Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to say the date in German with examples like "am Montag" (on Monday), "im Januar" (in January), and full dates such as "12. August 2023." This lesson covers weekdays, months, and year expressions used in everyday conversation.
  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 Express Dates in German

This lesson explains how to correctly state dates in German, including complete dates, dates without the year, and dates with weekdays. You will learn how to combine days, months, and years naturally in daily conversation or writing.

Common Date Formats

Form Example
Full Date 12. August 2023
Date without Year 5. Juli
Date with Weekday Montag, 3. April
Question Example Welcher Tag ist heute? Es ist Donnerstag, der 12. Juli.

Using Prepositions with Dates

In German, specific prepositions are used with dates and weekdays to indicate time:

  • "am" + weekday: Used to indicate a specific day of the week. For example, am Montag means "on Monday."
  • "im" + month or year: Used when talking about a month or a year. For example, im Januar means "in January" and im Jahr 2025 means "in the year 2025."

Important Notes on German Date Expressions

Unlike English where the month often precedes the day (e.g., July 5th), German typically writes the day first, followed by the month, like 5. Juli.

Also, the definite article der is used before the date when including the weekday in spoken language, such as am Donnerstag, der 12. Juli.

Useful Vocabulary and Phrases

  • der Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag, Sonntag — the weekdays
  • der Januar, Februar, März, April, Mai, Juni, Juli, August, September, Oktober, November, Dezember — the months
  • am — on (used with a weekday)
  • im — in (used with a month or year)
  • der Tag — the day

Differences from English and Useful Tips

When expressing dates, German tends to use the day before the month, which is different from English. For example, "July 5th" in English becomes 5. Juli in German.

German also often includes the article der before the date when mentioning the weekday, e.g., am Donnerstag, der 12. Juli. In English this is not common.

Some key phrases include:

  • Welcher Tag ist heute? — What day is today?
  • Es ist Donnerstag, der 12. Juli. — It is Thursday, the 12th of July.
  • Ich komme am Montag. — I am coming on Monday.
  • Wir treffen uns im Januar. — We meet in January.

This summary gives a thorough overview of how to express dates properly in German at the A1 level, helping you form natural and grammatically correct sentences.

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

Profile Picture

Sophie Schmidt

International Administration Management

Würzburger Dolmetscherschule

University_Logo

Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 10:49