Everything you need to confidently say and write numbers and dates in English, cardinal and ordinal numbers, decimals, fractions and British date conventions.
📖 Reading time: ~9 minutes✅ Reviewed by a CELTA-qualified teacher🎯 Covers A1 to B2
Saying numbers and dates correctly in English involves more hidden rules than most learners expect: where to add "and" in a large number, why dates use ordinal numbers rather than cardinal ones, and why "1,000" and "1.000" mean completely different things depending on which country's convention you're using. This guide covers the practical rules you'll actually need, for forms, conversations, and exam speaking and writing tasks alike.
2. Quick Summary
⚡ Numbers & Dates at a Glance
Cardinal numbersone, two, three — for counting and quantities
Ordinal numbersfirst, second, third — for dates, rankings and order
Dates (British style)the 5th of July / 5 July (day before month)
Common Mistake"the July 5th" instead of "the 5th of July" or "July 5th"
🇪🇸
Resumen en español
El inglés británico escribe las fechas en orden día/mes/año (5/7/2026 = 5 de julio), igual que el español, pero el americano usa mes/día/año, lo que puede causar confusión. Los números grandes en inglés británico incluyen "and" ("one hundred AND fifty"), un detalle que no tiene equivalente directo en español.
3. Cardinal Numbers — Saying Large Numbers
Number
How to Say It
100
one hundred / a hundred
101
one hundred and one (British English includes "and")
1,000
one thousand / a thousand
1,250
one thousand, two hundred and fifty
1,000,000
one million / a million
💡
British English keeps the "and"
British English says "one hundred AND fifty," while American English often drops it: "one hundred fifty." Since ELS teaches British English, always include "and" between the hundreds and the rest of the number.
4. Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal numbers show position or order, not quantity, and are essential for dates, floors, rankings and instructions.
Cardinal
Ordinal
Pattern
one
first (1st)
irregular
two
second (2nd)
irregular
three
third (3rd)
irregular
five
fifth (5th)
drop the "e", add -th
nine
ninth (9th)
drop the "e", add -th
twelve
twelfth (12th)
irregular
twenty
twentieth (20th)
-y becomes -ieth
most other numbers
fourth, sixth, seventh... (21st, 22nd, 23rd)
add -th (except 1st/2nd/3rd patterns repeat in twenty-first, etc.)
5. Saying and Writing Dates
Written (British style)
Spoken
5 July 2026 / 5/7/2026
the fifth of July, twenty twenty-six
1 January
the first of January
3rd March
the third of March
⚠️
British vs American date order
British English writes dates day/month/year (5/7/2026 = 5 July), while American English writes month/day/year (5/7/2026 = May 7th). This single difference causes genuine confusion on forms and travel documents, always check which convention is being used.
For the full range of British vs American conventions beyond dates, see our guide to British vs American English.
6. Years, Decimals and Fractions
Type
Written
Spoken
Year (4 digits)
1998
nineteen ninety-eight
Year (2000s)
2005
two thousand and five
Decimal
3.5
three point five
Fraction
1/2, 1/4, 3/4
a half, a quarter, three quarters
Percentage
50%
fifty per cent
7. Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect
✅ Correct
Why
I was born on 1998.
I was born in 1998.
Years take the preposition "in," not "on."
Today is five July.
Today is the fifth of July. / Today is July fifth.
Dates need an ordinal number, not a cardinal one.
I have two hundred books.
I have two hundred books.
(correct — no "and" needed here since there's no smaller number following "hundred")
3.5 is "three comma five" in English.
3.5 is "three point five" in English.
English uses "point" for the decimal, not "comma" (unlike some other languages).
It costs one thousand two hundred fifty.
It costs one thousand, two hundred AND fifty.
British English includes "and" before the final part of the number.
8. Exercises
A. Gap Fill — Complete correctly (10 questions)
1. 125 → one hundred ___ twenty-five.
2. I was born ___ 1995. (preposition)
3. Today's date: 3 May → the ___ of May.
4. 1/4 is spoken as "a ___."
5. 50% is spoken as "fifty per ___."
6. 3.75 is spoken as "three ___ seven five."
7. Fifth → the ordinal number, written as ___.
8. Twenty → the ordinal number is ___.
9. British date order is day, ___, year.
10. 2,000,000 is spoken as two ___.
Show Answers (A)
1. and 2. in 3. third 4. quarter 5. cent 6. point 7. 5th 8. twentieth 9. month 10. million
B. Multiple Choice (5 questions)
1. I was born ___ 1990. (a) on (b) in
2. Today is ___ of March. (a) three (b) the third
3. British date order is: (a) day/month/year (b) month/day/year
4. 1/2 is spoken as: (a) one two (b) a half
5. 3.5 is spoken as: (a) three comma five (b) three point five
Show Answers (B)
1.b 2.b 3.a 4.b 5.b
C. Error Correction (4 questions)
1. I was born on 1998.
2. Today is five July.
3. 3.5 is three comma five.
4. It costs one thousand two hundred fifty. (British style, missing a word)
Show Answers (C)
1. I was born in 1998. 2. Today is the fifth of July. 3. 3.5 is three point five. 4. It costs one thousand, two hundred and fifty.
D. Freer Practice — Write Your Own Sentences (2 tasks)
1. Write your own date of birth in full, spoken-style British English.
2. Write a sentence using a fraction or percentage naturally.
Show Answers (D)
Model answers will vary. Examples: 1. "I was born on the twelfth of September, nineteen ninety-five." 2. "About three quarters of the class passed the exam."
9. Mini Quiz
10. Exam Focus — Cambridge, IELTS, SELT
Exam
How This Is Tested
Sample Question
Cambridge A2 Key / B1 Preliminary
Dates and numbers are directly tested in Listening tasks involving forms and personal details.
Listening for a date of birth and writing it correctly on a form.
IELTS Listening & Writing Task 1
Numbers, percentages and dates are central to describing charts and graphs accurately.
"Sales increased by twenty-five per cent between 2015 and 2020."
Trinity GESE/ISE (SELT)
Personal details including date of birth are asked directly in the interview.
"What is your date of birth?"
11. Frequently Asked Questions
Cardinal numbers show quantity (one, two, three); ordinal numbers show position or order (first, second, third), and are used for dates and rankings.
Yes — British English says "one hundred AND fifty," including "and" before the final part of the number, unlike American English, which often drops it.
"In": "I was born in 1998," never "on" or "at."
British English writes day/month/year (5/7/2026 = 5 July); American English writes month/day/year (5/7/2026 = May 7th).
Using "point": 3.5 is "three point five," not "three comma five," which is the convention in some other languages.
Yes — personal details including date of birth are asked directly in the Trinity GESE/ISE interview.
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