An interesting thing with dates.

Question

I've only just noticed this, may'be I've never had to say it before but I thought I should check:

If you say it happened on such and such a date is it correct to use 'un' instead of 'en'?

Eg. La fiesta tuvo lugar un 20 Septiembre.

ok I think I may have it - it is 'one' as in, we don't know the year but it was 'one 20th Sept' - could that be it? - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 24, 2010

Answer 1

Hi, MC.

La fiesta tuvo lugar un 20 Septiembre.

I would say:

"...tuvo lugar el 20 de...."

... tuvo lugar un diciembre en el que...

I would translate this as:

"....took place one December in which..."

thanx Marianne, yes I would have too but I have seen it in print on more than one occasion now with 'un' - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 25, 2010

Answer 2

No, it changes the sense of the sentence, here I put a couple of examples:

Mi hijo nació un treinta de febrero. (My son was born a thirty of february.)

and

Mi cumpleaños fué en Noviembre (My birthday was in November)

La pelea fue en enero (the fight was in january)

Usually when we say tuvo lugar ( had place), precisely we talk about a place, like:

El evento tuvo lugar en el parque de la ciudad. (The event took place in the city park.)

La fiesta tuvo lugar en la embajada. (The party took place at the embassy.)

Or the variant

En el parque de la ciudad tuvo lugar el evento. (In the city park took place the event.)

I am just trying to scratch into my mind because it really sounds familiar to me the way you wrote it but I am investigating and I can't find anything.

I am pretty sure that if your example is right, it is like you wrote it but I am actually very confused, if I have to give you a final opinion it would be that maybe it is used but is grammatically wrong.

Hope to have helped you..

It is really an interesting question.

Thanx Dakie, I love that 'scratch into my mind' very cute - maybe you mean 'rack my brains' :) also 'My son was born a thirty of Feb' doesn't work in English - maybe 'was born on a thirtieth of Feb' which is actually impossible, lol 28 or 29 days only :) - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 25, 2010

Thanks for the coment, I am learning english so that is very helpfull. - Dakie, Nov 25, 2010

Answer 3

Here's another example from the net:

Nuestro primer acercamiento tuvo lugar un diciembre en el que quise pintar un decorado para aforar la escena del misterio (figuras del ...

do you think it might just be one such and such date - instead of being specific with the year etc?

Perhaps......kind of like, "It was a dark and stormy night....." Perhaps it's when the date itself is really insignificant. - Echoline, Nov 24, 2010

Answer 4

I have never seen "un" used as anything except as a definate article. Isn't the word "el" used with dates?