How do you read a date aloud?

[optimistic pessimist]

When you read aloud "Friday, April 27", is it wrong to say "Friday, April the twenty-seventh?
According to my American colleague, just saying "April twenty-seventh" without the is correct.

 

[Barque]

, is it wrong to say "Friday, April the twenty-seventh?

I wouldn't call it wrong but it sounds quite formal.

According to my American colleague, just saying "April twenty-seventh" without the is correct.

I think so too.

 

[Tarheel]

I say "April the twenty-seventh". But the other one is okay too, I guess.

 

[jutfrank]

This has regional variation. British speakers are very likely to use the article. Americans are unlikely (I don't know how unlikely) to do so. Other varieties I'm not sure about.

What do Canadians do, @probus?

 

[probus]

I think that Canada (as is often the case) occupies a kind of middle ground between BrE and AmE. In our English-speaking regions some say April 27th and some the 27th of April. Our Quebeckers, of course, ape the French in all things, not only dates.

 

[5jj]

. Our Quebeckers, of course, ape the French in all things, not only dates.

Do you mean in speaking their own native language? Surely most Canadians do that.

 

[probus]

No, I meant when speaking English. I'd expect a Quebecker speaking English to say "twenty-five April" or "April twenty-five" but of course that's only probable not certain, and only my personal opinion. Even if I'm right in general, there must be exceptions.

 

[Rover_KE]

Aren't 'Quebeckers' called Québécois or am I just being pedantic?

 

[probus]

They are indeed often called Québécois here in bilingual Canada, but in this forum I prefer the English term Quebecker to the French term.

By the way, many of them would refer to themselves as "habitants" rather than Quebeckers, as fans of ice hockey may know. The Montreal team, the Canadiens, have the nickname habs, short for habitants.

 

[jutfrank]

I think that Canada (as is often the case) occupies a kind of middle ground between BrE and AmE. In our English-speaking regions some say April 27th and some the 27th of April.

But how many would say April the twenty-seventh?

 

[Skrej]

As an AmE speaker, I tend to say "April the 27th", altough I will sometimes omit the article.

 

[probus]

But how many would say April the twenty-seventh?

Some for sure, but I don't know how many.

 

[optimistic pessimist]

I heard from another American (a lady in her early 70s) that "April the twenty-seventh" and "April twenty-seventh" are both fine, but when they say with the year such as "April 27, 2023", they always say "April twenty-seventh, twenty-twenty-three" without the. This actually makes me a bit confused. Do you agree with her?

 

[Tarheel]

@optimistic pessimist "April twenty-seventh, twenty-twenty-three" is correct
There is no reason for confusion.

 

[probus]

I agree wirh your American lady. In my variety "the" is optional but rarely used in speech if the year is also being spoken.