Donnerstag
/ˈdɔnɐsˌtaːk/masculine
Thursday in German is Donnerstag.
Donnerstag is the standard way to say Thursday in German.
Meaning: day of the week (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of Donner (thunder) and Tag (day), literally meaning "thunder day".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As a noun, Donnerstag is always masculine and must be capitalized. To say "on Thursday", you use the phrase am Donnerstag. If you add an -s to the end of the word to form Donnerstags, it becomes an adverb meaning "on Thursdays" or "routinely on Thursdays".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdɔnɐsˌtaːk/
Did you know?
- In German, the concept of 'thunder' is linked to Donnerstag through the Norse god Thor. This mirrors the English 'Thursday', which is a corruption of 'Thor's day'.
- While Donnerstag means 'thunder day', the word Donner is used in German idioms to describe anger or a loud noise. One might hear someone say Donnerwetter as an exclamation of surprise.
- In the Dutch language, the word for Thursday is donderdag, which is nearly identical to the German Donnerstag. Both languages preserved the 'thunder' element while other languages shifted to Roman names.
Examples in context
- Am Donnerstag waren wir wandern.Thursday we went hiking.This sentence shows how to use Donnerstag to talk about a past activity.Tatoeba #12408086 by Waldelfe, translation #6850296 by Eccles17
- Nächsten Donnerstag ist Feiertag.Next Thursday is a holiday.This sentence uses Donnerstag to refer to a specific upcoming holiday.Tatoeba #1015567 by Sudajaengi, translation #922251 by zvaigzne
- Ich spiele jeden Donnerstag Tennis.I play tennis every Thursday.This sentence demonstrates the use of Donnerstag to describe a recurring event.Tatoeba #5167227 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #11695187 by sundown
- Wir treffen uns am Donnerstag.We are meeting on Thursday.
- 93 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their plans for the week.
- SarahHast du am Donnerstag Zeit?Do you have time on Thursday?
- FelixJa, der Donnerstag passt mir gut.Yes, Thursday suits me well.
- SarahWollen wir dann ins Kino gehen?Do we want to go to the cinema then?
- FelixDas ist eine gute Idee!That is a good idea!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “Thursday” translations and entries Donnerstag, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
