Spanish Capitalization: Rules, Examples & Common Mistakes

Learn when to use capital letters in Spanish — and when not to. Spanish capitalization is often simpler than English, but the differences matter in dates, languages, nationalities, titles and sentence starts.

Spanish capitalization rules with examples for months, days, languages and proper names
Spanish uses capital letters more selectively than English, especially with dates, languages and adjectives of nationality.

Why learn Spanish capitalization with MundoDele?

MundoDele teaches capitalization as part of real written communication. You learn not only which words take a capital letter, but how Spanish writing looks natural in emails, homework, travel notes and everyday messages.

How does capitalization work in Spanish?

Spanish capitalization follows a more restrained logic than English. Many words that are capitalized in English stay lowercase in Spanish unless they begin a sentence or are part of a proper name.

1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence

Like English, Spanish begins a new sentence with a capital letter.

Hoy estudio español.
Today I study Spanish.

2. Capitalize proper names

Names of people, cities, countries, institutions and specific places use capital letters.

María vive en México.
María lives in Mexico.

3. Do not capitalize days and months

Days of the week and months are normally lowercase in Spanish.

La clase es el lunes en mayo.
The class is on Monday in May.

4. Do not capitalize languages

Language names are lowercase unless they start a sentence.

Hablo español, inglés y francés.
I speak Spanish, English and French.

5. Do not capitalize nationalities as adjectives

Adjectives of nationality are lowercase in Spanish.

un estudiante argentino
an Argentine student

6. Capital letters keep written accents

Capital letters can and should keep accent marks when the word requires them.

África · Éxito · Ángel
Capital letters with accents.

Common mistakes with Spanish capitalization

  • Capitalizing months: write mayo, not Mayo inside a sentence.
  • Capitalizing languages: write español, not Español unless it starts a sentence.
  • Capitalizing nationalities: write una profesora chilena, not una profesora Chilena.
  • Dropping accents on capitals: write Álvaro, not Alvaro, when the accent belongs to the word.
  • After a comma before a question: write Ana, ¿cómo estás?, not Ana, ¿Cómo estás?.

Exercises: Spanish capitalization

Work through the tasks first. The answers are hidden so you can check yourself after trying.

Exercise 1: Lowercase or capital letter?

Decide which words should be capitalized. Rewrite each sentence correctly.

  1. marta vive en chile.
  2. el lunes tengo clase de español.
  3. viajamos a madrid en septiembre.
  4. mi amigo colombiano habla inglés.
Show answer key
  1. Marta vive en Chile.
  2. El lunes tengo clase de español.
  3. Viajamos a Madrid en septiembre.
  4. Mi amigo colombiano habla inglés.

Exercise 2: Correct the English-style capitalization

These sentences use too much English-style capitalization. Rewrite them in natural Spanish capitalization.

  1. Estudio Español los Martes.
  2. Mi profesora Argentina vive en Barcelona.
  3. En Julio viajo a Perú.
  4. Hablo Francés, Alemán y Español.
Show answer key
  1. Estudio español los martes.
  2. Mi profesora argentina vive en Barcelona.
  3. En julio viajo a Perú.
  4. Hablo francés, alemán y español.

Exercise 3: Add accents and capital letters

Rewrite each sentence with correct capitalization and accents.

  1. alvaro es de mexico.
  2. angela estudia en bogota.
  3. que haces, ana?
  4. africa es un continente.
Show answer key
  1. Álvaro es de México.
  2. Ángela estudia en Bogotá.
  3. ¿Qué haces, Ana?
  4. África es un continente.

Exercise 4: Sentence-in-context capitalization

Rewrite the short paragraph. Use capital letters only where Spanish needs them.

me llamo lucía. soy mexicana y estudio inglés los viernes. en mayo voy a visitar sevilla con mi amiga clara.

Show answer key

Me llamo Lucía. Soy mexicana y estudio inglés los viernes. En mayo voy a visitar Sevilla con mi amiga Clara.

Spanish punctuation
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See how sentence structure changes emphasis and clarity.

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FAQ: Spanish capitalization

Are months capitalized in Spanish?

No. Months are normally lowercase in Spanish, for example enero, mayo and diciembre.

Are days of the week capitalized in Spanish?

No. Days of the week are normally lowercase unless they start a sentence.

Are languages capitalized in Spanish?

No. Language names such as español, inglés and alemán are normally lowercase.

Are nationalities capitalized in Spanish?

Nationalities used as adjectives are lowercase, for example un estudiante argentino or una empresa mexicana.

Do capital letters keep accents in Spanish?

Yes. Capital letters keep written accents when the word requires them, as in Álvaro, África or Éxito.

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