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Many struggle with the names of months in German.
I was, sadly, one of them.
I once missed a very important dental appointment! Or did I do it on purpose?
Anyway, with our ultimate guide on German months, you’ll master the months in no time, enabling you to book appointments and make plans with no problems!
The Basics of German Months
Beyond its practical necessity when it comes to scheduling, knowing the months of the year in German allows you to better understand the country’s culture as well. Ready?
Names and Pronunciation
Ready for tongue twisters? Getting the pronunciation right is crucial! Don’t be like me and miss important events because I mispronounced January (Januar) for July (Juli)!
- Januar (yah-noo-ahr)
- Februar (feh-broo-ahr)
- März (mehrts)
- April (ah-pril)
- Mai (my)
- Juni (yoo-nee)
- Juli (yoo-lee)
- August (ow-goost)
- September (zep-tem-ber)
- Oktober (ok-toh-ber)
- November (no-vem-ber)
- Dezember (de-tsem-ber)
Pro tip: Mai is a freebie - it's pronounced just like "my" in English.
Grammar and Usage
Time for grammar! (I know, I know - not the most fun part).
Knowing the correct pronunciation is nothing if you can’t correctly use them in sentences. Don’t worry, it’s actually not too complicated!
Articles and Gender
Masculine Gender of Months
All German months are considered masculine and therefore use the article “der.” “Der März,” “Der Oktober,” Der Dezember” - “der” is used for every single month with no exceptions.
Simple enough, yeah? Thanks, boys!
Prepositions with Months
Now that you know the correct pronunciation of the months in German, as well as which article to use (“der”), you just need to know which prepositions to use for your sentence. Fret not, these are fairly easy too!
Using "im" with Months
If you’re talking about a particular event in a specific month, simply use “im.” It’s essentially the translation of “in” for months. So “in February” is basically “im Februar” in German.
Just be careful not to mispronounce “im” as “in,” and you’ll seem like you’ve lived in Germany all your life!
"von" and "bis" with Months
But if you’re referring to timelines, use these German prepositions with months: “von” (from) and “bis” (to). So “Von Januar bis Juli” means “From January to July.”
The same goes for years too! For example, “Von Dezember 2019 bis Oktober 2024.”
Expressing Dates
Ok, now on to how to say months in German in the right date format. While it’s quite unique relative to other date formats, it’s not difficult at all.
Date Format in German
Basically, Germans use the Day.Month.Year format. So December 25, 2024 will be written as 25.12.2024. Note that they also use periods instead of slashes or hyphens.
Very different, yes. But give yourself some time and you’ll get used to it soon enough!
Ordinal Numbers with Dates
An ordinal number is just a number that indicates the position or order of something in a sequence, such as "first," "second," or "third."
Now here’s how to use them verbally. German uses ordinal numbers for the day of the month.
The rule is - every number from 1-19 ends in "-te", and every number from 20 on ends in "ste".
Ordinal Numbers before 19 (Ending in "-te")
- Der erste Juni – "June 1st"
- Der dritte – "3rd"
- Der fünfzehnte Juli – "July 15th"
Ordinal Numbers from 20 onwards (Ending in "-ste")
- Der zwanzigste August – "August 20th"
- Der einundzwanzigste Oktober – "October 21st"
- Der vierzehnte Februar – "February 14th"
Potentially confusing, but once you start using them you'll get a handle on them!
Practical Applications
Conversational Use
Reciting dates in German? Check!
How about using them organically when speaking? Here’s how you can start doing it.
Master these usages and you’ll be talking about Grillparties in Juli or commiserate with the locals about the Januar Kälte!
Discussing Plans and Schedules
Here are a few phrases you can start practicing with:
"Ich fahre im Juni nach Cologne."
-I'm going to Cologne in June.
"Wir haben im Januar Urlaub."
-(We have a vacation in January.
"Der Kurs beginnt am ersten Mai."
-The course starts on Mai 1st.
Then, try coming up with your own sentences.
Easy enough, no? Just don’t forget that months will use “im” while am is used with specific dates. And like in English, German months are also always capitalized.
Learnings Recap
And that’s all you really need to know about months in German! To wrap up, here’s a quick rundown of everything:
- Masculine Months: All German months use the masculine article "der," such as "der Januar" (January) and "der Oktober" (October).
- Date Format: Dates are written as Day.Month.Year, so April 15, 2024, is "15.04.2024." Be cautious with dates like "04.07.2024" which means July 4th, not April 7th.
- Prepositions: Use "im" for months (e.g., "im Mai" for "in May") and "von" (from) and "bis" (to) for periods (e.g., "von Juni bis August" for "from June to August").
- Capitalization: Month names are capitalized in German, so remember "Juli" not "juli."
Final Thoughts
Congratulations! You should now be well-versed in German months. You’re not just better equipped to handle daily life in Germany, but you’ve also hopefully gleaned a deeper understanding of German culture. So now you can easily make plans for Oktoberfest or book your Christmas vacation in Dezember!
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