German · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 9 of 12
Time and dates
Tage und Termine
Learn the days and months in German, say dates, use am, um and im correctly, and make an appointment by phone.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Name the days of the week and the months
- Say and understand dates
- Use am, um and im
- Make an appointment on the phone
Listen
Aylin Demir phones a doctor's practice in Bremen to make an appointment. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Receptionist
Praxis Dr. Berger, guten Tag.
Dr Berger's practice, hello.
Aylin
Guten Tag, hier ist Aylin Demir. Ich hätte gern einen Termin.
Hello, this is Aylin Demir. I'd like an appointment.
Receptionist
Gern. Geht es am Donnerstag um zehn Uhr?
Certainly. Does Thursday at ten o'clock suit you?
Aylin
Am Donnerstag arbeite ich. Geht es auch am Freitag?
On Thursday I'm working. Is Friday possible too?
Receptionist
Ja, am Freitag um halb neun. Das ist der vierzehnte März.
Yes, on Friday at half past eight. That's the fourteenth of March.
Aylin
Halb neun ist gut.
Half past eight is fine.
Receptionist
Gut, dann bis Freitag, Frau Demir.
Good, see you on Friday then, Ms Demir.
Aylin
Vielen Dank. Auf Wiederhören!
Thank you very much. Goodbye.
Understand
Days and months
All days and months are masculine: , . The months are . In Austria, January is .
Sound tips: j is said like English “y”: (YOO-nee), (YOO-lee). ie in is “ee”, and w in is “v”.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Monday | |
| Tuesday | |
| Wednesday | |
| Thursday | |
| Friday | |
| Saturday (in the north also ) | |
| Sunday |
am, um or im?
English uses “on”, “at” and “in” for time. German uses , and . Remember: for days and dates, for clock times, for months and seasons.
| Word | Use it with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| days, dates, parts of the day | , , | |
| clock times | , | |
| months, seasons | , |
Dates: der erste, der zweite …
For dates, German uses ordinal numbers (first, second, third). From 1 to 19, add -te to the number: , . Four are different: (1st), (3rd), (7th), (8th). From 20, add -ste: , .
In writing, the number gets a full stop: = . After , the ending is -en: . Dates are written day first: 14.3. is the 14th of March.
- Heute ist der erste Mai.Today is the first of May.
- Der Termin ist am siebten Juni.The appointment is on the seventh of June.
More in the grammar: German numbers: from 0 to a million · The German alphabet and pronunciation
New words
- die Praxis(doctor's) practice · feminine, plural:
- der Terminappointment · masculine, plural:
- Geht es …?Does … work? / Is … possible? · = Does Monday work?
- Frau / HerrMrs, Ms / Mr (with a surname) · () = woman; () = gentleman
- Auf Wiederhören!Goodbye. (on the phone)
- der Tagday · masculine, plural:
- die Wocheweek · feminine, plural:
- das Wochenendeweekend · neuter, plural: ; = at the weekend
- der Monatmonth · masculine, plural:
- der Abendevening · masculine, plural:
- der Sommersummer · masculine, plural:
- übermorgenthe day after tomorrow
- Der Wievielte ist heute?What's the date today? · answer:
- der Geburtstagbirthday · masculine, plural: ; = When is your birthday?
Practise
1.How do you say “on Monday”?
2.Write , or .
The appointment is in July.
3.Write , or .
I'm coming at half past nine.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Today is the third of May.
5.Match the days.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Ich hätte gern einen Termin.
I'd like an appointment.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.