Days of the Week and Months in German (with Pronunciation)
If you're learning German, days and months are among the first words you need. Every plan, ticket, and appointment uses them.
The good news is that they are easier than most German nouns. They are all masculine, most of them look like their English cousins, and the pronunciation follows the spelling quite closely.
The days of the week in German
Here are the seven days of the week in German. Every one takes der (the), so you do not need to learn a different article for each day.
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Montag | MOHN-tahk | Monday |
| der Dienstag | DEENS-tahk | Tuesday |
| der Mittwoch | MIT-vokh | Wednesday |
| der Donnerstag | DON-ers-tahk | Thursday |
| der Freitag | FRY-tahk | Friday |
| der Samstag | ZAMS-tahk | Saturday |
| der Sonntag | ZON-tahk | Sunday |
The German week starts on Montag (Monday). German calendars and planners usually show Monday first and Sonntag (Sunday) last.
Read the table once, then flip through the cards to see which days stick.
How well did you know this word?
The months come next, and the pronunciation column will do most of the work.
The months in German
All twelve months are also masculine, so they all use der (the). Ten of the twelve look close to their English names. März (March) and Dezember (December) need a second look.
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Januar | YAH-noo-ar | January |
| der Februar | FAY-broo-ar | February |
| der März | mehrts | March |
| der April | ah-PRIL | April |
| der Mai | my | May |
| der Juni | YOO-nee | June |
| der Juli | YOO-lee | July |
| der August | ow-GOOST | August |
| der September | zep-TEM-ber | September |
| der Oktober | ok-TOH-ber | October |
| der November | no-VEM-ber | November |
| der Dezember | day-TSEM-ber | December |
Juni (June) and Juli (July) can sound almost identical on a bad phone line. When Germans need to be especially clear, they often say Juno for June and Julei for July. You may hear this when booking something by phone, at a train station, or in an office.
In Austria, January is also called der Jänner (January). The other months are the same as in Germany.
How do you pronounce German days and months?
The pronunciation column gives you each full word, but a few sound rules cover every word in the tables.
The ending -tag sounds like "tahk." A final g in German is pronounced like a hard k sound, so Montag (Monday) ends in "tahk."
The letter w sounds like English v. That is why Mittwoch (Wednesday) is "MIT-vokh." An s before a vowel at the beginning of a word sounds like English z, as in Samstag (Saturday), Sonntag (Sunday), and September (September).
The letter j sounds like English y, which helps with Januar (January), Juni (June), and Juli (July). The letter z sounds like "ts," as in Dezember (December) and März (March).
The vowel pair ei sounds like English "eye" in Freitag (Friday). Ai sounds the same in Mai (May). The ä in März sounds like the e in "bed."
All the days have stress on the first syllable. For months, put the stress on the second syllable in April (April), August (August), September (September), Oktober (October), November (November), and Dezember (December).
What do the German day names mean?
Several German day names have the same older pattern as their English names.
Montag (Monday) means day of the moon, from der Mond (the moon). This matches English Monday. Donnerstag (Thursday) means day of thunder, from der Donner (thunder), for the god Donar, known in English as Thor. Freitag (Friday) refers to the goddess Frija or Freya. Sonntag (Sunday) means day of the sun, from die Sonne (the sun).
Dienstag (Tuesday) comes from the Germanic god Tiw, also written Ziu. This is the same god behind the English name Tuesday.
Mittwoch (Wednesday) literally means "mid-week," from Mitte (middle) and Woche (week). The older name honored the god Wodan, like English Wednesday, but the church replaced it with Mittwoch.
Samstag (Saturday) comes from the Sabbath through Greek and Latin. You may also hear der Sonnabend (Sunday eve), especially in northern and eastern Germany. Samstag is more common overall and is the word on most calendars.
When do you use am and im?
This is one of the easiest German time rules. Use am (on, in) with days and parts of the day. Use im (in) with months and seasons.
You say am Montag (on Monday), am Wochenende (on the weekend), am Morgen (in the morning), and am Nachmittag (in the afternoon).
You say im Mai (in May), im Dezember (in December), and im Sommer (in summer).
Both forms fit these words because am is short for an dem and im is short for in dem. They use the masculine Dativ form, and every day and month is masculine.
Here are three useful examples:
- Ich habe am Dienstag einen Termin. (I have an appointment on Tuesday.)
- Mein Geburtstag ist im Oktober. (My birthday is in October.)
- Am Wochenende schlafe ich lange. (On the weekend I sleep in.)
For clock times, use um (at): um 8 Uhr (at 8 o'clock). If you want the full guide to all three time prepositions, read um, am, or im.
What are the abbreviations and lowercase forms?
German calendars and timetables use these short forms. They do not have a period after them.
| Day | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Montag | Mo |
| Dienstag | Di |
| Mittwoch | Mi |
| Donnerstag | Do |
| Freitag | Fr |
| Samstag | Sa |
| Sonntag | So |
Days and months are nouns, so they are always capitalized in German, even in the middle of a sentence.
The exception is the habit form. When you add -s to a day name, you get an adverb that means "every" that day, and these forms are lowercase.
Montags (on Mondays) means every Monday as a habit. Freitags (on Fridays) means every Friday as a habit. For example: Ich arbeite montags von zu Hause. (I work from home on Mondays.)
What are the seasons in German?
The four seasons are masculine too, and they use im (in) like months.
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Frühling | FRUE-ling, ü as "ee" with rounded lips | spring |
| der Sommer | ZOM-er | summer |
| der Herbst | hairpst | autumn, fall |
| der Winter | VIN-ter | winter |
You can say im Frühling (in spring) or im Herbst (in autumn). The pattern is the same as im Mai (in May).
You may also see das Frühjahr (spring) in more formal or written German.
How do you say the date in German?
Written German dates use day, month, and year, separated by dots: 10.09.2026 or 10.9.2026. German does not use a month-first order.
When you say a date, use an ordinal number followed by the month. Der 10. September is read der zehnte September (the tenth of September). The dot after 10 shows that it is an ordinal number.
After am (on), the ordinal changes to -n. So am 10. September is read am zehnten September (on the tenth of September).
To ask for the date, say: Der Wievielte ist heute? (What is the date today?)
A possible answer is: Heute ist der zehnte September. (Today is the tenth of September.)
Ordinals from 2 to 19 usually end in -te, such as zweite (second), dritte (third), and zehnte (tenth). From 20 onward, they end in -ste, such as zwanzigste (twentieth) and dreißigste (thirtieth). Erste (first), dritte (third), and siebte (seventh) are the irregular forms.
If you need help with the numbers and ordinals, see how to count in German.
What should you practice next?
Use the German days and months word list when you want the full list of German words for dates and time, including plurals and example sentences.
Then use the German days and months flashcards to practice all of them. Once the words feel familiar, try the German time expressions game to practice am Montag (on Monday) and im Mai (in May) in full sentences. After a few rounds, am and im stop being a choice and become automatic.