Breakdown of Wir feiern am dreißigsten Mai das Jubiläum.
wir
we
feiern
to celebrate
der Mai
May
am
on the / at the
dreißigste
thirtieth
das Jubiläum
the jubilee
Questions & Answers about Wir feiern am dreißigsten Mai das Jubiläum.
Why does dreißigsten end in -sten and not just -ste?
The ending changes because of the word before it. We are using am (which is short for an dem), which puts the phrase into the dative case. In the dative case, adjectives and ordinal numbers take an -en ending. So, the base suffix -ste used for numbers 20 and up becomes -sten.
Is there a spelling exception for the number 30 in dreißigsten?
Yes! Most numbers ending in "-ty" in English end in -zig in German (like zwanzig for 20 or vierzig for 40). However, 30 is spelled with the sharp S character (ß), making it dreißig. That unique spelling carries over directly to the ordinal number: dreißigsten.
Why do we use am here instead of im, like we do in the phrase im Mai?
When you talk about a specific day or an exact date, you must always use am (on the). You only use im (in the) if you are talking about the month in general without pointing to a specific day, such as Wir feiern im Mai (We are celebrating in May).
Why is the date (am dreißigsten Mai) placed before the thing being celebrated (das Jubiläum)?
German sentences usually follow a "Time before Object" rule. The time phrase telling us when an event happens (am dreißigsten Mai) naturally comes before the direct object telling us what is being celebrated (das Jubiläum).
Can I use das Jubiläum to talk about a wedding anniversary?
You can, but it sounds very grand, like a 25th or 50th silver or golden jubilee. For a normal, yearly wedding anniversary, Germans usually say der Hochzeitstag (literally "the wedding day"). Jubiläum is much more common for business, company, or club anniversaries.
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