Knowing German days, months and seasons is useful in countless situations — from making appointments to saying dates. The good news: German month names are very similar to English, so they are easy to pick up.
Grammar note: Days of the week and months all use the article der in German (der Montag, der Januar). Seasons also use der (der Sommer).
Days of the Week (Wochentage)
Memory tip: Mittwoch literally means "middle of the week" (Mitte = middle, Woche = week). Many German day names hide the word "Tag" (day): Mon-tag, Diens-tag…
Sentences with Days of the Week
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Am Montag habe ich Schule. | I have school on Monday. |
| Wir treffen uns am Freitag. | We are meeting on Friday. |
| Am Wochenende schlafe ich lange. | I sleep in on the weekend. |
| Jeden Mittwoch gehe ich ins Fitnessstudio. | Every Wednesday I go to the gym. |
⚠️ Watch out: When saying a day, the preposition "an" is used and contracts to am: an dem Montag → am Montag.
12 Months (Monate)
Sentences with Months
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Im Januar ist es sehr kalt. | It is very cold in January. |
| Mein Geburtstag ist im März. | My birthday is in March. |
| Wir fahren im August in Urlaub. | We go on holiday in August. |
| Der Dezember ist mein Lieblingsmonat. | December is my favourite month. |
Rule: When naming a month, use im (= in dem): im Januar, im Sommer.
Seasons (Jahreszeiten)
Saying Dates
In German, dates are expressed with ordinal numbers. Examples:
- der erste Januar → January 1st (written: der 1. Januar)
- der vierzehnte Juni → June 14th
- Heute ist der zwanzigste März. → Today is March 20th.
- Ich bin am dritten Mai geboren. → I was born on May 3rd.
Test Yourself
Which day is Wednesday in German?
Mittwoch = "middle of the week" → Wednesday ✓
Learn Calendar Words with Games
Reinforce days, months and seasons with DeutschGo's mini games and flashcards.
Download on App Store — Free