German Days, Months & Seasons: Complete Time Vocabulary

Knowing how to talk about days, months, and seasons is one of the first things you need in German. Whether you are making an appointment, planning a trip, or simply telling someone your birthday, german days months seasons vocabulary comes up constantly. The good news: these words are easy to learn, and most of them look or sound similar to their English equivalents.

This guide gives you every word you need, explains the grammar behind them, and shows you exactly how to use them in sentences.

The 7 Days of the Week in German (Wochentage)

All days of the week in German are masculine (der) and end in -tag (day). They are always capitalized.

A few things to notice:

• Mittwoch literally means "mid-week" — it is the only day that does not end in -tag.
• Samstag is used in most of Germany. In northern Germany, you may also hear Sonnabend (literally "Sunday eve").
• The week in Germany officially starts on Monday, not Sunday. Calendars, planners, and schedules all reflect this.

Memory tip: Many German days share roots with English ones. Donnerstag comes from the thunder god Donar (like Thursday from Thor). Freitag is named after the goddess Freya (like Friday).

What Are the 12 Months in German?

All twelve months in German are masculine (der) and look remarkably similar to English. They are always capitalized.

The months are almost identical to English, which makes them among the easiest German vocabulary to learn. The main spelling differences are:

• Januar (not January) — no y at the end
• Februar (not February) — no y
• März — the umlaut ä and the z instead of ch
• Oktober — k instead of c
• Dezember — z instead of c

Want to lock these words into memory? Play Memory Match to pair German months with their English translations. The visual matching format is especially effective for vocabulary that looks similar across languages.

The 4 Seasons in German (Jahreszeiten)

All four seasons are masculine (der) in German. The collective term is die Jahreszeiten (literally "year-times").

• der Frühling — from früh (early), literally "early thing." You may also see das Frühjahr (early year), especially in formal writing.
• der Sommer — nearly identical to English.
• der Herbst — related to the English word "harvest."
• der Winter — identical to English.

Seasons connect naturally to weather vocabulary. Once you know der Winter, you can easily build sentences like Im Winter schneit es oft (It often snows in winter).

Are Days and Months Capitalized in German?

Yes. In German, days of the week, months, and seasons are always capitalized because they are nouns. This is different from languages like French or Spanish where these words are lowercase.

German capitalizes all nouns, so this rule applies consistently:

• Ich komme am Montag. (I'm coming on Monday.)
• Der Januar ist kalt. (January is cold.)
• Im Sommer fahren wir nach Italien. (In summer we go to Italy.)

This is actually helpful for learners — you can always spot nouns in a German sentence because they start with a capital letter.

Prepositions With Time: Am, Im, and Um

This is where many beginners make mistakes. German uses specific prepositions with time words, and the patterns are consistent:

Days of the Week: am (an + dem)

Use am before days of the week:

• Am Montag habe ich einen Termin. (On Monday I have an appointment.)
• Am Freitag gehe ich ins Kino. (On Friday I go to the cinema.)
• Am Wochenende schlafe ich lange. (On the weekend I sleep in.)

Months and Seasons: im (in + dem)

Use im before months and seasons:

• Im Januar schneit es oft. (In January it often snows.)
• Im Sommer ist es heiß. (In summer it is hot.)
• Im Oktober beginnt der Herbst. (In October autumn begins.)

Clock Times: um

Use um for specific clock times:

• Um 8 Uhr beginnt die Schule. (School starts at 8 o'clock.)
• Wir treffen uns um 15 Uhr. (We meet at 3 PM.)

Quick Reference

These prepositions use the dative case, which is why an dem contracts to am and in dem contracts to im. For more on how German cases work, see our guide on German cases explained.

How to Write Dates in German

German dates follow the format day.month.year, which is the opposite of the American month/day/year format:

• 25.03.2026 = 25th of March, 2026
• 01.12.2026 = 1st of December, 2026

When writing dates in full, German uses ordinal numbers with a period:

• der 5. März 2026 (the 5th of March 2026)
• der 1. Januar 2026 (the 1st of January 2026)
• der 24. Dezember (the 24th of December — Christmas Eve)

To say a date aloud, you add the ending -te (for 1-19) or -ste (for 20+) to the number:

• der erste Januar (the first of January)
• der dritte März (the third of March)
• der zwanzigste April (the twentieth of April)

Asking for the date:

• Welches Datum haben wir heute? (What is the date today?)
• Heute ist der 25. März 2026. (Today is March 25, 2026.)

Asking about a birthday:

• Wann hast du Geburtstag? (When is your birthday?)
• Ich habe am 14. Juli Geburtstag. (My birthday is on July 14th.)

What Are the Days of the Week in German?

The seven days are: Montag (Monday), Dienstag (Tuesday), Mittwoch (Wednesday), Donnerstag (Thursday), Freitag (Friday), Samstag (Saturday), and Sonntag (Sunday).

Each one takes the masculine article der. When talking about a recurring event, Germans add an -s to make it a general statement:

• Montags gehe ich schwimmen. (On Mondays I go swimming.)
• Freitags essen wir Pizza. (On Fridays we eat pizza.)
• Sonntags schlafen wir aus. (On Sundays we sleep in.)

Notice the lowercase and the -s ending — this adverbial form means "every Monday" rather than "this particular Monday." It is a useful pattern for describing your daily routine in German.

Useful Time Phrases to Learn

Here are essential phrases that combine days, months, and seasons with everyday conversation:

German has two words that English lacks: vorgestern (the day before yesterday) and übermorgen (the day after tomorrow). These are used commonly in everyday speech and are worth memorizing early.

To practice typing these words quickly and build muscle memory, try Type Rush. The game throws German words at you under time pressure, which is a great way to internalize spelling.

Quick Grammar Summary

Here is everything you need to remember about the grammar of time words in German:

1. All days, months, and seasons are masculine — they all take der.
2. All are capitalized — they are nouns in German.
3. Use am with days — am Montag, am Samstag.
4. Use im with months and seasons — im Juli, im Winter.
5. Add -s for recurring events — montags (every Monday), lowercase.
6. Dates use day.month.year format — der 25. März 2026.

Practice Makes Perfect

Time vocabulary is something you will use every single day in German, so it pays to drill these words until they are automatic. Here are the best ways to practice:

• Play Memory Match to pair German time words with English translations — great for visual learners
• Challenge yourself in Type Rush to type days and months quickly under pressure
• Take our vocabulary quizzes to test your knowledge with instant feedback
• Build on this foundation with our A1 vocabulary list for more essential beginner words

Ready to put your time vocabulary to the test? Download the Deutschwunder app and start practicing German days, months, and seasons with free interactive games — anytime, anywhere.

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Keep learning: German A1 vocabulary list · German daily routine vocabulary · German weather vocabulary · German numbers 1-100