Seasons, months and parts of the year
Jahreszeiten, Monate und Teile des Jahres
- Learn the seasons and months.
- Describe the weather in each season and month.
- Advanced: tell what you do in what month of the year.
- Future in the present tense
This lesson introduces German vocabulary for seasons like Der Frühling and Der Winter, months such as Der Januar and Der Oktober, and key verbs like beginnen and sich freuen to describe weather and yearly activities.
Vocabulary (22) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Assign the words to the correct categories: seasons or months.
Jahreszeiten
Monate
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Der September
September
2
Der August
The August
3
Der Februar
February
4
Der Dezember
December
5
Der Winter
The winter
Übung 5: Conversation exercise
Anleitung:
- Can you name the seasons and months? (Can you name the seasons and months?)
- What is the weather like in each season? (What is the weather like in each season?)
- Which months are in each season? (Which months are in each season?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Es gibt drei Monate im Sommer: Juni, Juli und August. There are three months in summer: June, July, and August. |
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Im Sommer ist es heiß. In summer it is hot. |
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September, Oktober und November sind im Herbst, und es regnet oft. September, October, and November are in autumn, and it often rains. |
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Dezember, Januar und Februar sind die Wintermonate. December, January and February are the winter months. |
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In den Wintermonaten schneit es manchmal. In the winter months it snows sometimes. |
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März, April und Mai sind die Frühlingsmonate und das Wetter ist frisch. March, April and May are the spring months and the weather is fresh. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Im Frühling ___ ich meistens mit dem Gärtnern.
(In spring ___ I mostly start gardening.)2. Im Mai ___ ich mich auf die langen Abende.
(In May ___ I look forward to the long evenings.)3. Im August ___ wir es, ins Schwimmbad zu gehen.
(In August ___ we prefer to go to the swimming pool.)4. Letzten Winter ___ mein Freund viel zu Hause ___.
(Last winter ___ my friend worked a lot at home.)Exercise 8: Planning for the Year
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Sich freuen - to look forward
Präsens
- ich freue mich
- du freust dich
- er/sie/es freut sich
- wir freuen uns
- ihr freut euch
- sie/Sie freuen sich
Beginnen - to begin
Präsens
- ich beginne
- du beginnst
- er/sie/es beginnt
- wir beginnen
- ihr beginnt
- sie/Sie beginnen
Bevorzugen - to prefer
Präsens
- ich bevorzuge
- du bevorzugst
- er/sie/es bevorzugt
- wir bevorzugen
- ihr bevorzugt
- sie/Sie bevorzugen
Exercise 9: Zukunft im Präsens
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Future in the present tense
Show translation Show answersfahrt, machst, regnet, ist, fährst, beginnen, fährt, beginnt
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Sich freuen to look forward to Share Copied!
Präsens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) freue mich | I look forward to |
| (du) freust dich | You look forward to |
| (er/sie/es) freut sich | he/she/it looks forward to |
| (wir) freuen uns | we look forward to |
| (ihr) freut euch | you look forward to |
| (sie) freuen sich | they look forward to |
Beginnen begin Share Copied!
Präsens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) beginne | I begin |
| (du) beginnst | you begin |
| (er/sie/es) beginnt | he/she/it begins |
| (wir) beginnen | we begin |
| (ihr) beginnt | you begin |
| (sie) beginnen | they begin |
Bevorzugen to prefer Share Copied!
Präsens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) bevorzuge | I prefer |
| (du) bevorzugst | You prefer |
| (er/sie/es) bevorzugt | he/she/it prefers |
| (wir) bevorzugen | we prefer |
| (ihr) bevorzugt | you prefer |
| (sie) bevorzugen | they prefer |
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Lesson Overview: Seasons, Months, and Parts of the Year in German
This lesson introduces fundamental vocabulary related to the seasons (Jahreszeiten), months (Monate), and common expressions to talk about the parts of the year in German. It is designed for A1 learners, those beginning to explore German language basics, especially those who want to describe weather, make plans, and discuss time-related topics.
Core Vocabulary
- Seasons: Der Frühling (spring), Der Sommer (summer), Der Herbst (autumn), Der Winter (winter)
- Months: Der Januar, Der April, Der Juli, Der Oktober (January, April, July, October)
Key Language Elements
The lesson covers simple sentence structures using the present tense to express activities, weather, and feelings connected with different times of the year. For example:
- Im Frühling beginnt das Wetter wärmer zu werden. (In spring, the weather begins to get warmer.)
- Im Januar beginnt der Winter, und es ist oft kalt und regnerisch. (In January, winter begins and it is often cold and rainy.)
- Im Mai freue ich mich auf die langen Abende. (In May, I look forward to the long evenings.)
Grammar Focus: Present Tense Verb Conjugation
Verb conjugations in the Präsens (present tense) are highlighted with practical verbs like sich freuen (to be happy about), beginnen (to begin), and bevorzugen (to prefer). Understanding these allows for expressing plans and feelings connected to seasons and months.
Practical Communication: Weather and Plans
Dialogs guide learners to discuss weather and future plans in a natural context by asking questions and responding about months and activities, e.g.:
- Welche Monate gehören zum Frühling? (Which months belong to spring?)
- Nächste Woche mache ich einen Ausflug in den Herbstwald. (Next week, I am taking a trip to the autumn forest.)
Vocabulary Categorization Exercise
The lesson encourages sorting words into categories: seasons or months, deepening understanding and retention of the vocabulary.
Note on Language Differences
Unlike English, German uses masculine articles with the months and seasons: der Januar, der Frühling. Also, seasons and months are capitalized as nouns, which is important in German grammar. The verb position in sentences often changes, with the conjugated verb placed second: "Im Frühling beginnt das Wetter wärmer zu werden." To express future plans, German uses the present tense with time indications rather than a future tense form, such as "Nächste Woche fahre ich..." (Next week, I am going...). This can be helpful to plan conversations about upcoming activities.
Useful Phrases
- Ich freue mich auf... – I am looking forward to...
- Im [Monat] – In [month]
- Das Wetter ist meistens... – The weather is usually...
- Wir beginnen mit... – We start with...
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