das Datum

Meaning and Usage

"Das Datum" in German refers to the date. It is used to specify a particular day, month, and year in writing or conversation.

Linguistic Analysis

The word "Datum" is a neuter noun in German. It has no prefix or suffix and is derived from the Latin word "datum" which means "something given."

Comparisons between German and English

The word "Datum" is very similar to its English counterpart "date" both in meaning and usage.

Cultural Context

In Germany, dates are commonly written in the order day-month-year, rather than the month-day-year format used in the United States.

Example Sentences

• Das Datum heute ist der fünfte Mai zweitausendzwanzig. (The date today is the fifth of May, 2020.)
• Wir haben das Datum für die nächste Sitzung festgelegt. (We have set the date for the next meeting.)

Memory Tips

Associate "Datum" with "date" in English and remember that in German, the day comes before the month when expressing the date.

Additional Vocabulary

• die Zeit (time)
• der Kalender (calendar)
• der Tag (day)

Gender and Plural (for nouns)

Gender: Neuter Plural: die Daten

Conjugation (for verbs)

Not applicable, as "Datum" is a noun.