Start with the intended meaning
This reference concentrates on the day-number and its ending. Use the weekday and month reference when you need the calendar words themselves.
Form an ordinal and say the complete date
Use an ordinal for the day of a date. A written dot marks the ordinal: 6. Juni. To say the date aloud, choose the ordinal stem and its adjective ending. A month alone still uses im Juni; the complete dated event uses am sechsten Juni. Practise with the date phrases below.
For 1–19 the usual ordinal marker is -t-; learn the irregular stems erst-, dritt-, siebt-, acht-. From 20, use -st-, including zwanzigst- and einundzwanzigst-. The ending after the marker depends on the phrase. Compare the forms below instead of adding the same final letters everywhere.
| Written form or sentence | Spoken phrase | Why this ending? |
|---|---|---|
| 1., 3., 7., 8. | erste, dritte, siebte, achte | Nominative forms after der |
| Heute ist der sechste Juni. | der sechste Juni | The date is identified: nominative. |
| Wir treffen uns am sechsten Juni. | am = an dem | Dative phrase; ordinal ends in -en. |
| Wir wählen den einundzwanzigsten Mai. | den … Mai | Accusative object of wählen. |
1. Heute ist der ___ April. (3.)
Answer and reason: Heute ist der dritte April. The special stem is dritt-, followed by nominative -e.
2. Der Kurs beginnt am ___ Mai. (21.)
Answer and reason: am einundzwanzigsten Mai 21 uses -st-; am requires the -en form.
3. Wir wählen den ___ September. (8.)
Answer and reason: den achten September The accusative phrase has achten, not an invented achteten.
4. Say 7 June in a meeting-time answer.
Answer and reason: Am siebten Juni. Siebten is the date form after am. Add the year if the context requires it.
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Days and months in German: calendar words for everyday plans · Find another grammar topic
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