A Year In German: How to Say the Months of the Year in German (+Free PDF)

You think that being fluent in German is like having a superpower and that it’s not for ordinary people. Perhaps you are right. But how do you know that you’re not one of those people?   Have you ever even tried learning German?

If you don’t try, you’ll never know.

Luckily, we have some good news. We can help you learn German easily and start your journey to fluency.

Our first suggestion is to start learning German with our native tutors.

Secondly, you should make learning more fun by using YouTube channels, games, apps, podcasts, everything that comes to your mind to help you learn the language.

But, we also have something else to share: months in German. You know, twelve months in one year, from January to December. Besides learning the names of the months in German, you can learn plenty of useful words and expressions related to them. 

Today, not only will you learn the names of the months in German, but you will also learn many other exciting phrases you can use in real conversations with native German speakers.

Let’s dive in.

German Months of the Year 

There are some basic German phrases every beginner needs to know. Names of the months are one of them. But they aren’t the only ones.

That’s why, in the following lines, you will first learn the names of the months and how to pronounce them, and then you can go back a little further and start learning other German words and phrases related to the months.

Bonus: Download a free PDF file with German months

Januar (January)

Pronunciation: Yah-noo-ahr

January is one of the three ‘winter’ (winter) months. It is also the first month in the year, symbolizing the beginning and fresh and new start.

In some parts of the world, ‘januar’ is full of snow and kids making a ‘Schneeman’ (Snowman).

Februar (February)

Pronunciation: Fay-broo-ahr

The month of love, ‘februar’ is that period of the year when you, perhaps more often, say ‘I love you’ or ‘Ich liebe dich’ to your partner, especially on ‘Valetinstag’ (Valentine’s Day).

With 28 or 29 days, ‘Februar’ is also the shortest month of the year. Every fourth year, this month has 29 days, which is called ‘Schaltjahr’ (Leap Year).

März (March)

Pronunciation: Mehrtz

We now proudly represent the first ‘rühling’ (spring) month, in German called ‘märz.’

Nature awakens and so do people. That’s why you should be prepared to learn to pronounce this month.

April (April)

Pronunciation: Ah-pril

April in German looks the same as the English version but the pronunciation isn’t the same so pay attention to it.

In April, the spring has come but the weather is pretty unpredictable. One day, ‘die Sonne schneit’ (the Sun is shining), birds are singing and just when you've prepared to go to the picnic, it starts raining. Having this in mind, Germans have an amazing expression: ‘April, April, der macht was er will' (April, April, it does whatever it wants).

This is also the month when people celebrate 'Ostern' (Easter) when an 'Osterhase' (Easter bunny) brings ‘schokoladeneier’ (chocolate eggs) and other candies.

Mai (May)

Pronunciation: my

As you see, May in German is easy to pronounce.

‘Tag der Arbeit’ ( Labour Day) is celebrated on 1st May in Germany as in the rest of the world. 

This is a typical sunny month, full of colors and flowers.

In Germany two important holidays are celebrated: ‘Muttertag’ (Mother's Day) and ‘Vutertag’ (Father's Day).

Juni (June)

Pronunciation: joo-nee

Juni is the perfect 'monat' (month) to enjoy beautiful sunny days on the 'strand' ( beach) because 'sommer' (summer) is right there at the corner.

If you want to enjoy it too, don't forget to put on your 'badeanzug' (bathing suit).

Juli (July)

Pronunciation: joo-lee

For summer lovers, 'juli' is probably the most favorite 'monat' of the year. People like 'chillen im park' (hanging out in the park), eating ‘eiscrem’ (ice cream), and 'grillen' ( make a barbeque).

August (August)

Pronunciation: ow-goost

Don't let letters confuse you. Even though august is written like English, the pronunciation isn't the same.

The summer is still on its best edition, and it is considered the hottest month of the year, even in Germany.

At the end of the month, kids are preparing for 'schulangfang' ( back to school) and some are using the last days and weeks to go to 'ferien' (vacation).

September (September)

Pronunciation:zehp-tehm-ber

September is also written just like you would write in English and the pronunciation is quite similar. No wonder because English is a Germanic language.

However, this is a great example of how to learn to pronounce the famous German 'r' sound.

But, back to September. We feel the last strings of summer and try to use every shiny day to go for a walk. At the end of the month, the 'herbst' (autumn) is coming and nature is full of ‘gelb’ (yellow), ‘orange’ (orange), and ‘braun’ (brown) colors.

Oktober (October)

Pronunciation:ok-toh-ber

When do you mention 'oktober' does something particular come to your mind?

Yes, 'Oktoberfest' (October fest), the world's most famous 'biere' (beer) festival. What many of you perhaps don’t know is that this festival is celebrated only in ‘München’ (Munich), the city in the German state ‘Bayern’ (Bavaria).

November (November)

Pronunciation:no-vehm-ber

November is an ideal representative for ‘herbst’ (autumn) because the days are rainier than dry. If you head up to Germany at this time of the year, make sure you remember the word for rain, which is ‘regen’ and ‘regenschirm’ which is German words for ‘umbrella.’

But not everything is so ‘grau’ (grey). In November, the ‘Laternenfest’ (Lantern festival) is celebrated and it’s one of the favorite holidays among kids.

Dezember (December)

Pronunciation: de-tsem-ber

And here we came to the last month of the year. Besides German tongue twisters, the word ‘Dezember’ is a perfect example to practice your German ‘z’ sound.

‘Im dezember’ (in December), everything is in celebration signs and symbols. ‘Heiligabend’ (Christmas Eve) and ‘Weihnachten’ (Christmas) is one of the most favorite holidays, filled with love, friendship, and ‘geschenke’ (presents).

In German, there is a phrase that describes the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is called ‘Silvester.’

Final Thoughts

Learning months in German is something every beginner should know. Now that you are equipped with the necessary phrases you will need for any conversation, you can download and save a PDF file with the vocabulary list and take a peek whenever you need to. 

But don’t forget that the most effective way to remember all these words and phrases is to use them as much as you can. German tutors are the best choice for that.