Days of the Week (Leaving Cert German): Revision Notes
Days of the Week
Understanding the days of the week is essential for talking about your daily routine, making plans, and discussing schedules in German. This topic forms the foundation for expressing when events happen and organising your week.
Basic days of the week
The German days of the week are masculine nouns and are always capitalised. Here's the complete list with pronunciation guidance:
| German | English | Pronunciation Tip |
|---|---|---|
| der Montag | Monday | MON-tahk |
| der Dienstag | Tuesday | DEENS-tahk |
| der Mittwoch | Wednesday | MIT-vokh |
| der Donnerstag | Thursday | DON-ers-tahk |
| der Freitag | Friday | FRY-tahk |
| der Samstag | Saturday | ZAHMS-tahk |
| der Sonntag | Sunday | ZON-tahk |
Saturday can also be called "der Sonnabend" in northern Germany, meaning "sun evening." All German days of the week use the masculine article "der" and must always be capitalised, just like all German nouns.
Expressing what day it is today
When you want to say what day it is, German uses a simple structure with the pattern "Heute ist [day]".
Basic Pattern: Stating Today's Day
Structure: Heute ist [day] = Today is [day]
- Heute ist Sonntag. = Today is Sunday.
- Heute ist Freitag. = Today is Friday.
For more informal conversation, you might hear:
- Today is Sunday = Heute ist Sunday (keeping the English word in casual speech)
Using prepositions with days
To express that something happens on a specific day, German uses the preposition "am" (on the):
Using "am" with Days of the Week
Pattern: Am [day] = On [day]
- Am Sonntag treffe ich meine Freundin und tue gar nichts. = On Sunday I'll meet my friend and don't do anything at all.
- Am Freitag gehe ich ins Kino. = On Friday I'm going to the cinema.
Expressing regular activities
For activities that happen regularly on certain days, German uses the day name in lowercase with an "-s" suffix:
Regular Weekly Activities
Pattern: [day]s + activity = Every [day] + activity
- Sonntags arbeite ich sowieso nicht! = On Sundays I don't work anyway!
- Montags gehe ich immer schwimmen. = On Mondays I always go swimming.
Useful time expressions
Here are essential expressions for talking about days and time periods:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Tag | the day |
| jeden Tag | every day |
| täglich | daily |
| die Woche | the week |
| jede Woche | every week |
| diese Woche | this week |
| nächste Woche | next week |
| das Wochenende | the weekend |
| am Wochenende | on the weekend |
| während der Woche | during the week |
| wochentags | on weekdays |
Asking about dates and days
These questions help you find out about timing:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Welcher Tag ist heute? | What day is it today? |
| Welches Datum haben wir heute? | What's the date today? |
| Wann hast du Geburtstag? | When is your birthday? |
Example dialogue
Die alte Hexe: Wo ist diese Katze wieder? Es ist Freitag, heute ist der große Ball! Ich will diesen neuen Zauberspruch ausprobieren!
Die Katze: Hehe, heute ist Sonntag. Und wie Sie wissen, arbeite ich sonntags nicht!
The old witch: Where is this cat again? It's Friday, today is the big ball! I want to try out this new spell!
The cat: Haha, today is Sunday. And as you know, I don't work on Sundays!
Common mistakes and tips
Mistake 1: Forgetting to capitalise day names
- ❌ Heute ist montag.
- ✅ Heute ist Montag.
Mistake 2: Using the wrong preposition
- ❌ In Sonntag gehe ich spazieren.
- ✅ Am Sonntag gehe ich spazieren.
Mistake 3: Mixing up "Samstag" and "Sonntag"
- Remember: Samstag = Saturday (both start with 'Sa')
- Sonntag = Sunday (both contain 'n')
Helpful Tip: Days of the week are always masculine (der), so they take masculine endings in different cases.
Key Points to Remember:
- All German days of the week are masculine nouns and must be capitalised
- Use "Heute ist..." to say what day it is today
- Use "am" + day to express "on [day]" for specific events
- Add "-s" to the day name (lowercase) for regular weekly activities
- Saturday can be called either "Samstag" or "Sonnabend"
- Days of the week are essential for making appointments and discussing your weekly routine