Days of the Week in German
After this lesson you can name every day and say which day something happens.
Days of the Week in German
Seven days, each a noun with a capital letter, and all of them take am. Add an -s and the day means "every".
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Kulturnotiz
Am Sonntag sind die Geschäfte zu is not a stylistic choice — German law closes almost all shops on Sundays, and it is taken seriously. Sunday is also protected as a Ruhetag: vacuuming, drilling and mowing the lawn in an apartment block will get you a knock on the door. Saturday shopping is a national habit for exactly this reason.
Common questions
+Why does Mittwoch not end in -tag?
Because it is named for its position rather than a god or a body: Mitte + Woche, the middle of the week. The other six kept the old day-naming pattern.
+What is the difference between Samstag and Sonnabend?
None in meaning. Samstag is standard across most of the German-speaking world; Sonnabend is used in northern and eastern Germany. Learn Samstag, recognise Sonnabend.
+What does montags mean, as opposed to am Montag?
Am Montag means one specific Monday. Montags — lower-case, with -s — means every Monday, habitually. Montags arbeite ich zu Hause: on Mondays, as a rule, I work from home.
+Do I always need am?
Almost always, but in casual speech Germans drop it: Samstag fahre ich nach Berlin. Both are fine; with am is never wrong.