Ser vs Estar in Spanish: Using ser in Spanish (not estar) to talk about time, days, dates and seasons

Take the fastest path to fluent Spanish

Ser vs Estar in Spanish: times, dates, seasons

When we want to express data about days, dates, seasons and hours we use the verb ser (not estar).

Have a look and listen to these examples:

Hoy es lunes.Today is Monday.

Hoy es 25 de septiembre.Today is the 25th of September.

Ahora es primavera.It is spring now.

Son las tres de la tarde.It's three o'clock in the afternoon.

Note that we drop the article "el" before the date when we say "today's date" with "Hoy es..."

See also Conjugate ser in the present tense in Spanish (El Presente).

Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

Examples and resources

Hoy es 25 de septiembre.Today is the 25th of September.
Son las tres de la tarde.It's three o'clock in the afternoon.
Ahora es primavera.It is spring now.
Hoy es lunes.Today is Monday.
Let me take a look at that...