Ordinal numbers 1st to 19th (am ersten)

Asking for the Date

To talk about dates in German, use the noun das Datum.

What is the date today?
Was ist heute das Datum?

Forming Ordinal Numbers (1st to 19th)

For numbers between 1 and 19, form the ordinal by adding -te to the number (zwei becomes zweite, vier becomes vierte).

A few numbers have irregular forms:

  • 1st: erste
  • 3rd: dritte
  • 7th: siebte
  • 8th: achte (drops the extra "t")

Stating Dates with "am"

To say that an event happens on a specific date, use the preposition am followed by the month.

Because am triggers the dative case, the ordinal number takes an -n ending (am ersten, am zweiten, etc.).

My birthday is on the first of January.
Mein Geburtstag ist am ersten Januar.
The concert is on the second of March.
Das Konzert ist am zweiten März.
Everyone is coming to the party on the third of July.
Alle kommen am dritten Juli zur Party.
School starts on the seventh of January.
Die Schule fängt am siebten Januar an.

To emphasize the date, you can put it at the beginning of the sentence. Remember to keep the verb in the second position, right after the date phrase:

The visit is coming on the tenth of September.
Am zehnten September kommt der Besuch.

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