📘 Chapter 31: Datum & Zeitangaben
📖 Introduction
Understanding and using dates in German is essential for daily communication — from scheduling appointments and writing formal emails to talking about birthdays, holidays, and events.
❓ Why Learn About Dates in German?
- To say and understand calendar dates correctly.
- Essential for booking tickets, setting appointments, and filling forms.
- Used in past and future tense structures when discussing events.
🧠 Vocabulary: Dates & Calendar Words
📅 Days of the Week (Tage der Woche)
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Montag | Monday |
| Dienstag | Tuesday |
| Mittwoch | Wednesday |
| Donnerstag | Thursday |
| Freitag | Friday |
| Samstag | Saturday |
| Sonntag | Sunday |
🗓️ Months of the Year (Monate)
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Januar | January |
| Februar | February |
| März | March |
| April | April |
| Mai | May |
| Juni | June |
| Juli | July |
| August | August |
| September | September |
| Oktober | October |
| November | November |
| Dezember | December |
🕰️ Time-Related Words
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Datum | the date |
| das Jahr | the year |
| der Monat | the month |
| der Tag | the day |
| die Woche | the week |
| das Wochenende | the weekend |
| der Wochentag | weekday |
| das Wochenende | weekend |
| heute | today |
| morgen | tomorrow |
| gestern | yesterday |
| übermorgen | day after tomorrow |
| vorgestern | day before yesterday |
🧩 Theory & Grammar
📌 How to Say the Date in German
📆 Format:
[Am] + ordinal number + [Monat] + [Jahr]
- Ich bin am ersten Januar 2000 geboren.
- Wir treffen uns am zwanzigsten Mai.
🔢 Ordinal Numbers (used in dates)
| Cardinal | Ordinal | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | erste | first |
| 2 | zweite | second |
| 3 | dritte | third |
| 4 | vierte | fourth |
| 5 | fünfte | fifth |
| … | … | … |
| 20 | zwanzigste | twentieth |
| 31 | einunddreißigste | thirty-first |
👉 In spoken and written dates, the ordinal number is used in dative case:
- am ersten Januar
- am fünften Oktober
📝 Full Date Example:
- Heute ist der 15. März 2025.
- Ich habe am 3. Juli Geburtstag.
🗣️ Usage & Context
📌 Formal and Informal Contexts:
-
Formal letters:
Stuttgart, den 15. Mai 2025(Written at the top of letters) -
Everyday use: „Heute ist der 3. Oktober.“ „Ich reise am 27. August.“
✍️ Practical Examples
🧑🤝🧑 Dialogue:
A: Wann hast du Geburtstag? B: Ich habe am fünften Juni Geburtstag. A: Und wann fliegst du nach Berlin? B: Am neunten Oktober.
📝 Sentence Examples:
- Ich habe am ersten Januar Geburtstag.
- Der Kurs beginnt am dritten März.
- Heute ist der zwölfte Dezember.
- Wir fahren am vierundzwanzigsten Juni in Urlaub.
🧪 Exercises
1. Fill in the blanks
- Mein Geburtstag ist am _______ (1. Januar).
- Heute ist der _______ (23. März).
- Wir feiern am _______ (14. Februar).
- Ich bin am _______ (30. April) geboren.
2. Match the German date to English:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| am sechsten Mai | on the 6th of May |
| am ersten Oktober | on the 1st of October |
| am einundzwanzigsten Juli | on the 21st of July |
| am zwölften Dezember | on the 12th of December |
🎴 Flashcards (Q&A)
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What’s the German word for “date”? | das Datum |
| How do you say “on the 4th of May”? | am vierten Mai |
| Translate: “Today is the 16th of June.” | Heute ist der sechzehnte Juni. |
| What case is used with dates after "am"? | Dative |
| How do you say “Monday”? | Montag |
📄 Workbook Summary
✅ Key Concepts Recap
- Learn days, months, and ordinal numbers.
- Use "am" + ordinal + month for expressing specific dates.
- German dates use the dative case after "am".
- Dates in writing (especially formal) begin with the place: „Berlin, den 5. Mai 2025“
📝 Practice Tasks
- Write down your birthday in German (in sentence format).
- Write three full dates for events (past or future).
- Translate: “I will go on vacation on July 24.”
📺 Multimedia Resources
🎥 YouTube Videos
🎧 Podcasts
🧑🏫 Interactive Practice
🗣️ Speaking Help
-
Practice asking and answering:
- Wann hast du Geburtstag?
- Wann fängt der Kurs an?
- Heute ist der...
-
Record yourself saying today’s date, your birthday, and a date from history.
🇩🇪 Cultural Notes
- Germans use dd.mm.yyyy format. For example: 05.03.2025 = March 5th, 2025
- Birthdays are important: Never congratulate before the actual day (considered bad luck!).
✅ Review Section
🧠 Quiz
- What is the German for “July”?
- How do you say “on the 15th of March”?
- What is “Wednesday” in German?
- Translate: “My birthday is on June 9th.”
- What case follows “am” in date expressions?
📝 Answers
- Juli
- am fünfzehnten März
- Mittwoch
- Ich habe am neunten Juni Geburtstag.
- Dative