The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

Spanish Capitalization

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

Spanish uses far fewer capital letters than English. Days, months, languages, and nationalities are all lowercase, and titles only capitalize their first word.
Words English capitalizes that Spanish writes in lowercase
EnglishSpanish
DaysMondaylunes
MonthsJanuaryenero
LanguagesEnglishinglés
NationalitiesMexicanmexicano
ReligionsCatholiccatólico
TitlesMr. Garcíael señor García
Book titlesOne Hundred Years of SolitudeCien años de soledad
On this page

Days, months, and seasons

Days of the week, months, and seasons are always lowercase, except at the start of a sentence.

  • El lunes empiezo un trabajo nuevo.

    I start a new job on Monday.

  • Mi cumpleaños es en abril.

    My birthday is in April.

  • Nos encanta el otoño.

    We love fall.

Languages, nationalities, and religions

Countries and cities get a capital letter, but the words made from them don't. Languages, nationalities, and religions are all lowercase.

  • EspañaSpain
    ,
    españolSpanish
  • MéxicoMexico
    ,
    mexicanoMexican
  • FranciaFrance
    ,
    francésFrench
  • PerúPeru
    ,
    peruanoPeruvian
  • AlemaniaGermany
    ,
    alemánGerman

  • Mi novia es mexicana.

    My girlfriend is Mexican.

  • En casa hablamos inglés y español.

    At home we speak English and Spanish.

  • Mis abuelos son católicos.

    My grandparents are Catholic.

Titles for people

Titles like señor, doctora, presidente, and rey are lowercase when they're written out. Their abbreviations always take a capital.

Titles for people, written out and abbreviated
Written outAbbreviatedEnglish
señor GarcíaSr. GarcíaMr. García
señora LópezSra. LópezMrs. López
doctor PérezDr. PérezDr. Pérez
doctora RuizDra. RuizDr. Ruiz
ustedUd.you (formal)

  • La doctora Ruiz llega a las diez.

    Dr. Ruiz arrives at ten.

  • El presidente habló ayer.

    The president spoke yesterday.

  • Buenos días, señor Gómez.

    Good morning, Mr. Gómez.

Books, movies, and songs

In the title of a book, movie, song, or show, only the first word gets a capital, plus any names. English capitalizes almost every word.

Titles of works in English and Spanish
EnglishSpanish
One Hundred Years of SolitudeCien años de soledad
Pan’s LabyrinthEl laberinto del fauno
The House of PaperLa casa de papel
Don QuixoteDon Quijote de la Mancha

Places

In place names, the name itself gets a capital, but the word for the kind of place (river, ocean, street) usually doesn't.

Place names in English and Spanish
EnglishSpanish
the Amazon Riverel río Amazonas
the Pacific Oceanel océano Pacífico
Main Streetla calle Mayor
the Andes Mountainsla cordillera de los Andes

Accents on capital letters

Capital letters keep their accents. You may see signs and older texts without them, a habit from the days of typewriters, but leaving them out is a mistake.

  • Él es mi hermano.

    He is my brother.

  • Álvaro vive en África.

    Álvaro lives in Africa.

  • ÚLTIMA HORA

    BREAKING NEWS

Common mistakes English speakers make

  1. Capitalizing days of the week

    Incorrect:Te veo el Lunes.
    Correct:Te veo el lunes.

    Days and months are lowercase in Spanish.

  2. Capitalizing languages

    Incorrect:Hablo Inglés y Español.
    Correct:Hablo inglés y español.

    Languages are lowercase.

  3. Capitalizing nationalities

    Incorrect:Mi amigo es Mexicano.
    Correct:Mi amigo es mexicano.

    Only the country takes a capital: México, but mexicano.

  4. Capitalizing every word of a title

    Incorrect:Leí Cien Años de Soledad.
    Correct:Leí Cien años de soledad.

    Titles only capitalize the first word and any names.

  5. Dropping the accent on a capital

    Incorrect:Alvaro es mi hermano.
    Correct:Álvaro es mi hermano.

    Capital letters keep their accents.

Questions about Spanish capitalization

Are days of the week capitalized in Spanish?

No. Days of the week are lowercase in Spanish: lunes, martes, miércoles. They only get a capital letter at the start of a sentence, like any other word.

Are months capitalized in Spanish?

No. Months and seasons are lowercase: enero, febrero, primavera. Holidays, on the other hand, are capitalized: Navidad, Semana Santa.

Are languages and nationalities capitalized in Spanish?

No. Español, inglés, mexicano, and estadounidense are all lowercase. Only the names of countries and cities get a capital: España, México, Estados Unidos.

How do you capitalize book and movie titles in Spanish?

Only the first word gets a capital, plus any names: Cien años de soledad, El laberinto del fauno, Don Quijote de la Mancha. Newspapers, magazines, and institutions are the exception: El País, Naciones Unidas.

Do capital letters need accents in Spanish?

Yes. Capital letters keep their accents: Álvaro, Él, ÁFRICA. The idea that capitals don't need them is an old habit from typewriters, and it's not correct.

Next upNoun genderMasculine and feminine endings, LONERS and DIONZA, the exceptions, and el agua.

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