Planning a date with a German-speaking friend or romantic interest? Or perhaps you want to feel confident organizing meetings and travel plans in German-speaking countries? If so, knowing how to read and pronounce the months of the year in German will be key to your mastery of time vocabulary in the German language.
Learning the months of the year is an integral part of learning any language. And German is no different. But while other languages can be more challenging for English speakers, the German language is considered easy to learn for English speakers.
English, in fact, is a Germanic language, so English’s overall composition is actually quite similar to languages like German and Norwegian. So learning the German months will probably come quite easily to you as an English speaker. Consider this: Three of the twelve months are precisely the same! And many others only differ in one or two letters.
So no matter if you’re looking to visit Germany on a business trip or just love learning different languages, learning the German months, is very much worth it. You can also learn them together with your kids and turn education into a fun family-bonding activity.
Moreover, German people love it when someone learns their language, and your German colleagues, friends or family members will appreciate the effort as well.
Download our free printable pdf calendar in German.
How to say months in German
Just like the actual names of the months, the German word Monat is very similar to its English counterpart.
The way to pronounce Monat is moh-naht. Keep in mind that, unlike English, German uses der, die and das as definite articles (instead of the).
Monat uses the article der - der Monat. The plural form of Monat is die Monate moh-nah-te. Make sure to put a particular emphasis on the first syllable to improve your pronunciation.
Months of the year in German and English
Pronouncing German words can be a challenge. To make it as easy as possible for you, we’ll be using the German phonetic spelling for each month. As you might have already noticed, the phonetic spellings are underlined to ensure you don’t confuse them with regular words.
Once you have memorized the German months of the year and learnt how to say the months in German, you can finetune your pronunciation by listening to audio files or watching videos. We promise you will master die Monate in no time!
| English | German | Phonetic spelling | IPA |
| January | Januar | yah-noo-ahr | ˈjanuaːɐ̯ |
| February | Februar | fay-broo-ahr | ˈfeːbʁuaːɐ̯ |
| March | März | mehrts | mɛʁt͡s |
| April | April | ah-pril | aˈpʁɪl |
| May | Mai | my | maɪ̯ |
| June | Juni | yu-nee | ˈjuːni |
| July | Juli | yu-lee | ˈjuːli |
| August | August | ow-goost | aʊ̯ˈɡʊst |
| September | September | zehp-tehm-ber | zɛpˈtɛmbɐ |
| October | Oktober | ok-toh-ber | ɔkˈtoːbɐ |
| November | November | no-vehm-ber | noˈvɛmbɐ |
| December | Dezember | deh-tsem-ber | deˈt͡sɛmbɐ |
Good news! Even though German articles are usually hard to learn, it's straightforward in the case of months. Every month uses the article der - der Januar, der Juli, der Oktober and so on.
Free downloadable German calendar
Counting down the day's until your next holiday in Germany? Planning when you'll travel for the best snowfall in Garmisch-Partenkirchen? Download our free printable pdf calendar and learn the months of the year in German.
How to say the four seasons in German
Just like in English, the year (in German - das Jahr yahr) is divided into four seasons. Unlike the months, however, these are a bit trickier to learn as the German words for spring and autumn show no similarities to their English counterparts and can be quite hard to pronounce for beginners.
Before we dive into the seasons themselves, we should know the German word die Jahreszeit which is the German equivalent to the English term the season. Jahreszeit is pronounced as yah-res-tsait.
| English | German | Phonetic Spelling | IPA |
| Spring | Frühling | frew-ling | ˈfʁyːlɪŋ |
| Summer | Sommer | zom-mer | z̊ɔmːr̩ |
| Autumn | Herbst | hehrpst | hɛʁpst |
| Winter | Winter | vin-ter (pronounced just like in English) | ˈvɪntɐ |
Keep in mind, that all seasons use the article der - so it is der Frühling, der Sommer and so on.
FAQs for learning about the months in German
1. Are months in German capitalized?
Germans always capitalize nouns - months and seasons are no different.
2. How do you abbreviate months in German?
According to the Duden (Germany’s official language guide), you can abbreviate months using the following versions. However, keep in mind that the months of March (März) and May (Mai) are not supposed to be abbreviated.
| Month | Abbreviation |
| Januar | Jan. |
| Februar | Feb. |
| März | - |
| April | Apr. |
| Mai | - |
| Juni | Jun. |
| July | Jul. |
| August | Aug. |
| September | Sep. |
| Oktober | Okt. |
| November | Nov. |
| Dezember | Dez. |
The German language does not use plural forms for months and seasons.
Songs that will help you learn the months in German
YouTube is a great place for learning every imaginable skill possible. Unsurprisingly, there are endless useful resources available for learning German as well!
Die Jahresuhr
One of the best songs to learn German months is the classical children's song Die Jahresuhr sung by the famous German artist Rolf Zuckowski. The song aims at teaching young German kids the different months of the year but is just as useful for foreign learners. There are lyrics in the video which make all parts of the song very easy to follow.
Jahreszeitenlied
Are you looking for a song to help with the seasons in German? Then the Jahreszeitenlied is just right for you. It was created by a German YouTube Channel focusing on educating children and offering on-screen lyrics and easy-to-understand pronunciation.
How to use the German months in everyday conversation
Learning how to say months in German is great but to make the most of your knowledge, aim to use your newfound language skills in daily conversation. The following examples will show you some of the best and most natural examples.
| German | English meaning |
| Im Dezember gibt es Geschenke! | We get presents in December! |
| Mein Geburtstag ist im Januar. | My birthday is in January. |
| Im August gehe ich gern ins Schwimmbad. | I like to go to the swimming pool in August. |
| Im März geht der Frühling los. | March marks the beginning of spring. |
| Im November ist es kalt und oft sehr dunkel. | During November it’s often cold and dark outside. |
| Die Osterferien sind im April. | Easter holidays take place in April. |
| Im Mai wird es das erste Mal warm in Deutschland. | May is the first time of the year when the weather gets nice and warm in Germany. |
| Viele Menschen lieben die Sommermonate Juni, Juli und August. | Many people love the summer months June, July, and August. |
| Im März blühen in Deutschland die ersten Blumen. | During March the first flowers are blooming in Germany. |
| Jeden Februar machen wir Urlaub in Österreich, um Ski zu fahren. | Every year in February we take a vacation in Austria to go skiing. |
Now, what next?
Learning how to say the months of the year in German is a terrific first step for you to take if you’re only beginning to learn this awesome language.
The German phonetic spelling will help you practice your pronunciation. Make sure not to miss out on the YouTube videos! They're perfect for getting a feeling for pronunciation while at the same time having fun. They're also perfect for learning with kids. So, if you have kids, watch them together as a family.
So what’s next for you in your German language learning journey? If it’s a complete mastery of the time and dates you’re after, you might want to check out how to say the days of the week in German fluently.
Otherwise, check out some suggested blog article lessons in the German language below, from the German alphabet to conquering how to say hello in German in every which way imaginable!
