Days of the Week and Months in Dutch
Maandag through zondag, januari through december: this is the vocabulary you use every single day, in every appointment, and on every form. Learn the days, the months, the seasons, and the two rules that trip everyone up: no capital letters, and the right preposition.
Rule number one
Dutch days and months are written in lowercase: maandag, januari, zomer. Capitalising them is the single most common giveaway of an English speaker, and the easiest habit to fix.
The days of the week
| Dutch | Abbreviation | English |
|---|---|---|
| maandag | ma | Monday |
| dinsdag | di | Tuesday |
| woensdag | wo | Wednesday |
| donderdag | do | Thursday |
| vrijdag | vr | Friday |
| zaterdag | za | Saturday |
| zondag | zo | Sunday |
The months
| Dutch | English | Dutch | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| januari | January | juli | July |
| februari | February | augustus | August |
| maart | March | september | September |
| april | April | oktober | October |
| mei | May | november | November |
| juni | June | december | December |
Juni or juli? Say it clearly
Juni (June) and juli (July) sound dangerously similar on a bad phone line, so Dutch people clarify the way you’d spell a name: juni van de maand zes or simply de zesde maand. Some exaggerate the pronunciation: ‘juNIE’ versus ‘juLIE’. If an appointment matters, confirm the date in numbers: dus de tiende van de zesde?
The seasons
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| de lente / het voorjaar | spring |
| de zomer | summer |
| de herfst / het najaar | autumn |
| de winter | winter |
Rule number two: the right preposition
Dutch uses op for days and dates, in for months, seasons and years: op maandag, op 5 juni, in juni, in de zomer, in 2026. Clock times take om: om drie uur. This is exam material and daily-life material at once; the full system is in our prepositions guide.
Sentences you’ll use this week
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Welke dag is het vandaag? | What day is it today? |
| Vandaag is het woensdag. | Today is Wednesday. |
| Ik ben jarig in maart. | My birthday is in March. |
| De afspraak is op vrijdag 15 augustus. | The appointment is on Friday, August 15th. |
| Tot volgende week! | See you next week! |
| Vorige maand / volgende maand | last month / next month |
| In het weekend | at the weekend |
| Doordeweeks | on weekdays |
Make it automatic
Days and months come up in every conversation about plans. Drill them until they come out without counting on your fingers.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What are the days of the week in Dutch?
maandag, dinsdag, woensdag, donderdag, vrijdag, zaterdag, zondag. Written in lowercase, abbreviated as ma, di, wo, do, vr, za, zo.
Are Dutch days and months capitalised?
No. Unlike English, Dutch writes days, months and seasons in lowercase: maandag, januari, zomer. They only get a capital at the start of a sentence.
Do you say op or in with days and months?
Op for days and dates (op maandag, op 5 juni), in for months, seasons and years (in juni, in de zomer, in 2026). Clock times take om: om drie uur.
How do Dutch people write dates?
Day-month-year: 15-08-2026 or 15 augustus 2026. In speech: ‘vijftien augustus’. The American month-first order is never used, so 08-15 will confuse everyone.