{"id":6530,"date":"2024-01-18T11:22:46","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T11:22:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/?p=6530"},"modified":"2024-01-18T11:22:48","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T11:22:48","slug":"days-of-the-week-in-german","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/days-of-the-week-in-german\/","title":{"rendered":"Days of the Week in German: A Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Knowing the days of the week in German is essential. Whether you want to book an appointment, understand the train schedule, or invite someone over for your birthday party, you\u2019ll need to know your days of the week.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s not as simple as that. What about the correct prepositions? And when should you capitalize these words? You might have a lot of questions, but don\u2019t worry \u2013 I have the answers. Here\u2019s what you need to know about days of the week in German.<\/p>\n

What are the days of the week in German?<\/h2>\n

German is often considered to be one of the more difficult languages to learn. From complex grammar to long, complicated words, it can be a lot. But when it comes to the days of the week, it\u2019s not actually that bad at all. The German days are very similar to their English equivalents.<\/p>\n

Montag <\/em>\u2013 Monday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Montag<\/em>, just like Monday<\/em>, literally means \u201cmoon day.\u201d Mond <\/em>means \u201cmoon\u201d in German, and Tag <\/em>means \u201cday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dienstag <\/em>\u2013 Tuesday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dienstag <\/em>means \u201cT\u00fdr\u2019s day.\u201d T\u00fdr is the Norse god of war.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, this is also where the word Tuesday <\/em>comes from. As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of overlap between the days of the week in German and English.<\/p>\n

Mittwoch<\/em> \u2013 Wednesday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mittwoch <\/em>is an interesting one. It literally means \u201cmid-week.\u201d<\/p>\n

A long time ago, the German word for Wednesday <\/em>used to be Wodenstag<\/em>, meaning \u201cWodan\u2019s day\u201d (or \u201cOdin\u2019s day\u201d). However, this word is no longer in use. These days, you will only come across Mittwoch<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Donnerstag <\/em>\u2013 Thursday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Donner <\/em>means \u201cthunder\u201d in German. It should therefore come as no surprise that Donnerstag <\/em>is the day of the god of thunder, Donar, who is better known as Thor.<\/p>\n

So, while Donnerstag <\/em>and Thursday <\/em>might not seem very similar at first glance, they do have the same meaning. Donnerstag <\/em>is \u201cDonar\u2019s day,\u201d and Thursday <\/em>is \u201cThor\u2019s day.\u201d Both words celebrate the Norse god of thunder.<\/p>\n

Freitag <\/em>\u2013 Friday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Freitag<\/em>, much like Friday<\/em>, is named after the Norse goddess Frigg. It literally means \u201cFrigg\u2019s day.\u201d Frigg is associated with marriage and motherhood.<\/p>\n

Samstag <\/em>\u2013 Saturday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Samstag <\/em>refers to the Sabbath, which is the Jewish day of rest.<\/p>\n

However, Samstag <\/em>is not the only German word for Saturday<\/em>. In some parts of Germany, you might also come across the word Sonnabend<\/em>, which means \u201csun-evening\u201d or \u201cSunday\u2019s eve.\u201d That being said, Samstag <\/em>is the more commonly used of the two words, and it is universally understood.<\/p>\n

Sonntag <\/em>\u2013 Sunday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In German, Sonne <\/em>means \u201csun.\u201d So, Sonntag <\/em>literally means \u201csun-day.\u201d For obvious reasons, this one should be easy to remember for English speakers.<\/p>\n

How to remember days of the week in German<\/h2>\n

Now that you know what the days of the week in German are, it\u2019s time to memorize them. Here are some tips on how to do that:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Repetition method: <\/strong>Just like when you learned the alphabet or counting, try repeating the sequence a bunch of times. Sometimes, the old way is the best way.<\/li>\n
  • Use flashcards.<\/strong> You don\u2019t want to have to go through the entire sequence every time you\u2019re trying to remember how to say Saturday <\/em>or Sunday<\/em>. So, grab some flashcards, write down the days of the week in German, and shuffle the deck. You can take these anywhere with you and practice whenever you have some spare time. For example, I love to do flashcards on long train journeys.<\/li>\n
  • Change the language settings of your phone or calendar.<\/strong> Immersion is one of the best ways to master a language. To learn more German, you can switch your phone\u2019s language. If you\u2019re not comfortable taking it that far, consider only changing the language settings of your calendar. That way, you\u2019ll remember the days of the week in German in no time, but you won\u2019t have to deal with German in other places on your phone where it might be inconvenient.<\/li>\n
  • Alternatively, make your own German calendar.<\/strong> You can put it on the fridge or above your desk. Just place it somewhere where you\u2019ll be forced to look at it every now and then. As I said, immersion is key.<\/li>\n
  • Learn by listening to music. <\/strong>There are many fun songs out there that put the days of the week in German to song. Listening to one of those on repeat is a good way to memorize the sequence. Here\u2019s one of my favorites by Learn German Through Music<\/em>:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n