Months

Level 1

All 12 months in German are masculine (der). To say 'in [Month]', use the contraction im.

How It Works

German months follow a few simple but strict rules:

  • Gender: Every month is masculine: der Januar, der Februar, der März, der April, der Mai, der Juni, der Juli, der August, September, Oktober, November, Dezember.
  • Prepositions: When talking about when something happens, use im (in + dem). For example: im Mai (in May).
  • Time Markers: You can specify the time of the month by placing Anfang (beginning), Mitte (middle), or Ende (end) directly before the month name without any extra words: Anfang Juni.
  • Regional Variation: In Austria, you will often hear Jänner instead of Januar.
  • Pronunciation: Remember that 'J' sounds like the English 'Y'. Also, note the stress on the second syllable for months like April and August.

Examples (4)

  1. Ich habe im Juli Geburtstag.

    My birthday is in July.

    Word by Word: I have in-the July birthday.

    This shows the standard use of 'im' to indicate a month.

  2. Wir fahren Anfang September nach Berlin.

    We are going to Berlin at the beginning of September.

    Word by Word: We drive beginning September to Berlin.

    Notice how 'Anfang' is placed directly before the month without 'von' or 'der'.

  3. Der nächste Monat ist der April.

    The next month is April.

    Word by Word: The next month is the April.

    This demonstrates that months are masculine nouns using the definite article 'der'.

  4. Im August ist es sehr heiß.

    In August it is very hot.

    Word by Word: In-the August is it very hot.

    A common way to describe seasonal weather using months.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'am' instead of 'im' for months.

    Ich komme am Mai.
    Ich komme im Mai.

    Use 'am' for days (am Montag) and 'im' for months (im Mai).

  • Forgetting to capitalize the month.

    Es ist jetzt oktober.
    Es ist jetzt Oktober.

    In German, all nouns, including months, must start with a capital letter.

  • Pronouncing 'J' like the English 'J' in 'Jump'.

    Djanuar
    Januar (pronounced 'Yah-noo-ahr')

    In the month names, the German 'J' sounds like the English 'Y'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

MonthsLevel 1

Learn This First

To learn the months in German, you need to understand that they are treated as masculine nouns, which requires knowledge of noun capitalization, the concept of grammatical gender, and the masculine definite article.