Learn German: Months & Seasons

Mastering the German calendar is a fundamental step toward fluency, as it allows you to schedule appointments, discuss holidays, and describe the passage of time. This lesson covers the twelve months of the year, the four seasons, and essential terms for organizing your daily life. You will find that many of these words are cognates, meaning they look and sound very similar to their English counterparts. For example, September ([zɛpˈtɛmbɐ]) and November ([noˈvɛmbɐ]) are nearly identical in both languages, which should help speed up your memorization process.

One of the most helpful patterns to remember is that all months and all seasons in German are masculine. Regardless of the time of year, you will use the masculine article "der." This rule applies to everything from "der Frühling" ([ˈfʁyːlɪŋ]) in the spring to "der Winter" ([ˈvɪntɐ]) in the colder months. Another useful pattern involves the suffix "-lich," which is used to indicate frequency. By adding this to a time-related noun, you get words like "monatlich" ([ˈmoːnatlɪç]) for monthly or "jährlich" ([ˈjɛːɐ̯lɪç]) for annually. You will also learn how to navigate the calendar ([kaˈlɛndɐ]) using relative terms like "letzter Monat" for last month and "nächster Monat" for next month. By internalizing these "Jahreszeiten" ([diː ˈjaːʁəsˌtsaɪ̯tn̩]), or seasons, you will be better equipped to discuss your plans and the world around you throughout the year ([das jaːɐ̯]).