I can say what the date is today and when my birthday is, make an appointment for a specific date and time — and cancel it.
What's the date today
What's the date today
To make an appointment and write a date, you need three things: the months, ordinal numbers, and prepositions of time.
The twelve months are in the table, all masculine: der Januar, der Mai. In Austria, January is der Jänner.
Ordinal numbers: up to 19, the number + te (der zweite, der vierte, der zehnte, der neunzehnte); from 20, the number + ste (der zwanzigste, der einunddreißigste). Four forms are special: erste (not “einte”), dritte (not “dreite”), siebte (siebente also exists but is rare), achte (with one t).
A written date is a figure with a period: der 3. Mai (May 3: the day comes first). Aloud, it's der dritte Mai. Asking the date: Der Wievielte ist heute?
Prepositions: um + clock time (um acht Uhr), am + day of the week and date (am Montag, am 3. Mai — aloud “am dritten Mai”), im + month (im Mai). After am the ordinal takes -n: am dritten Mai. Learn it as a set phrase for now.
An appointment (der Termin, not a “term”): Sophie hat am Mittwoch einen Termin. Haben Sie am Montag Zeit?
Common mistakes:
• NOT “in Mai” — correct: im Mai.
• NOT “im Montag” — with a day of the week: am Montag.
• NOT “der einte Mai” — correct: der erste Mai.
• NOT “der zwanzigte Oktober” — from 20, -ste: der zwanzigste Oktober.
• NOT “Heute ist der 3 Mai” — a period follows the figure: der 3. Mai.
Twelve months
All the months are masculine: der Januar, der Mai, der Dezember.
| Number | Month | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | der Januar | January |
| 2 | der Februar | February |
| 3 | der März | March |
| 4 | der April | April |
| 5 | der Mai | May |
| 6 | der Juni | June |
| 7 | der Juli | July |
| 8 | der August | August |
| 9 | der September | September |
| 10 | der Oktober | October |
| 11 | der November | November |
| 12 | der Dezember | December |
Ordinal numbers: -te up to 19, -ste from 20
Four forms don't follow the rule — remember them.
| Rule | Number | Ordinal |
|---|---|---|
| up to 19: the number + -te | vier | der vierte |
| up to 19: the number + -te | zehn | der zehnte |
| up to 19: the number + -te | neunzehn | der neunzehnte |
| from 20: the number + -ste | zwanzig | der zwanzigste |
| from 20: the number + -ste | einunddreißig | der einunddreißigste |
| special form | eins | der erste |
| special form | drei | der dritte |
| special form | sieben | der siebte |
| special form | acht | der achte |
um, am, im
Three prepositions of time: learn them whole, together with the word after them.
| Preposition | Used with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| um | clock time | um acht Uhr |
| am | day of the week | am Freitag |
| am | date | am 3. Mai — «am dritten Mai» |
| im | month | im Januar |
Lesson notes
What's the date today
To make an appointment and write a date, you need three things: the months, ordinal numbers, and prepositions of time.
The twelve months are in the table, all masculine: der Januar, der Mai. In Austria, January is der Jänner.
Ordinal numbers: up to 19, the number + te (der zweite, der vierte, der zehnte, der neunzehnte); from 20, the number + ste (der zwanzigste, der einunddreißigste). Four forms are special: erste (not “einte”), dritte (not “dreite”), siebte (siebente also exists but is rare), achte (with one t).
A written date is a figure with a period: der 3. Mai (May 3: the day comes first). Aloud, it's der dritte Mai. Asking the date: Der Wievielte ist heute?
Prepositions: um + clock time (um acht Uhr), am + day of the week and date (am Montag, am 3. Mai — aloud “am dritten Mai”), im + month (im Mai). After am the ordinal takes -n: am dritten Mai. Learn it as a set phrase for now.
An appointment (der Termin, not a “term”): Sophie hat am Mittwoch einen Termin. Haben Sie am Montag Zeit?
Common mistakes:
• NOT “in Mai” — correct: im Mai.
• NOT “im Montag” — with a day of the week: am Montag.
• NOT “der einte Mai” — correct: der erste Mai.
• NOT “der zwanzigte Oktober” — from 20, -ste: der zwanzigste Oktober.
• NOT “Heute ist der 3 Mai” — a period follows the figure: der 3. Mai.