How to insert a date in another language on iPhone
If you write to clients, family, or colleagues in a second language, the date is one of the fiddly bits. Your iPhone formats dates in its own language, so getting "mercredi 21 octobre" or "Mittwoch, 21. Oktober" means typing it out by hand, or changing settings you'd rather leave alone. Here is how to get a key that types the date in whichever language you need.
Quick answer
iPhone shows dates in the language and region set in Settings, and there is no built-in way to type a date in a different language without changing those settings. In WordBoard, a custom keyboard for saved text, you can add a language code to a date variable. A key containing {{ date:"EEEE d MMMM yyyy", "fr" }} types today's date in French, such as "mercredi 21 octobre 2026", in any app, while the rest of your phone stays in English.
Why this is awkward on iPhone
There are three obvious routes, and none of them really work for the occasional message in another language:
- Change your iPhone's language or region. Settings, General, Language & Region controls how dates are written, but it changes them everywhere, not just in the one message you're writing.
- Text Replacement. It only stores fixed text, so a saved date never changes. It can't produce today's date in any language. See how to insert today's date on iPhone for more on that limit.
- Type it by hand. Fine once. Tedious when you date every email, note, or invoice line, and easy to get wrong if the language isn't your first one.
Set up a date key in another language
WordBoard keys can contain template variables that are filled in when you tap the key. The date variable takes a format, and it can also take a second value: a language code. WordBoard's support article on templates and variables documents this as a way to show the date in a different language from your phone.
- In WordBoard, create a new key and label it, for example "Date FR" or "Datum".
- For the text, enter a date variable with the format first and the language code second, for example
{{ date:"EEEE d MMMM yyyy", "fr" }}. - Switch to WordBoard in any app and tap the key. The day and month names are typed in the language you chose.
Language codes are standard locale identifiers: de for German, fr for French, es for Spanish, it for Italian, nl for Dutch, pt for Portuguese, ja for Japanese, and so on.
Match the word order, not just the words
The language code translates the day and month names. It doesn't rearrange your format. So {{ date:"EEEE, MMM d, yyyy", "de" }} gives "Mittwoch, Okt. 21, 2026": German words in an American order. To get a date that reads naturally, write the format the way that language writes dates:
| Language | Variable | Types something like |
|---|---|---|
| German | {{ date:"EEEE, d. MMMM yyyy", "de" }} |
Mittwoch, 21. Oktober 2026 |
| French | {{ date:"EEEE d MMMM yyyy", "fr" }} |
mercredi 21 octobre 2026 |
| Italian | {{ date:"EEEE d MMMM yyyy", "it" }} |
mercoledì 21 ottobre 2026 |
| Dutch | {{ date:"EEEE d MMMM yyyy", "nl" }} |
woensdag 21 oktober 2026 |
| Japanese | {{ date:"yyyy年M月d日 EEEE", "ja" }} |
2026年10月21日 水曜日 |
| German, numeric | {{ date:"dd.MM.yyyy HH:mm", "de" }} |
21.10.2026 09:41 |
Spanish and Portuguese usually put "de" between the day, month, and year. Without it you get "miércoles, 21 octubre 2026", which is readable but not quite how a native speaker writes it, so check the result for your language before relying on it. The pattern letters are the same as for any WordBoard date key: EEEE is the full weekday, MMMM the full month, MMM the short month, d the day, yyyy the year. The insert today's date guide has the full cheat sheet.
Use it inside a longer template
A date variable can sit anywhere in a key's text, so a whole greeting or sign-off can live in one key:
- Letter heading in French:
Paris, le {{ date:"d MMMM yyyy", "fr" }} - German meeting notes:
Protokoll vom {{ date:"EEEE, d. MMMM yyyy", "de" }} - Italian "today is":
Oggi è {{ date:"EEEE", "it" }}
Combine it with the other variables too. {{ cursor }} drops your cursor where the personal part of the message goes, and {{ clipboard }} pastes in a reference number you just copied. iPhone keyboard variables explained covers each of them.
Keep each language in its own folder
If you write regularly in two or three languages, give each one a WordBoard folder with its date key, greetings, and sign-offs together. You switch folders on the keyboard instead of hunting through one long list. WordBoard is free to download with 6 keys included. WordBoard Pro unlocks unlimited keys, which you'll want once you have a set per language.
FAQ
Can I type a date in another language on iPhone without changing the phone's language?
Not with iPhone's built-in tools. Dates follow the language and region in Settings. A WordBoard key with a language code, such as {{ date:"EEEE d MMMM yyyy", "fr" }}, types the date in French while the rest of your phone stays in its usual language.
Why is my translated date in the wrong order?
The language code only translates the day and month names. The order comes from the format you write, so write it the way that language does, for example {{ date:"EEEE, d. MMMM yyyy", "de" }} for German.
Which language codes can I use?
Standard locale identifiers, such as de for German, fr for French, es for Spanish, it for Italian, nl for Dutch, pt for Portuguese, and ja for Japanese.
Does the date update automatically?
Yes. The date is filled in at the moment you tap the key, so it is always today's date, in the language you set.