1.

General
How to say the year

You write You say

1900 nineteen hundred

nineteen hundred (and) one

1901

nineteen oh-one

1995 nineteen ninety-five

two thousand

2000

twenty hundred

two thousand (and) two

2002

twenty oh-two

two thousand (and) ten

2010

twenty ten
 You normally split up the year in tens.

1985 is split up in 19 and 85. (You say: nineteen eighty-five).

From 2000 until 2009 the year is normally not split up.

 2000 = two thousand

 2001 = two thousand (and) one

The word and is often left out. From 2010 on the year is split up again.

2010 is split up in 20 and 10. (You say: twenty ten).

2. Writing and saying the date in British English

rule: day – month – year

Day Month Year

You write: 1st January, 2010

You say: the first of January twenty ten

Note: The two letters at the end of the number and the comma are often left out.
 3. Writing and saying the date in American
English
rule: month – day – year

Month Day Year

You write: January 1st, 2010

You say: January (the)* first twenty ten

* The definite article ›the‹ can be left out.

6. Note
It is common to use numbers instead of months.

British English

 13-11-2010

 13/11/2010

 13.11.2010

American English

 11-13-2010

 11/13/2010

 11.13.2010

If you write 4/8/2011, it is the 4th August 2011 in Britain, but it is April 8th,
2011 in the USA.