German Numbers, Days, Months & Seasons

🔢 Numbers 0–20 in German

Numbers are essential in everyday German: telling your age, asking prices, giving a phone number, or talking about time. Here are the numbers from 0 to 20 with pronunciation help and example sentences.

• 0 – null (nool) → Mein Kontostand ist null. (My balance is zero.)
• 1 – eins (ines) → Ich habe eins. (I have one.)
• 2 – zwei (tsvai) → Zwei Kaffee, bitte. (Two coffees, please.)
• 3 – drei (dry) → Ich habe drei Schwestern. (I have three sisters.)
• 4 – vier (feer) → Der Bus kommt um vier. (The bus comes at four.)
• 5 – fünf (foohnf) → Ich wohne im fünften Stock. (I live on the fifth floor.)
• 6 – sechs (zeks) → Der Würfel zeigt sechs. (The dice shows six.)
• 7 – sieben (zee-ben) → Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf. (I get up at seven o’clock.)
• 8 – acht (ahkt) → Der Zug fährt um acht. (The train leaves at eight.)
• 9 – neun (noyn) → Wir treffen uns um neun. (We meet at nine.)
• 10 – zehn (tsayn) → Das kostet zehn Euro. (That costs ten euros.)
• 11 – elf (elf) → Ich bin elf Jahre alt. (I am eleven years old.)
• 12 – zwölf (tsvölf) → Es ist zwölf Uhr. (It is twelve o’clock.)
• 13 – dreizehn (dry-tsayn) → Heute ist der dreizehnte. (Today is the thirteenth.)
• 14 – vierzehn (feer-tsayn) → Mein Sohn ist vierzehn. (My son is fourteen.)
• 15 – fünfzehn (foohnf-tsayn) → Wir haben fünfzehn Minuten Zeit. (We have fifteen minutes.)
• 16 – sechzehn (zex-tsayn) → Meine Tochter ist sechzehn. (My daughter is sixteen.)
• 17 – siebzehn (zeeb-tsayn) → Er ist siebzehn. (He is seventeen.)
• 18 – achtzehn (ahkt-tsayn) → Ich bin achtzehn. (I am eighteen.)
• 19 – neunzehn (noyn-tsayn) → Sie ist neunzehn. (She is nineteen.)
• 20 – zwanzig (tsvan-tsig) → Wir sind zwanzig Studenten. (We are twenty students.)

Note: Numbers 11 (elf) and 12 (zwölf) are irregular. From 13 to 19, numbers are formed with the base + zehn (“ten”).

🔢 Numbers 21–100+ and Beyond

After 20, German numbers follow a special pattern: unit + "und" + ten. Example: 21 = einundzwanzig (literally: one-and-twenty).

📌 From 21 to 99

• 21 – einundzwanzig → Ich bin einundzwanzig Jahre alt. (I am 21 years old.)
• 22 – zweiundzwanzig
• 23 – dreiundzwanzig
• 24 – vierundzwanzig
• 25 – fünfundzwanzig
• 30 – dreißig (special form, not "dreizig")
• 40 – vierzig (no “-s-”)
• 50 – fünfzig
• 60 – sechzig (shortened from “sechs”)
• 70 – siebzig (shortened from “sieben”)
• 80 – achtzig
• 90 – neunzig
• 99 – neunundneunzig

👉 Notice the pattern: “dreiundvierzig” (43) = “three and forty”, not “forty-three”.

📌 Hundreds

• 100 – (ein)hundert → often just hundert.
• 101 – einhunderteins
• 150 – einhundertfünfzig
• 200 – zweihundert
• 999 – neunhundertneunundneunzig

📌 Thousands

• 1,000 – (ein)tausend
• 2,000 – zweitausend
• 10,000 – zehntausend
• 25,678 – fünfundzwanzigtausendsechshundertachtundsiebzig

📌 Millions

• 1,000,000 – (eine) Million (note: capitalized, feminine noun → eine Million)
• 2,000,000 – zwei Millionen
• 5,500,000 – fünfeinhalb Millionen

📌 Billions (Milliarden)

• 1,000,000,000 – (eine) Milliarde (feminine noun, capitalized)
• 2,000,000,000 – zwei Milliarden
• 10,000,000,000 – zehn Milliarden

⚠️ Important: - “eine Million” and “eine Milliarde” are nouns → they require eine and are pluralized like regular nouns (Millionen, Milliarden). - German Milliarde = English “billion”. Be careful not to confuse with “Million”.

📝 Practice: Numbers Advanced

Test your knowledge of German numbers beyond 20. Write the numbers in words or match them with the correct translation.

1. Write in German

1. 21 →
2. 47 →
3. 85 →
4. 132 →
5. 999 →
6. 1,000 →
7. 2,345 →
8. 1,000,000 →

2. Multiple Choice

Which is the correct German number?

• 1500 = eintausendfünfhundert einhundertfünfzig fünfzehnhundert
• 10,000 = zehntausend zehnhundert zehnmillion

3. Translate into English

• neunundachtzig →
• dreitausendvierundzwanzig →
• zwei Millionen →
• zehn Milliarden →

📅 Days of the Week in German

In German, the days of the week are always capitalized. They are masculine nouns (*der Montag, der Dienstag*, etc.). In calendars, the week usually starts on **Monday** (unlike in English, where it often starts on Sunday).

🔹 The Seven Days

• Montag – Monday
• Dienstag – Tuesday
• Mittwoch – Wednesday
• Donnerstag – Thursday
• Freitag – Friday
• Samstag / Sonnabend – Saturday (Samstag is used everywhere; Sonnabend mainly in northern/eastern Germany)
• Sonntag – Sunday

🔹 Usage

When talking about activities on certain days, Germans usually use am + day:

• Am Montag gehe ich zur Schule. – On Monday, I go to school.
• Am Freitag arbeiten wir nicht. – On Friday, we don’t work.

🔹 Example Sentences

• Am Montag habe ich Deutschunterricht. – On Monday I have German class.
• Am Dienstag gehe ich ins Kino. – On Tuesday I go to the cinema.
• Am Mittwoch arbeitet sie im Büro. – On Wednesday she works in the office.
• Am Donnerstag spielen wir Fußball. – On Thursday we play football.
• Am Freitag treffe ich meine Freunde. – On Friday I meet my friends.
• Am Samstag kauft meine Familie im Supermarkt ein. – On Saturday my family goes shopping at the supermarket.
• Am Sonntag besuchen wir unsere Großeltern. – On Sunday we visit our grandparents.

🔹 Cultural Notes

• Shops in Germany are usually closed on Sundays (Sonntag) due to cultural and legal restrictions.
• Freitag (Friday) is often associated with the weekend spirit 🍻.
• Samstag/Sonnabend – both mean Saturday, but the choice depends on the region.

📅 Months of the Year

In German, months are capitalized (like all nouns). Most are very similar to English, which makes them easier to remember. Here is the full list with translations:

🔹 Example Sentences

• Mein Geburtstag ist im Januar. – My birthday is in January.
• Wir fahren im Juli nach Italien. – We are going to Italy in July.
• Im Dezember ist es sehr kalt. – In December it is very cold.
• Im April regnet es oft. – It often rains in April.
• Der Kurs beginnt im September. – The course starts in September.

📝 Practice: Fill in the Missing Month

Complete the sentences with the correct German month.

1. Mein Geburtstag ist im ________. (My birthday is in ________.)
2. Wir machen Urlaub im ________. (We go on vacation in ________.)
3. Die Schule beginnt im ________. (School starts in ________.)
4. Es schneit oft im ________. (It often snows in ________.)
5. Im ________ feiern wir Weihnachten. (In ________ we celebrate Christmas.)

🌍 Seasons in German

German has four seasons, each with its own vocabulary and typical activities. Note that seasons are capitalized in German because they are nouns.

📝 Seasons Practice

Complete the sentences with the correct season in German (der Frühling, der Sommer, der Herbst, der Winter). Each answer shows the German season and the English translation of the full sentence.

1. Im ________ blühen die Blumen im Garten.
   Show Answer

   Frühling — In spring, the flowers bloom in the garden.

2. ________ ist die heißeste Jahreszeit.
   Show Answer

   Der Sommer — Summer is the hottest season.

3. Im ________ fallen die Blätter von den Bäumen.
   Show Answer

   Herbst (or der Herbst) — In autumn (fall), the leaves fall from the trees.

4. ________ bringt Schnee und Kälte.
   Show Answer

   Der Winter — Winter brings snow and cold.

5. Viele Leute fahren im ________ in den Urlaub ans Meer.
   Show Answer

   Sommer (or im Sommer) — Many people go on holiday to the sea in summer.

📖 Usage in Context

Learn how to use numbers, days, months, and seasons in real-life German conversations.

• Heute ist der 3. März. – Today is March 3rd.
• Mein Geburtstag ist am 12. Juli. – My birthday is on July 12th.
• Wir treffen uns am Freitag um 15 Uhr. – We meet on Friday at 3 PM.
• Im Sommer fahren wir ans Meer. – In summer we go to the sea.
• Im Winter spielen die Kinder im Schnee. – In winter the children play in the snow.

🎯 Practice & Exercises

Try these exercises to practice numbers, days, months, and seasons in context.

1. Match numbers to German words

• 1 – eins
• 7 – sieben
• 12 – zwölf
• 20 – zwanzig
• 30 – dreißig

2. Fill in the blanks

1. Heute ist der ________ März. – Today is ________ March.
2. Wir treffen uns am ________. – We meet on ________.
3. Mein Geburtstag ist am ________ Juli. – My birthday is on ________ July.

3. Mini-dialogue practice

Complete the dialogue:

Anna: Wann hast du Geburtstag?

Ben: Am ________ Juli.

Anna: Super! Ich komme am ________ vorbei.

📚 Summary & Tips

Quick recap of numbers, days, months, and seasons:

• Numbers: 0–1000+, practice counting and writing large numbers.
• Days: Montag–Sonntag; remember capitalization and correct usage in sentences.
• Months: Januar–Dezember; similar to English, also capitalized.
• Seasons: Frühling, Sommer, Herbst, Winter; used with im to talk about seasons.

Tips: Use mnemonics, songs, calendars, and daily practice to memorize dates, months, and numbers. Try to say the day/date out loud every day.

📝 Quiz

1. Multiple Choice

What is "Friday" in German?

• A) Montag
• B) Freitag
• C) Sonntag

2. True / False

“Der Winter” means spring in German.

3. Fill in the blank

My birthday is on 5th May. – Mein Geburtstag ist am ________ Mai.

4. Role-play scenario

Ask your friend when their birthday is and respond in German with date and month.