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      Birthdays: questions with 'cuándo'

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can say when my birthday is and ask others about their birthday.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. The definite article 'el' can be used to mean 'on the' with birthdays. It is not used for today's date.
      2. To ask someone's birthday, we use the question ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
      3. To say when your birthday is, use ‘mi cumpleaños es el…’.
      4. We combine the numbers 1-31 and the months of the year to talk about birthdays.
      5. Practising vocabulary regularly helps reinforce learning and improves communication.

      Keywords

      • El - masculine definite article 'the', also meaning on the when used with specific dates

      • Cuándo - question word meaning 'when'

      Common misconception

      To say what the date is, you always use the definite article 'the' as in English.

      In Spanish, the definite article is used with specific dates, like birthdays. Unlike in English, 'the' is not used for today's date.

      Teacher tip

      A classroom display could be created showing the birthdays of pupils. They could write their birthdays on balloon templates or something similar (e.g. cupcakes, stars, or candles) to create a fun and engaging visual.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the Spanish to the English.

      Correct Answer:buscar,to search, searching
      Correct Answer:escuchar,to listen, listening
      Correct Answer:hablar,to speak, speaking
      Correct Answer:jugar,to play, playing
      Correct Answer:presentar,to present, presenting
      Correct Answer:pronunciar,to pronounce, pronouncing

      Q2.
      Order these months from earliest in the year to latest.

      1 - enero
      2 - marzo
      3 - abril
      4 - junio
      5 - agosto
      6 - octubre
      7 - diciembre

      Q3.
      Which words have a feminine gender?

      Correct answer: pregunta
      cumpleaños
      mes
      Correct answer: razón
      hambre

      Q4.
      Match the Spanish to the English.

      Correct Answer:niño,boy
      Correct Answer:sed,thirst
      Correct Answer:año,year
      Correct Answer:clase,class
      Correct Answer:amigo,friend
      Correct Answer:frase,sentence

      Q5.
      Fill in the missing word to day my birthday is 8th May. 'Mi es el ocho de mayo.'

      Correct Answer: cumpleaños, cumpleanos

      Q6.
      'Today is the 26th of July.' Translate this sentence into Spanish.

      Correct Answer: Hoy es veintiséis de julio.

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which date means 'the 31st of October'?

      el trece de octubre
      Correct answer: el treinta y uno de octubre
      el treinta y uno de agosto
      el treinta de octubre
      el tres de octubre

      Q2.
      Order these numbers from biggest to smallest.

      1 - treinta
      2 - veintiséis
      3 - veintitrés
      4 - veintiuno
      5 - diecisiete
      6 - catorce
      7 - trece

      Q3.
      Match the Spanish to the English.

      Correct Answer:tener,to have, having
      Correct Answer:responder a,to reply to, replying to
      Correct Answer:leer,to read, reading
      Correct Answer:escribir,to write, writing
      Correct Answer:pasar,to pass, to spend, passing, spending
      Correct Answer:estar,to be, being

      Q4.
      Order the words to say 'the month of March is always annoying'.

      1 - el
      2 - mes
      3 - de
      4 - marzo
      5 - siempre
      6 - es
      7 - pesado

      Q5.
      'Soy muy activo en agosto.' Translate this sentence into English.

      Correct Answer: I am very active in August.

      Q6.
      'When is her birthday?' Translate this sentence into Spanish.

      Correct Answer: ¿Cuándo es su cumpleaños?

      To help you plan your 5 Spanish lesson on: Birthdays: questions with 'cuándo', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...