PRONUNCATION: YEARS (1)

Good morning, It is a new year and we all have to get used to writing 2006 instead of 2005. But do you know how to say this year in English? Some time ago we received a request from one of our readers, Mònica, who wrote: When I studied English I was taught that years were said in two parts: nineteen ninety-six, for example. But I have doubts now with 2000s. How do you say 2000, 2005? This is an excellent question, and to answer it we have decided to do a comprehensive review of the pronunciation of years in English. However, before we answer Mònica's specific question, we are going to go back in time and look at some common abbreviations for referring to historical periods: B.C. and A.D.. B.C. This abbreviation stands for the words before Christ and it is used after a date to refer to a time before the birth of Jesus Christ. Example 1 Julius Cesar was born in 100 B.C. Example 2 Alexander the Great died in Babylon in 323 B.C. A.D. This abbreviation stands for the Latin words Anno Domini, which mean in the year of the Lord and it is used after a date to refer to a time after the birth of Jesus Christ. Example 3 The historical period of the Early Middle Ages is considered to have begun around the year 400 A.D. Tomorrow we will continue with the pronunciation of years in English. If you would like to review the pronunciation of dates in general, please see the Daily Vitamin from 11/12/2003. Remember to post any questions about today's Daily Vitamin in the Daily Vitamin Plus! section on our website. If you have any questions about how to use the Daily Vitamin Plus! section, please send an email to vitamin@ziggurat.es. Have a pleasant day!