Introduction
Hallo! In our last lesson, you did an excellent job learning to count from 0 to 100 and state prices in euros. This skill with cardinal numbers (like eins, zwei, drei) is a vital first step for navigating daily life in Germany.
Today, we will build directly on that knowledge. This lesson is dedicated to helping you form and use ordinal numbers (erste, zweite...) for dates. Ordinal numbers tell us the order of things (first, second, third), and they are essential for talking about dates, scheduling appointments, and discussing holidays. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to ask for the date and state your birthday in German.
1. How to Form Ordinal Numbers (Ordinalzahlen)
First, let's learn the rules for creating ordinal numbers. The system is quite logical and has two main patterns.
- For numbers 1–19: Add the suffix -te to the cardinal number.
- For numbers 20 and up: Add the suffix -ste to the cardinal number.
However, as with many rules, there are a few important exceptions to memorize for numbers under 19.
To see and hear how this works, let's start with a video that clearly explains the formation of these numbers.
How to Read & Write Dates in German - Beginner German with Herr Antrim #17
This video from 'Learn German with Herr Antrim' provides a great introduction to forming ordinal numbers. It covers the basic rules and the key exceptions.
Watch the video from 00:32 to 03:56. The first segment (00:32-02:28) explains the general concept and covers the numbers from 1st to 19th, pointing out the exceptions. The second segment (02:28-03:56) shows how to form numbers from 20th onwards, which you'll need for dates like the 21st or 31st.
To review and solidify these rules, here is a quick summary and a helpful reference chart.
The Rules at a Glance:
- 1-19:
vier(4) →vier**te**(4th),zehn(10) →zehn**te**(10th) - 20+:
zwanzig(20) →zwanzig**ste**(20th),einunddreißig(31) →einunddreißig**ste**(31st)
Key Exceptions:
eins(1) →erste(1st)drei(3) →dritte(3rd)sieben(7) →siebte(7th) (drops the-en)acht(8) →achte(8th) (avoids a double 't')
The infographic below is a great visual summary of these rules and how they apply to dates.
2. Stating the Date (Nominative Case)
Now that you can form ordinal numbers, let's use them to state the date.
To ask for the date, you can say:
Welches Datum ist heute?(What date is it today?)
To answer, you use the structure: Heute ist der + ordinal number + month.
The date is considered masculine, so we use the article der. When used this way, the ordinal number gets an -e ending.
For example:
Heute ist der **erste** April.(Today is the first of April.)Heute ist der **zwanzigste** Mai.(Today is the twentieth of May.)
Writing the Date
In German, the date is written in the order Day.Month.Year. A period after the day's number indicates it's an ordinal number.
- English: 4/1/2025 (April 1st, 2025)
- German: 1.4.2025 (
der erste vierte...)
The following video demonstrates this usage clearly with many examples.
How to say German dates correctly | Ordinalzahlen | German ordinal numbers
The first part of this video from 'YourGermanTeacher' focuses on how to state the date using the nominative case we've just discussed.
Watch from the beginning until 04:51. The presenter explains how to answer the question 'Welches Datum ist heute?' and provides examples for numbers below and above 20. Notice the 'der ...-te' structure throughout.
3. Talking About When Something Happens (Dative Case)
Often, you don't want to say what the date is, but that something happens on a specific date. For this, German uses a different structure.
To ask when something is, you say:
Wann hast du Geburtstag?(When is your birthday?)Wann ist das Meeting?(When is the meeting?)
To answer, you use the preposition am (a contraction of an + dem). This preposition requires the dative case, which changes the ending of the ordinal number to -ten.
The structure is: am + ordinal number with -ten ending + month.
For example:
Ich habe **am ersten** April Geburtstag.(My birthday is on the first of April.)Das Meeting ist **am zwanzigsten** Mai.(The meeting is on the twentieth of May.)
Let's return to the 'YourGermanTeacher' video, which explains this concept perfectly.
How to say German dates correctly | Ordinalzahlen | German ordinal numbers
This next segment of the video explains how to talk about events happening on a specific date using 'am' and the dative case.
Watch from 04:51 to 07:55. Focus on how the question changes to 'Wann...?' and how the answer uses 'am' followed by the ordinal number ending in '-ten'.
4. Practice Exercises
Let's put your new knowledge to the test.
Exercise A: Choose the Correct Form
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the ordinal number in parentheses.
- Heute ist der _____________ (3.) Oktober.
- Mein Geburtstag ist am _____________ (28.) Februar.
- Die Party ist am _____________ (1.) Januar.
- Morgen ist der _____________ (15.) August.
- Ich fliege am _____________ (7.) Dezember nach Deutschland.
Click here to check your answers.
- Heute ist der dritte Oktober. (Nominative:
der ...-te) - Mein Geburtstag ist am achtundzwanzigsten Februar. (Dative:
am ...-ten) - Die Party ist am ersten Januar. (Dative:
am ...-ten) - Morgen ist der fünfzehnte August. (Nominative:
der ...-te) - Ich fliege am siebten Dezember nach Deutschland. (Dative:
am ...-ten)
Exercise B: Interactive Quizzes
For more in-depth practice, the following resource contains two excellent interactive quizzes. The first is a multiple-choice quiz, and the second asks you to write out the numbers.
Ordinal numbers - Deutsches Institut
This webpage from the Deutsches Institut offers two quizzes to test your understanding of ordinal numbers in different contexts.
On the page, scroll down to the quizzes titled 'Ordinalzahlen 1' and 'Ordinalzahlen 2'. Complete both quizzes to practice recognizing and forming ordinal numbers.
Conclusion
Sehr gut! You have successfully learned how to form and use ordinal numbers to discuss dates in German. This is a crucial skill for making plans, understanding schedules, and talking about important events.
Key Takeaways:
- Ordinal numbers are formed with -te (for 1-19) and -ste (for 20+), with exceptions for
erste(1st) anddritte(3rd). - To state the date, use the nominative case:
Heute ist **der** vier**te** Juli. - To state that something happens on a date, use the dative case with
am:Die Prüfung ist **am** vier**ten** Juli. - The written German date format is Day.Month.Year (e.g., 4.7.2025).
Preview of the Next Lesson:
We will continue with our theme of practical skills by learning how to tell the time in German. Just as with dates, there are both formal and informal ways to do this, and your knowledge of numbers will be essential. Bis bald