Langvie / German grammar / German ordinal numbers and dates
German ordinal numbers and dates.
Ordinal numbers tell you the position of something in a series, such as the first or twentieth. You will use them constantly in German to name calendar dates, talk about appointments, and give floor numbers.
Ordinal numbers from 1 to 31
Ordinal numbers describe the position of something in an order. For numbers from 1 to 19, add the ending -te to the basic number, and from 20 onwards, add -ste. The numbers 1, 3, 7, and 8 have slightly irregular forms.
| Number | Written | Ordinal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. | der erste |
| 2 | 2. | der zweite |
| 3 | 3. | der dritte |
| 4 | 4. | der vierte |
| 7 | 7. | der siebte |
| 8 | 8. | der achte |
| 19 | 19. | der neunzehnte |
| 20 | 20. | der zwanzigste |
| 31 | 31. | der einunddreißigste |
- Der vierte Tag ist ein Feiertag.The fourth day is a holiday.
- Das ist der achte Monat.That is the eighth month.
Stating today's date
When stating what date it is after the verb sein, use the masculine article der followed by the ordinal ending in -e. You can ask for today's date using two standard questions.
- Heute ist der erste Mai.Today is the first of May.
- Welches Datum ist heute?What date is today?
Dates with am and floors with im
To say that something happens on a specific date, use am and change the ending of the ordinal to -ten or -sten. Use the exact same -ten ending with im when specifying a floor in a building.
| Meaning | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| On a date (1-19) | am + ten | am ersten Mai |
| On a date (20+) | am + sten | am zwanzigsten Oktober |
| On a floor | im + ten | im ersten Stock |
- Am dritten Juni habe ich frei.On the third of June I have time off.
- Ich wohne im ersten Stock.I live on the first floor.
Written dates and saying the year
In German, a period after a number marks it as an ordinal date. When speaking, years before 2000 are counted in hundreds, while years from 2000 onwards are spoken as regular thousands.
| Year | Era | Spoken form |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Before 2000 | neunzehnhundertneunzig |
| 2025 | From 2000 | zweitausendfünfundzwanzig |
- Heute ist der 1. Mai.Today is the 1st of May.
Exceptions to remember
- The ordinal for 1 uses the irregular root erst- rather than ein-. Heute ist der erste Feiertag.
- The ordinal for 3 uses the irregular root dritt- rather than dreit-. Mittwoch ist der dritte Tag.
- The number 7 drops -en to form siebte, and 8 does not double its t. Das ist der siebte Monat.
Practice it in the course
This rule is chapter 20 of 31 in the A1 German course in Langvie, after Telling the time in German, with am, um, im and before German separable verbs. In the app the chapter goes on with 8 exercises and a short spoken conversation with an AI partner, which opens with Wann hast du Geburtstag?
Choose the correct article. Heute ist ___ erste Mai. (der / am / im)
der. Dates after sein take the nominative masculine article der. Today is the first of May.
Practice this rule in Langvie.
Chapter 20 of the A1 course, with exercises, cards and a conversation in German.