Days of the week and parts of the day

Introduction to Days of the Week and Parts of the Day in German

This lesson covers essential vocabulary and grammar structures for talking about time in German. You will learn the names of the days of the week and the parts of the day, as well as how to use prepositions to express specific times and periods. Additionally, you will explore the use of personal pronouns in the accusative case, which are important when describing activities scheduled at certain times.

Days of the Week

In German, the days of the week are masculine nouns preceded by the definite article der. Here are the days you will focus on:

• der Montag (Monday)
• der Dienstag (Tuesday)
• der Mittwoch (Wednesday)
• der Donnerstag (Thursday)
• der Freitag (Friday)
• der Samstag (Saturday)
• der Sonntag (Sunday)

Parts of the Day

It is equally important to know the main parts of the day when expressing when you do activities. These are also mostly masculine nouns:

• der Morgen (morning)
• der Mittag (midday)
• der Nachmittag (afternoon)
• der Abend (evening)
• die Nacht (night)

Prepositions for Indicating Time

German uses specific prepositions to talk about times of the day and days of the week. Examples include:

• am - for days and parts of the day (e.g., am Montag, am Abend)
• um - for specific clock times (e.g., um acht Uhr)
• von ... bis ... - to specify time intervals (e.g., von neun bis fünf)

Personal Pronouns in the Accusative Case

This lesson also revisits personal pronouns when they function as direct objects, which helps with natural sentence construction:

• ich - mich
• du - dich
• er - ihn
• sie - sie
• es - es
• wir - uns
• ihr - euch
• sie/Sie - sie/Sie

Sample Sentences

Here are some examples showing how to talk about your schedule and daily activities:

• Am Montag arbeite ich im Büro von neun bis fünf.
• Um acht Uhr frühstücke ich mit meiner Familie.
• Nach der Arbeit gehe ich am Abend oft spazieren.
• Seit Mittwoch habe ich jeden Nachmittag Deutschunterricht.

Useful Phrases for Planning and Discussing Your Week

Practice discussing your activities on specific days or parts of the day using phrases like:

• Am Dienstag treffe ich dich um fünf Uhr im Café.
• Ab morgen mache ich jeden Morgen Sport.
• Am Samstag schlafen wir lange nach dem Frühstück.
• Nach der Arbeit gehe ich am Abend nach Hause.

Grammar Note on Differences Between English and German Time Expressions

Unlike English, German often uses the preposition am with days of the week and parts of the day, where English does not use a preposition (e.g., "on Monday" = "am Montag"). When referring to exact times, German uses um, similar to "at" in English (e.g., "at eight o'clock" = "um acht Uhr"). Also, time intervals use a clear von... bis... structure, corresponding to "from... to...".

Understanding these prepositions will help you accurately describe when events happen.

Summary

This lesson equips you to confidently talk about the days of the week, different parts of the day, and how to specify times for activities using proper prepositions. Coupled with the use of accusative personal pronouns, you will be able to describe your weekly routines naturally.