Formim + Monat/Jahreszeit (Dativ)
Meaning and usage
Use im with months and seasons to say when something happens: im Januar, im Sommer. It is a fixed unit, so learn the whole phrase. im is a contraction of in dem, and the noun after it is in the dative case.
The mistake to avoid is using in alone with a month or season. Say im August, not in August. For other time phrases, use the pattern that belongs to them, for example am Montag or um acht.
Examples 5
Was trinkst du am liebsten im Sommer?
What's your favorite drink in the summer?
Es ist sehr warm hier im Sommer.
It's very hot here in the summer.
Meine Schwester bekommt im Juni ein Baby.
My sister is having a baby in June.
Mein Pass läuft im Oktober ab.
My passport will expire in October.
Der neue Park soll im Oktober öffnen.
The new park is due to be open in October.
Test yourself
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1 Sprachbausteine
Wir fahren August nach Berlin.
Show answer
Correct answer: im
im is the fixed form for months: im August. The other options are used for different time phrases.
- um is used with clock times, for example um acht.
- am is used with days and parts of the day, for example am Montag.
- in alone is not used with months; the month needs the article, so im is required.
In this topic: Time and place prepositions
- am Montag, am Abend on Monday, in the evening
- im Januar, im Sommer in a month or season
- um acht Uhr at + clock time
- von … bis from one time or place to another
- nächste Woche, jeden Tag next week, every day: no preposition, accusative
- vor zwei Jahren ago, with a length of time
- Ich komme aus … saying where someone or something comes from
- nach Berlin, zum Arzt, in die Schule to a town, to a person, into a place
- zu Hause, nach Hause at home vs. going home
- bei at someone's home, at a company, near a place
- zum, zur, ins, beim, vom zum, zur, ins, beim, vom: preposition and article as one
Example sentences from Tatoeba, used under CC BY 2.0 FR. See sources.