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Knowing the days of the week, months of the year, and how to express dates is essential for everyday life in German-speaking countries. German dates follow a different format from English, and the vocabulary has fascinating historical origins.
All German days of the week are masculine (der) and end in -tag (day), except for Mittwoch.
| Day | German | Pronunciation | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Montag | mohn-tahk | Mond (moon) + Tag — "Moon day" |
| Tuesday | Dienstag | deens-tahk | Named after Tyr/Ziu (Norse god) |
| Wednesday | Mittwoch | mit-vokh | Mitte (middle) + Woche (week) — "Mid-week" |
| Thursday | Donnerstag | don-ners-tahk | Donner (thunder) + Tag — "Thunder day" (Thor) |
| Friday | Freitag | frai-tahk | Named after Freya (Norse goddess) |
| Saturday | Samstag | zams-tahk | From Sabbat — "Sabbath day" |
| Sunday | Sonntag | zon-tahk | Sonne (sun) + Tag — "Sun day" |
Note: In northern Germany, Saturday is sometimes called Sonnabend (literally "Sunday eve"). Both Samstag and Sonnabend are correct.
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