Talking about dates on a calendar
CEFR: A1
Read/Listen first
Anna is at her desk with a big calendar. Today is Monday, March 1st. She checks the dates for her birthday and for a short holiday. Her birthday is on March 8th. Her holiday is on March 20th. She writes the dates on the calendar with a blue pen. She says, “When is my birthday? It is on Monday, March 8th.” She smiles because the important dates are now clear and easy to see.⚡ Learning goals
- Can understand a simple mini-text about dates on a calendar.
- Can ask and answer basic “When is…?” questions about birthdays and holidays.
- Can say simple dates with days, months, and ordinal numbers.
✨ Key language
- When is your birthday? “When is your birthday?”
- It is on March 8th. “It is on March 8th.”
- Today is Monday, March 1st. “Today is Monday, March 1st.”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ When is + event?
Rule: Use “When is” + event to ask about the date of something important.Examples: When is your birthday?; When is the holiday?; When is the party?
Common pitfall + fix: Learners say “When your birthday is?” — Start with “When is” then the event: “When is your birthday?”.
Choose the correct question to ask about the holiday date.
Tip: Start the question with “When is” plus the event.
Fill with the best answer: ____ your birthday?
Tip: Begin the question with “When is”.
2️⃣ It is on + day / date
Rule: Use “It is on” + day or date to give the exact day of an event.Examples: It is on Monday.; It is on March 8th.; It is on Friday, March 20th.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners forget “on” before the day — Say “It is on Monday”, not “It is Monday”.
Choose the correct answer: When is Anna’s birthday?
Tip: Use “It is on” before the day or date.
Fill with the best answer: Her holiday is ____.
Tip: Begin after “is” with the word “on”.
3️⃣ It is in + month
Rule: Use “It is in” + month to talk about the month of an event, not the full date.Examples: It is in March.; It is in July.; My vacation is in August.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners say “It is at March” — Use “in” before months: “It is in March”.
Choose the correct sentence about Anna’s birthday.
Tip: Use “in” with months and “on” with days and dates.
Fill with the best answer: Her birthday is ____.
Tip: Only the month comes after “in”.
4️⃣ Ordinal numbers for dates
Rule: Use ordinal numbers with dates: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and so on.Examples: March 1st; March 8th; March 20th.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners say “March 8” — Add “th” and say “March 8th”.
Choose the correct way to write Anna’s birthday.
Tip: Add “st, nd, rd, th” after the number for dates.
Fill with the best answer: Today is ____.
Tip: Use the ordinal form for the day of the month.
✍️ Vocabulary
calendar
Meaning: a printed table with days and months to show dates in a year.Synonyms: planner, schedule
Chunk/Idiom: a big wall calendar
Example: The calendar on my desk shows the dates for March.
Morphology: noun; countable
Self-practice: Point to a calendar and say three important dates aloud.
Monday
Meaning: the first or second day of the week, after Sunday in many countries.Synonyms: weekday, workday
Chunk/Idiom: Monday morning
Example: Today is Monday, and Anna looks at the calendar.
Morphology: noun; proper noun
Self-practice: Say three things you usually do on Monday.
March
Meaning: the third month of the year.Synonyms: third month, early spring
Chunk/Idiom: in March
Example: Her birthday and holiday are both in March.
Morphology: noun; proper noun
Self-practice: Say three special days you have in March or another month.
birthday
Meaning: the day each year when a person was born.Synonyms: special day, birthdate
Chunk/Idiom: birthday party
Example: Her birthday is on Monday, March 8th.
Morphology: noun; countable
Self-practice: Say “My birthday is on …” and add your own date.
holiday
Meaning: a special day when people do not work or have a short vacation.Synonyms: vacation, day off
Chunk/Idiom: a short holiday
Example: Her holiday is on Friday, March 20th.
Morphology: noun; countable
Self-practice: Say the date of your next holiday or day off.
date
Meaning: a specific day on the calendar with a number and month.Synonyms: day, calendar day
Chunk/Idiom: an important date
Example: She writes each important date with a blue pen.
Morphology: noun; countable
Self-practice: Choose three important dates and say them aloud slowly.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
Today is Monday, March first.
My birthday is on March eighth.
Our holiday is on Friday, March twentieth.
The calendar on my desk shows all the dates.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Choose the correct question about a holiday date.
Tip: Start with “When is” then say the event.
Choose the correct full answer about Anna’s birthday.
Tip: Use the pattern “It is on” + day + date.
Fill with the best answer:
Her birthday is ____.Tip: Use “in” before the name of the month.
Fill with the best answer:
Today is ____.Tip: Use the ordinal number for the first day.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
What does Anna look at on her desk?
Tip: It shows all the days and months of the year.
What does Anna use to write on the calendar?
Tip: She writes the dates with this object.
Fill with the best answer:
Her ____ is on March 8th.Tip: It is a special personal day each year.
Fill with the best answer:
She checks the dates for her short ____.Tip: It is like a vacation or a day off.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: When is your birthday?B: It is on Monday, March 8th.
A: And when is your holiday?
B: It is on Friday, March 20th.
Why this matters:
Knowing dates helps you plan work, family, and free time. It is useful when you book tickets or meetings. You can understand and give simple information about important days.Verb & Adjective Pack:
check dates — I check the dates on my calendar.write clearly — She writes clearly with a blue pen.
be important — These dates are important for Anna.
be free — I am free on that date.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: Her birthday is ____.
Tip: Use “on” and the full date.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: Today Monday March 1.
Tip: Add “is” after “Today” and use the ordinal date.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
Today is Monday, March 1st.
Tip: Say the sentence aloud before you type it.