German Calendar: Pronunciation of Months, Days, and Seasons in German

Learning to talk about days, weeks, months, and years is a crucial step when mastering a new language. This guide will help you become familiar with the German calendar, including how to discuss months, days of the week, and seasons, as well as providing tips on the best times to visit Germany.

German Months of the Year

The German word for month is "Monat" (pronounced mor-nart), with the plural being "Monate" (mor-nart-a). While the German months may look somewhat familiar to English speakers, mastering their pronunciation and spelling is essential.

Here are the German months with their pronunciations:

Januar (yah-noo-ahr) - January
Februar (fay-broo-ahr) - February
März (mehrtz) - March
April (ah-pril) - April
Mai (my) - May
Juni (yoo-nee) - June
Juli (yoo-lee) - July
August (ow-goost) - August
September (zehp-tehm-ber) - September
Oktober (ok-toh-ber) - October
November (no-vehm-ber) - November
Dezember (de-tsem-ber) - December

To indicate an event in a specific month, use the word "im": for example, "im Januar" (in January). Abbreviations use the first three letters, like "Sep" for September.

German Days of the Week

The days of the week, or "Wochentage," are written and pronounced as follows:

Montag (mohn-tahk) - Monday
Dienstag (deens-tahk) - Tuesday
Mittwoch (mit-vock) - Wednesday
Donnerstag (don-ers-tahk) - Thursday
Freitag (fry-tahk) - Friday
Samstag or "Sonnabend" (zahms-tahk) - Saturday
Sonntag (zon-tahk) - Sunday

When referring to weekdays (Monday to Friday), "Wochentage" is often used. Working days can be called "Arbeitstage" or "Werktage," typically referring to Monday through Friday. The word for weekend is "Wochenende."

All days of the week are masculine nouns in German, for example, "der Montag." To indicate that an event takes place on a certain day, use "am": for instance, "Am Dienstag" (on Tuesday).

Writing Dates in German

Dates in Germany are written in the Day.Month.Year format, unlike the Month.Day.Year format used in the United States. For example, October 25, 2020, would be written as 25.10.2020.

German Seasons

The seasons in German are as follows:

Frühling (frew-ling) - Spring (March to May)
Sommer (zom-mer) - Summer (June to August)
Herbst (hehrpst) - Autumn (September to November)
Winter (vin-ter) - Winter (December to February)

Weather in Germany

Germany experiences a range of seasonal weather. Summers can be warm to hot, while winters, especially in the northeast, can be very cold. Northwestern and coastal areas have a maritime climate with mild, cloudy winters and warm summers. Spring weather is notably unpredictable, reflected in the saying "April, April, er macht, was er will" (April, April, it does what it wants).

Hottest Month in Germany

The hottest months are from June to August. Spring (March to May) is milder and can be rainy.

By familiarizing yourself with these basics, you can effectively communicate about time and seasons in German, an essential skill for navigating everyday conversations and planning your travels.