetables, television schedules, and official announcements.

Core concepts

Cardinal numbers (0-1,000,000+)

Cardinal numbers follow specific patterns that examiners expect students to apply accurately:

0-15: cero, uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez, once, doce, trece, catorce, quince

16-29: These compound numbers can be written as one word: dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve, veinte, veintiuno, veintidós, veintitrés, veinticuatro, veinticinco, veintiséis, veintisiete, veintiocho, veintinueve

30-99: From thirty onwards, use separate words connected by 'y': treinta y uno, cuarenta y cinco, setenta y ocho. The tens are: treinta (30), cuarenta (40), cincuenta (50), sesenta (60), setenta (70), ochenta (80), noventa (90).

100-999: Cien becomes ciento when followed by other numbers: cien (100), ciento uno (101), doscientos (200), trescientos (300), cuatrocientos (400), quinientos (500), seiscientos (600), setecientos (700), ochocientos (800), novecientos (900). Note that these agree in gender: doscientas chicas, trescientos euros.

1,000+: Mil never takes an article: mil (1,000), dos mil (2,000), un millón (1,000,000). When millón is followed by a noun, use 'de': un millón de habitantes, dos millones de libras.

Uno and gender agreement: Uno drops the final 'o' before masculine nouns (un libro) and becomes una before feminine nouns (una mesa). This applies in compounds: veintiún días, treinta y una semanas.

Ordinal numbers (1st-10th)

Ordinal numbers agree in gender and number with the noun they modify:

• primero/a (1st) — shortened to primer before masculine singular nouns: el primer piso
• segundo/a (2nd)
• tercero/a (3rd) — shortened to tercer before masculine singular nouns: el tercer año
• cuarto/a (4th)
• quinto/a (5th)
• sexto/a (6th)
• séptimo/a (7th)
• octavo/a (8th)
• noveno/a (9th)
• décimo/a (10th)

Beyond tenth, Spanish typically uses cardinal numbers: el piso once (the eleventh floor), el siglo veinte (the twentieth century).

Telling the time (La hora)

Time expressions require specific structures that CIE examiners test rigorously:

Basic structure:

• Es la una (It's one o'clock) — singular verb for one
• Son las dos/tres/cuatro... (It's two/three/four...) — plural verb for all other hours

Minutes past the hour:

• Son las tres y cinco (3:05)
• Son las cuatro y cuarto / Son las cuatro y quince (4:15)
• Son las cinco y media / Son las cinco y treinta (5:30)

Minutes to the hour:

• Son las seis menos diez (5:50, literally "six minus ten")
• Son las siete menos cuarto / Son las siete menos quince (6:45)

24-hour clock: Used in formal contexts such as transport timetables and official schedules:

• Son las trece horas (13:00)
• Son las dieciocho treinta (18:30)
• Son las veinte cuarenta y cinco (20:45)

Additional time expressions:

• de la mañana (in the morning, a.m.)
• de la tarde (in the afternoon/evening, p.m. — roughly 1pm-8pm)
• de la noche (at night, p.m. — roughly 8pm onwards)
• en punto (exactly, on the dot)
• mediodía (midday)
• medianoche (midnight)

Dates (Las fechas)

Date expressions follow a different order from English:

Standard format: article + number + de + month + de + year

• el cinco de mayo de dos mil veinticuatro (5th May 2024)
• el primero de enero (1st January) — use primero for the first day only
• el veintiocho de febrero de mil novecientos noventa (28th February 1990)

Months (los meses): enero, febrero, marzo, abril, mayo, junio, julio, agosto, septiembre, octubre, noviembre, diciembre

Months are not capitalised in Spanish unless starting a sentence.

Days of the week (los días de la semana): lunes, martes, miércoles, jueves, viernes, sábado, domingo

Days are also not capitalised. Use 'el' for singular (el lunes = on Monday) and 'los' for habitual actions (los lunes = on Mondays).

Quantities and measurements

Weights and measures:

• un kilo/kilogramo de patatas
• medio kilo de tomates
• doscientos gramos de queso
• un litro de leche
• un metro de tela

Collective quantities:

• una docena de huevos (a dozen eggs)
• un par de zapatos (a pair of shoes)
• media docena (half a dozen)

Indefinite quantities:

• mucho/a/os/as (much, many) — agrees with noun
• poco/a/os/as (little, few)
• bastante/s (quite a lot, enough)
• demasiado/a/os/as (too much, too many)
• todo/a/os/as (all, every)
• algún, alguno/a/os/as (some)
• ningún, ninguno/a (none, not any)

Currency:

• un euro, dos euros
• una libra, cincuenta libras
• un dólar, veinte dólares

When expressing prices: cuesta diez euros, vale treinta libras, son cinco dólares.

Age and year expressions

Expressing age: Tener + number + años (to be X years old)

• Tengo quince años (I am 15 years old)
• Mi hermana tiene doce años
• ¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?)

Years: Years are read as full numbers:

• 1492: mil cuatrocientos noventa y dos
• 2000: dos mil
• 2024: dos mil veinticuatro

Worked examples

Example 1: Listening comprehension — Train timetable

Question: You hear an announcement at a Spanish train station. Complete the information in English.

Recording transcript: "El tren con destino a Barcelona sale del andén tres a las dieciséis cuarenta y cinco. Llega a Barcelona a las diecinueve treinta. El billete cuesta cincuenta y dos euros con treinta céntimos."

Task:

• Platform number: ___________
• Departure time: ___________
• Arrival time: ___________
• Price: ___________

Mark scheme answers:

• Platform number: 3 (1 mark)
• Departure time: 16:45 / 4:45pm (1 mark)
• Arrival time: 19:30 / 7:30pm (1 mark)
• Price: €52.30 (1 mark)

Examiner guidance: Students must recognise both 24-hour format and currency. The number "tres" refers to the platform, not to be confused with time expressions.

Example 2: Reading comprehension — Birthday invitation

Question: Read this invitation. Answer the questions in English.

Text: "¡Hola! Te invito a mi fiesta de cumpleaños. Es el sábado, veintitrés de julio, a las ocho y media de la tarde. Voy a cumplir dieciséis años. La fiesta es en mi casa en la calle Mayor, número cuarenta y cinco, tercer piso."

a) What day is the party? (1) b) What is the date? (1) c) What time does it start? (1) d) How old will the person be? (1) e) Which floor is the flat on? (1)

Mark scheme answers: a) Saturday (1 mark) b) 23rd July (1 mark — accept 23 July or July 23rd) c) 8:30pm / 20:30 (1 mark) d) 16 / sixteen (1 mark) e) 3rd / third (1 mark)

Example 3: Writing task — Personal description

Question: Write an email to your Spanish exchange partner introducing yourself. Include your age, birthday, and daily routine times. (Approximately 80 words)

Sample answer with examiner annotations:

"¡Hola María!

Me llamo James y tengo quince años. [Age correctly expressed] Mi cumpleaños es el doce de marzo. [Date format correct] Vivo en Londres con mi familia.

Durante la semana, me levanto a las siete menos cuarto [Time expression accurate] y desayuno a las siete y diez. Las clases empiezan a las ocho y media. Como en el instituto a las doce y media. Vuelvo a casa a las cuatro de la tarde [Correct use of 'de la tarde'] y ceno con mi familia a las siete y media.

¿Y tú? ¿Cuántos años tienes?

Un abrazo, James"

Mark allocation: This would score highly for Communication (variety of information provided) and Language (accurate use of time, date, and age expressions with appropriate verb structures).

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Mistake 1: Writing "Son la una" instead of "Es la una" The verb must agree with the number. One o'clock is singular, so use 'es': Es la una y cuarto. All other hours are plural: Son las dos, Son las tres.

Mistake 2: Confusing "y" and "menos" in time expressions Use 'y' (and) for minutes past the hour up to 30 minutes: Son las tres y veinte. Use 'menos' (minus/to) for minutes approaching the next hour: Son las cuatro menos diez (3:50). Never mix the two for the same time.

Mistake 3: Capitalising months and days Spanish does not capitalise days of the week or months: el lunes, tres de enero. Only capitalise when starting a sentence or in titles. This error loses accuracy marks in writing tasks.

Mistake 4: Using "en" instead of "de" in dates The correct structure is: el + number + de + month + de + year. Never use 'en': el cinco de mayo, not el cinco en mayo.

Mistake 5: Forgetting gender agreement with quantities Numbers ending in -cientos agree with feminine nouns: doscientas libras, trescientos euros. Similarly, uno becomes un/una: veintiún días, treinta y una personas.

Mistake 6: Misreading 24-hour clock in listening tasks When you hear "dieciséis treinta," write 16:30 or 4:30pm, not 6:30. Practice converting between formats. Remember that times after 12:00 in the 24-hour system are afternoon/evening (tarde) or night (noche).

Exam technique for Numbers, dates, time and quantities

Listening papers: Number recognition appears in every paper. Write figures immediately when heard (52 rather than spelling fifty-two), as this reduces transcription errors. For prices, distinguish between euros/libras and céntimos/peniques — "cincuenta y dos con treinta" means 52.30, not two separate amounts. When multiple numbers appear together (addresses, phone numbers), use spacing to separate: 91 542 37 88.

Reading comprehension: Time expressions may appear in both 12-hour format with qualifiers (de la mañana/tarde/noche) and 24-hour format in formal texts. Scan for ordinal numbers that indicate sequence or floor levels, as these questions target specific detail. Date questions often ask for English answers, so convert el veintitrés de julio to "23rd July" not "the twenty-three of July."

Writing tasks: Include varied number vocabulary to demonstrate range. Rather than repeating "a las ocho," use "a las ocho en punto" or "a las ocho y cuarto." When describing age, always use 'tener': tengo quince años. For past descriptions, use the imperfect: tenía catorce años. Mark schemes reward accuracy in basic structures like these that appear in every candidate's work.

Speaking assessments: Pronunciation of numbers matters. Practice problematic sounds: 'quince' (15) vs 'cincuenta' (50), 'setenta' (70) vs 'sesenta' (60). When giving your date of birth, use the standard formula confidently: "Mi cumpleaños es el [number] de [month]." If asked about daily routines, prepare time expressions in advance so they flow naturally: "Me levanto a las siete menos cuarto, desayuno a las siete, y salgo de casa a las ocho y media."

Quick revision summary

Cardinal numbers: uno to millón with gender agreement for -cientos and uno/una. Ordinal numbers: primero to décimo with gender/number agreement and apocope (primer/tercer). Time: Es la una, Son las dos, y for past the hour, menos for to the hour, 24-hour clock for formal contexts. Dates: el + number + de + month + de + year, no capitals for days/months. Age: tener + años. Quantities: agree mucho/poco/todo and collective expressions like docena/par. Practice listening for numbers in context and writing dates/times accurately to secure marks across all papers.