Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to express the date correctly in German using different formats, including full dates, dates with and without the year, and weekdays. This guide covers essential prepositions like "am" for weekdays and "im" for months or years, with practical examples to help beginners understand date expressions in everyday German.
  1. Days of the week: Use am + weekday, e.g. am Montag.
  2. Months and years: Use im + month or year (and season), e.g. im Januar, im Jahr 2025.
Form (Form)Beispiel
Vollständiges Datum (Complete date)12. August 2023
Datum ohne Jahr  (Date without year )5. Juli 
Datum mit Wochentag (Date with weekday)Montag, 3. April
Frage (Question)Welcher Tag ist heute? Es ist Donnerstag, der 12. Juli.

Exercise 1: Wie gibt man das Datum an?

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

1. Mai, am, im, 10. März, 22. Februar, am 5. Juli 2025

1. 22/02:
Der Geburtstag meiner Mutter ist am ....
(My mother's birthday is on 22 February.)
2. 05/07/2025:
Die Veranstaltung ist ....
(The event is on 5 July 2025.)
3. 10/03:
Mein Geburtstag ist am ....
(My birthday is on 10 March.)
4.
Der Urlaub beginnt ... Samstag.
(The holiday begins on Saturday.)
5. 01/05:
Die Feier beginnt am ....
(The celebration begins on 1 May.)
6.
Wir planen eine Reise ... Sommer.
(We are planning a trip in summer.)
7.
Wir feiern Ostern ... April.
(We celebrate Easter in April.)
8.
Ich wurde ... Jahr 2001 geboren.
(I was born in 2001.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Ich gebe ___ das Buch.

(I give ___ the book.)

2. Wir danken ___ für ihre Hilfe.

(We thank ___ for her help.)

3. Ich schicke ___ einen Brief.

(I send ___ a letter.)

4. Die Lehrerin hilft ___ bei den Aufgaben.

(The teacher helps ___ with the tasks.)

5. Ich gebe ___ das Geschenk.

(I give ___ the gift.)

6. Am Montag schenke ich ___ eine Blume.

(On Monday I give ___ a flower.)

How to Indicate Dates in German

This lesson teaches you how to correctly express dates in German, including full dates, dates without the year, and dates with weekdays. Understanding these basics will allow you to talk about appointments, holidays, and everyday events more naturally.

Key Date Formats

  • Full Date: For example, 12. August 2023.
  • Date without the Year: Such as 5. Juli.
  • Date with Weekday: Like Montag, 3. April.
  • Questions about the Date: For example, Welcher Tag ist heute? Es ist Donnerstag, der 12. Juli.

Important Prepositions and Usage

When mentioning days of the week, use "am" + weekday, for example, am Montag (on Monday). For months or years, use "im" + month or year, for example, im Januar (in January) or im Jahr 2025 (in the year 2025).

Additional Notes on Usage

You will also notice the definite article der before the date when mentioning a specific day, as in der 12. Juli. This is a common way to emphasize the exact date.

Differences from English

Unlike English, where dates often use ordinal numbers with suffixes (e.g., July 12th), German dates use cardinal numbers followed by a dot ("12."), pronounced like an ordinal. Also, while English usually says "on Monday," German expresses this as "am Montag." Similarly, months are preceded by "im" instead of just mentioned alone.

Useful phrases include:
am Montag – on Monday
im August – in August
im Jahr 2023 – in the year 2023
der 12. Juli – the 12th of July

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Sophie Schmidt

International Administration Management

Würzburger Dolmetscherschule

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Last Updated:

Tuesday, 15/07/2025 03:40