Learn the Days of the Week in German

As a beginner, you should know the days of the week in German early on. Knowing how to pronounce, remember, and use the days of the week will help you plan your week, discuss your schedule, or talk about regular activities.

In this post, we’ll cover pronunciation, mnemonic tricks, grammar rules, and essential prepositions to help you confidently use the days of the week in your German conversations.

How to Pronounce the Days of the Week

First, you need to learn how to pronounce them. Here are the days of the week in German, along with their English translations and pronunciations:

• Montag (Monday) – [MOHN-tahk]
• Dienstag (Tuesday) – [DEENS-tahk]
• Mittwoch (Wednesday) – [MITT-vohkh]
• Donnerstag (Thursday) – [DON-uhs-tahk]
• Freitag (Friday) – [FRY-tahk]
• Samstag (Saturday) – [ZAHM-stahk] or [SAM-stahk]
• Sonntag (Sunday) – [ZON-tahk]

Also you should know that der Tag means “the day”. Although there’s a “G” at the end, it’s pronounced like a “K”, so it sounds like “Tag” [TAHK]. The plural is die Tage. You’ll also encounter the word der Wochentag (the weekday), which is a compound word formed from die Woche (the week) and der Tag (the day). The plural is die Wochentage.

Pronunciation is key to being understood in any language. To help with your learning, try to repeat each day out loud while looking at the written form. This helps with pronunciation and reinforces the connection between the sound and the spelling of the words. You can also watch the following pronunciation video to hear the correct pronunciation.

Tricks to Remember Days of the Week

Remembering the days of the week in a new language can be challenging, but with mnemonic devices can make it easier. Here are some:

• Montag: Think of Monday as the “moon day,” as “Mond” means moon in German. This connection can help you recall that Montag is the first day of the week.
• Dienstag: Imagine having a “Dienst” (service) on Tuesday. This word association makes it easier to remember.
• Mittwoch: “Mitt” sounds like “mid,” and Mittwoch is mid-week, which is why Wednesday is called “Mittwoch.”
• Donnerstag: Picture the god Thor (Donner in German) wielding his hammer on Thursday. The word “Donner” means thunder, tying it to Thor’s mythology.
• Freitag: Associate it with “Frei” (free), as Friday marks the start of the weekend, when you are free from work.
• Samstag: Think of a relaxing Saturday, as “Sam” is a short and casual name, fitting for a day of rest or leisure.
• Sonntag: “Sonn” relates to the sun, making Sunday a sunny day, literally and metaphorically, as it’s often a day for relaxation and enjoyment.

Using these associations can make the days of the week easier to recall, especially when you’re just starting to learn German.

German Grammar Rules For Days of the Week

Understanding the grammar rules related to the days of the week will help you use them correctly in a German sentence. Here are some fundamental grammar rules to keep in mind:

Capitalization

In German, all nouns are capitalized, and this rule extends to the days of the week. Therefore, always write Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag, and Sonntag with a capital letter at the beginning. This rule is fundamental in German and helps distinguish nouns from other parts of speech.

Gender

In the German language, every noun has a gender, and the days of the week are no exception. All days of the week are masculine, and therefore, they are preceded by the masculine article “der”:

• der Montag
• der Dienstag
• der Mittwoch
• der Donnerstag
• der Freitag
• der Samstag
• der Sonntag

The Preposition “am”

Who doesn’t have a full schedule nowadays? When talking about your plans, you need to use the preposition “am” to indicate “on” a particular day. For example, to say “on Monday,” you would say am Montag. Below are examples of how this is used in German sentences:

• Am Dienstag habe ich Deutschunterricht. (On Tuesday, I have a German class.)
• Am Mittwoch gehe ich joggen. (On Wednesday, I am going jogging.)
• Am Freitag treffe ich meine Freunde. (On Friday, I am meeting up with my friends.)

You can also use the preposition “am” for other expressions like “am Wochenende” (on the weekend).

The Preposition “unter”

“Unter der Woche” refers to the workdays of the week (Monday through Friday).

• Unter der Woche arbeite ich. (On weekdays, I work.)
• Leider habe ich unter der Woche nicht so viel Zeit. (Unfortunately, I don’t have that much time during the week.)

Useful Adverbs

Understanding German adverbs of time can help you sound more natural when speaking German. Here are a few common expressions related to the days of the week:

Morgen: This word can be tricky because it has two meanings. When capitalized (“der Morgen”), it means “the morning.” When written in lowercase (“morgen”), it means “tomorrow.” You need to understand the context to know the meaning.

• Morgen gehe ich zur Arbeit. (Tomorrow, I’m going to work.)
• Am Morgen trinke ich Kaffee. (In the morning, I drink coffee.)

Übermorgen: This term means “the day after tomorrow.”

• Übermorgen ist Donnerstag. (The day after tomorrow is Thursday.)

Vorgestern: This word means “the day before yesterday.”

• Vorgestern war Sonntag. (The day before yesterday was Sunday.)

If you want to delve deeper into German adverbs of time, make sure to watch the following video which equips you with lots of useful example sentences that will come in handy in your everyday German conversations:

Talking About Recurring Events

When you want to talk about something that happens regularly on a specific weekday, you use the day of the week with an added “s” at the end, written in lowercase:

• montags: on Mondays
• dienstags: on Tuesdays
• mittwochs: on Wednesdays
• donnerstags: on Thursdays
• freitags: on Fridays
• samstags: on Saturdays
• sonntags: on Sundays

For example:

• Montags muss ich früh aufstehen. (On Mondays, I have to get up early.)
• Mittwochs gehe ich ins Fitnessstudio. (On Wednesdays, I go to the gym.)
• Sonntags ruhe ich mich aus. (On Sundays, I relax.)

This construction helps you talk about your weekly routine, making it clear that the activity repeats regularly on that specific day.

In Closing

To confidently talk about your plans and routines in German, memorizing the days of the week is just the start. Pronunciation and grammar rules are equally important.

lingoni’s videos will teach you the correct pronunciation. You can watch them, listen closely, and repeat until you feel confident. The lingoni app provides the necessary exercises and quizzes. This will prepare you to start using the days of the week in your first conversations. Finding a language partner is also a great way to practice. Viel Erfolg! (Good luck!)