German · A1 · Family moment
Our Calendar Plans in German
Check the calendar together and talk about birthdays, visits and school events. Practise German dates using ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second.”
What you'll learn
- Say today's and tomorrow's dates.
- Say when family plans and special events happen.
- Use ordinal numbers from first to eighth.
- Use am to mean “on” with a date.
German phrases for our calendar plans
Heute ist der erste Mai.
Today is the first of May.
Use der erste to say “the first” when stating the date.
Morgen ist der zweite Mai.
Tomorrow is the second of May.
Morgen means “tomorrow.” There is no German word for “of” between the day and month.
Dein Geburtstag ist am dritten Juni.
Your birthday is on the third of June.
Dein means “your” when speaking to one child. After am, use dritten.
Deine Party ist am vierten Juni.
Your party is on the fourth of June.
Use deine with the feminine noun Party.
Fußball beginnt am fünften Mai.
Football starts on the fifth of May.
Beginnt means “starts.” Am fünften Mai tells us when.
Dein Freund kommt am sechsten Mai.
Your friend is coming on the sixth of May.
For a female friend, say deine Freundin. Kommt can describe a future visit when a date is given.
Dein Schulausflug ist am siebten Mai.
Your school trip is on the seventh of May.
Schulausflug means “school trip.” The date form is am siebten.
Wir besuchen Oma am achten Mai.
We visit Grandma on the eighth of May.
Besuchen means “to visit.” Oma is a familiar, affectionate word for “Grandma.”
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
heute
today
Use this to talk about the current day.
morgen
tomorrow
Usually lowercase, but capitalized at the start of a sentence.
der Mai
May
German month names begin with a capital letter.
der Juni
June
Use the month name directly after the ordinal number.
der Geburtstag
birthday
Say dein Geburtstag for “your birthday.”
die Party
party
Say deine Party for “your party.”
der Fußball
football; soccer
Usually used without an article when naming the sport.
der Freund / die Freundin
male friend / female friend
Use dein Freund or deine Freundin when talking to one child.
der Schulausflug
school trip
A trip or outing organized by the school.
besuchen
to visit
Wir besuchen means “we visit” or “we are visiting.”
die Oma
grandma
When used like a name, Oma needs no article: Wir besuchen Oma.
Stating a date or saying when something happens
To state the date, use ist der plus an ordinal ending in -e. To say that something happens on a date, use am plus an ordinal ending in -en. Am is short for an dem and takes the dative case.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Today's date | Heute ist der + ordinal ending in -e + month. | Heute ist der erste Mai. |
| Tomorrow's date | Morgen ist der + ordinal ending in -e + month. | Morgen ist der zweite Mai. |
| An event on a date | am + ordinal ending in -en + month | Deine Party ist am vierten Juni. |
Ordinal numbers: first to eighth
Ordinal numbers show order and are used for calendar dates. Learn these pairs: the form with der states the date; the form with am means “on” that date.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| first | der erste / am ersten | Heute ist der erste Mai. |
| second | der zweite / am zweiten | Morgen ist der zweite Mai. |
| third | der dritte / am dritten | Dein Geburtstag ist am dritten Juni. |
| fourth | der vierte / am vierten | Deine Party ist am vierten Juni. |
| fifth | der fünfte / am fünften | Fußball beginnt am fünften Mai. |
| sixth | der sechste / am sechsten | Dein Freund kommt am sechsten Mai. |
| seventh | der siebte / am siebten | Dein Schulausflug ist am siebten Mai. |
| eighth | der achte / am achten | Wir besuchen Oma am achten Mai. |
Writing dates
A dot after a day number marks it as an ordinal. Read the number with the ending required by the sentence. Unlike English, German does not use “of” before the month.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stating a written date | der 1. Mai → der erste Mai | Heute ist der 1. Mai. |
| An event on a written date | am 3. Juni → am dritten Juni | Dein Geburtstag ist am 3. Juni. |
More examples
Welches Datum ist heute? – Heute ist der erste Mai.
What is today's date? – Today is the first of May.
Point to today's date on the calendar as you answer.
Wann ist deine Party? – Am vierten Juni.
When is your party? – On the fourth of June.
Wann means “when.” A short answer with am is enough.
Wann besuchen wir Oma? – Am achten Mai.
When do we visit Grandma? – On the eighth of May.
Practise finding the date together before answering.