Days of the Week in German

Can you identify the seven essential words in the German language? They are the days of the week.

This useful guide will teach you the German days of the week, along with practice techniques, key grammatical rules, and interesting cultural facts.

Heute (today), we will learn the Wochentage (days of the week).

German Days of the Week

Below you will find all seven days of the week in German, complete with their pronunciations.

Now, let's examine each day more closely!

Montag — Monday

Abbreviation: Mo.

The German word for moon is Mond, making Montag essentially "moon-day."

Similar to many languages, German days are often linked to celestial bodies or mythological figures. Unsurprisingly, Montag is Monday, marking the start of the workweek.

Dienstag — Tuesday

Abbreviation: Di.

The German name for Tuesday is derived from Tyr, an ancient Germanic deity. Tyr was the Germanic equivalent of Mars, the Roman god of war.

It is noteworthy that the deity associated with Tuesday is consistent across various languages and cultures, including Italian, French, and Spanish.

Mittwoch — Wednesday

Abbreviation: Mi.

The German word for Wednesday is unique as it does not follow the common pattern. It does not end with -tag, meaning "day."

Instead, it concludes with -woch, or "week," because its literal translation is "mid-week."

Donnerstag — Thursday

Abbreviation: Do.

In English, Thursday is derived from "Thor's-day," dedicated to Thor, the Norse god of thunder.

In German, the same god is called Donar, demonstrating another parallel between the two languages.

Freitag — Friday

Abbreviation: Fr.

Another day named after a Norse deity, Freitag honors the goddess Frigg, also known as Freya.

Frigg was the goddess associated with fertility, marriage, motherhood, and the household. Her name is the origin for both Freitag and Friday.

Samstag — Saturday

Abbreviation: Sa.

Samstag comes from a Greek term meaning "sabbath." Sonnabend, meaning "sun-evening," refers to Saturday preceding Sunday.

Although Samstag is the standard term for Saturday in German, in northern and western parts of the country you might also hear it called Sonnabend.

Sonntag — Sunday

Abbreviation: So.

Just like the English word Sunday contains "sun," the German word does too. Sonne is the German word for "sun," hence Sonntag.

Sunday is highly valued in German culture, as it is traditionally reserved for family time.

Nearly all shops are closed on Sundays, and most German families spend the day in cafes, going for walks, and consciously avoiding shopping or work.

German Grammar with the Days of the Week

To use the German days of the week properly, you should be aware of a few grammatical rules.

Gender

All days of the week are masculine, so they take the masculine articles der (the) and ein (a) in the nominative case. However, as shown below, the article is seldom used for weekdays, much like in English.

A helpful memory aid is that the German word der Tag (the day) is masculine. In German compound words, the gender is determined by the last word. Mittwoch (Wednesday) is an exception, but you can simply remember that it is also masculine.

Prepositions

Use am (on) to indicate that an event occurs on a specific day.

Am Samstag habe ich mich mit meinen Freunden getroffen. (On Saturday, I met up with my friends.)

Am Donnerstag bin ich einkaufen gegangen. (On Thursday, I went shopping.)

Use von … bis … to express "from … to …".

Von Montag bis Donnerstag bin ich in Kopenhagen. (From Monday to Thursday, I am in Copenhagen.)

Ich arbeite von Montag bis Freitag. (I work from Monday to Friday.)

Capitalization

The days of the week are always capitalized since they are nouns. However, when converted into adverbs, they are no longer capitalized.

Why use them as adverbs? To easily express a recurring action on a specific weekday with a single word!

Take a weekday, make the first letter lowercase, and add -s: montags, dienstags, mittwochs…

Ich gehe sonntags in die Kirche. (I go to church on Sundays.)

Samstags esse ich Pfannkuchen. (I eat pancakes on Saturdays.)

Mittwochs tragen wir pink. (On Wednesdays, we wear pink.)

German Phrases Related to the Days of the Week

Now that you know the days of the week and some grammar, here are additional words and phrases useful for discussing them.

heute — today

morgen — tomorrow

gestern — yesterday

Welchen Tag haben wir heute? — What day is it today?

Welchen Tag haben wir morgen? — What day will it be tomorrow?

das Wochenende — the weekend

der Wochentag — the weekday

nächsten Montag — next Monday

letzten Dienstag — last Tuesday

jeden Mittwoch — every Wednesday

Tips for Learning the German Days of the Week

Here are some creative approaches to help you learn and remember the German days of the week.

• Leverage your English knowledge. German and English are closely related, both originating from the West Germanic language branch. Therefore, Montag, Freitag, Samstag, and Sonntag sound very similar to their English counterparts.
• Get a German calendar. You might not consult it frequently, but having it visible will help reinforce the German days in your memory subconsciously.
• Switch your Gmail and Facebook to German. Seeing that a message was sent on Donnerstag (Thursday), for instance, will help the word stick in your mind more effectively than just seeing it on a flashcard.
• Set your phone's language to German. This means you will see the current day of the week auf Deutsch (in German) every time you check your phone.
• Write practice sentences. Practice spelling the days and then use them in sentences. For example, you can state a routine activity: Ich gehe montags ins Fitnessstudio (I go to the gym on Mondays).
• Learn through German songs and videos. A catchy song can help you memorize these words rapidly. Search for one to assist with remembering the days of the week.

Another highly effective method is to use authentic content to see the days of the week used in context, which you can find in language learning programs like Lingflix.

Mastering the days of the week is fundamental for building your core German vocabulary.

Once you know them, you can progress to learning the months, the seasons, and more!