Ordnungszahlen und Datum

Ordinal numbers show rank or date. In German dates, you must also match the case: der dritte Mai, but am dritten Mai.

Ordinal numbers name the order of days, dates, and other positions: der dritte Mai, am dritten Mai, der zwanzigste Tag. In dates, the written form usually has a full stop after the numeral: der 3. Mai.

With day and month, the ordinal changes with the grammar case. After der in a normal date sentence, you usually use the form with the normal adjective ending: der dritte Mai. After am you need the dative, and in letter dates with den you use the accusative; in both cases the ordinal takes the ending -en: am dritten Mai, Berlin, den dritten Mai. The irregular forms erste, dritte, siebte, and achte must be memorized. For numbers from 20 onward, use -ste: zwanzigste, hundertste. Years are normally said as full numbers: neunzehnhundertneunundneunzig, zweitausendzwanzig.

Common ordinal forms

• Heute ist der drei Mai.

  Heute ist der dritte Mai.

  Wievielte asks for an ordinal, not a cardinal number like drei.

• Am dritte Mai habe ich Zeit.

  Am dritten Mai habe ich Zeit.

  After am, the ordinal needs Dativ, so dritten is correct, not dritte.

• Berlin, der dritte Mai

  Berlin, den dritten Mai

  In a letter date, den introduces the accusative form of the ordinal.

• Das ist der hundertte Platz.

  Das ist der hundertste Platz.

  From 20 onward, ordinals use -ste, not -te.

• For dates in everyday speech, you often say am dritten Mai or answer Heute ist der dritte Mai.
• In written dates, the numeral gets a full stop: 3. Mai. The full stop is part of the date, not the end of the sentence.
• Memorize the irregular forms erste, dritte, siebte, achte separately; the others follow the regular pattern.
• Years are normally read as one number, not as an ordinal: 2020 = zweitausendzwanzig, not zweitausendzwanzigste.