German Months and Seasons
After this lesson you can give a date and say when your birthday is.
Übungen
Eight exercises on what you just watched. Get 80% and the lesson is marked done and added to your A1 progress.
1 / 8 · Type the missing word
2 / 8 · Type the missing word
3 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
I was born in January.
4 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
My birthday is in May.
5 / 8 · Choose
How do you say "in January"?
6 / 8 · Choose
Which month is März?
7 / 8 · Choose
How is October spelled in German?
8 / 8 · Choose
Which is the Austrian word for January?
In short
The twelve German months are Januar, Februar, März, April, Mai, Juni, Juli, August, September, Oktober, November, Dezember. To say "in January" use im — im Januar, im Sommer — never in Januar.
How it works
The months are the easiest vocabulary in German: eleven of the twelve are near-identical to English. Only März needs real attention, and only Oktober has a spelling trap — it is spelled with a K, not a C.
Two more are worth watching when spoken. Juni and Juli sound almost the same on the phone, so Germans often say Juno and Julei to keep them apart, exactly as they say zwo for zwei. You do not have to produce this, but you will hear it.
To place something in a month or a season you need im — a contraction of in plus dem. Ich reise im Juli. Ich bin im Januar geboren. Wir schwimmen im Sommer. The mistake almost every English speaker makes at least once is in Januar, translating "in January" word for word. It is always im.
| # | German | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Januar | Jänner in Austria |
| 2 | Februar | |
| 3 | März | no English twin — the one to learn |
| 4 | April | |
| 5 | Mai | no y |
| 6 | Juni | spoken "Juno" for clarity |
| 7 | Juli | spoken "Julei" for clarity |
| 8 | August | |
| 9 | September | |
| 10 | Oktober | K, not C |
| 11 | November | |
| 12 | Dezember | z, not c |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Frühling | spring |
| der Sommer | summer |
| der Herbst | autumn |
| der Winter | winter |
Examples
- Ich bin im Januar geboren.I was born in January.
- Mein Geburtstag ist im Mai.My birthday is in May.
- Ich reise im Juli.I travel in July.
- Im Dezember ist es kalt.In December it is cold.
- Wir schwimmen im Sommer.We swim in summer.
- Im Herbst regnet es viel.In autumn it rains a lot.
- Der Kurs beginnt im September.The course starts in September.
- Welcher Monat ist es?What month is it?
- Am 3. Oktober ist ein Feiertag.On 3 October there is a public holiday.
- Im Frühling blühen die Bäume.In spring the trees blossom.
Mistakes to avoid
✗ in Januar
✓ im Januar
The single most common month mistake. im is in + dem, and months always take it.
✗ October
✓ Oktober
German has no c here. Same with Dezember, which uses z.
✗ am Januar
✓ im Januar
am is for days (am Montag). im is for months and seasons. Mixing them up is the classic pair of errors — see lesson 25.
✗ Marz / Maerz written carelessly
✓ März
The umlaut is not decorative — it changes the vowel. If you cannot type ä, the accepted substitute is ae: Maerz.
Wortschatz
The words from this lesson.
| der Monat | month | plural: die Monate |
| das Jahr | year | |
| die Jahreszeit | season | |
| der Geburtstag | birthday | |
| geboren | born | |
| reisen | to travel | |
| der Feiertag | public holiday | |
| kalt | cold | |
| warm | warm | |
| das Datum | date |
Kulturnotiz
Austrians say Jänner, not Januar — and Feber is still heard for Februar. If you are learning German for Vienna rather than Berlin, Jänner is the form you will see on official forms and hear on the radio. Germans understand it perfectly; it simply marks you as Austrian.
Common questions
+Why is it im Januar and not in Januar?
im is a contraction of in + dem, and months are grammatically masculine (der Januar), so the dative is dem Januar — shortened to im. German contracts this pair automatically.
+What is the difference between am and im for time?
am for days and parts of the day (am Montag, am Abend); im for months and seasons (im Juli, im Winter); um for clock times (um acht Uhr). Lesson 25 covers all three together.
+Why do Germans say "Juno" and "Julei"?
Because Juni and Juli are nearly indistinguishable over a phone or a loudspeaker. The altered forms exist purely to prevent expensive misunderstandings about dates.
+How do I write a date in German?
Day first, with a full stop after the number: 3. Oktober 2026, or 03.10.2026. Note that 03.10 means 3 October, not 10 March — the reverse of American order.