das  Datum

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈdaːtʊm/

📅 What does "das Datum" mean?

Das Datum (neuter noun) primarily refers to the specification of a particular day in the calendar, usually consisting of the day, month, and year.

🚨 Important Note on the Plural: The plural of das Datum is die Daten. While die Daten technically means multiple dates (e.g., "die verschiedenen Daten der Treffen" - *the different dates of the meetings*), in modern usage, it predominantly means *information, facts, or digital data* (like computer data). For multiple calendar dates, people often use descriptive phrases like "die verschiedenen Termine" (*the various appointments*) or "die jeweiligen Tage" (*the respective days*).

• Meaning 1: Calendar date (e.g., Welches Datum ist heute? - *What date is it today?*)
• Meaning 2 (Plural 'Daten'): Information, facts, measurements (e.g., Die Daten sind ausgewertet. - *The data has been analyzed.*)

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar in Detail: Das Datum

Das Datum is a noun of neuter gender (Neutrum). It follows the strong declension pattern.

Declension Singular

Declension Plural

As mentioned above, the plural "Daten" often refers to information.

📝 Example Sentences

• Nominative: Das Datum des Treffens steht fest. (The date of the meeting is set.)
• Genitive: Ich bin mir des Datums nicht sicher. (I am not sure of the date.)
• Dative: Mit dem Datum auf dem Brief stimmt etwas nicht. (Something is wrong with the date on the letter.)
• Accusative: Bitte schreiben Sie das Datum oben rechts hin. (Please write the date in the top right corner.)
• Plural (meaning 'calendar dates', less common): Die genauen Daten der Prüfungen werden noch bekannt gegeben. (The exact dates of the exams will be announced later.)
• Plural (meaning 'information'): Wir benötigen mehr Daten für die Analyse. (We need more data for the analysis.)

💡 How to Use "das Datum"

Das Datum is an everyday word primarily used to name or ask for a specific day.

• Asking for the date: "Welches Datum haben wir heute?" (*What date is it today?*), "Der Wievielte ist heute?" (*What's the date today?* - literally *The how-many-eth is it today?*)
• Stating the date: "Heute ist der 15. Mai 2024." (*Today is the 15th of May 2024.*), often written as 15.05.2024. Note the ordinal number requires a dot: fünfzehnte -> 15.
• In documents: Specifying the Datum is standard in letters (Briefe), forms (Formulare), contracts (Verträge), etc.
• Difference from Termin: A Termin is a scheduled appointment or event time (often including the time of day), whereas Datum refers only to the calendar day. Example: "Der Termin ist am 15. Mai um 10 Uhr." (*The appointment is on May 15th at 10 AM.*) The Datum is May 15th.
• Difference from Daten (plural): As mentioned, Daten usually means *information/data*. Context is key: "Die Daten der letzten Meetings waren der 5. und 12. März." (*The dates of the last meetings were March 5th and 12th.*) vs. "Die gesammelten Daten sind vertraulich." (*The collected data is confidential.*)

🧠 Memory Aids

For the article 'das': Think of the Latin origin datum, meaning 'that which is given' or 'a given fact'. A fact is neutral -> das Datum. Or: Many German nouns ending in -um that come from Latin are neuter ('das').

For the meaning 'calendar date': A Datum tells you the specific day; it's like a datum point on your timeline.

🔄 Similar and Opposite Words

⚠️ Potential Confusion:

• Daten (Plural): As mentioned repeatedly, this usually means 'data' or 'information', not multiple calendar dates.

😄 A Little Joke

German: Warum hat der Kalender Angst? – Weil seine Tage gezählt sind!

English: Why is the calendar scared? – Because its days are numbered! 😉

📜 Poetically Speaking

German:
Ein Zettel klein, am Rand notiert,
Das Datum, das uns informiert.
Ein Tag vergeht, ein Blatt fällt ab,
Die Zeit, sie rennt im schnellen Trab.
Mal wichtig, mal ganz nebenbei,
Steht's auf dem Brief, dem Schrei,
Wann etwas war, wann etwas ist,
Dass man es nie vergisst.

English Translation:
A little note, jotted on the side,
The date, in which we can confide.
A day goes by, a page does fall,
Time rushes on, swift for us all.
Sometimes vital, sometimes passed right by,
It's on the letter, on the cry,
When something was, when something is,
So that one never forgets this.

🧩 A Little Riddle

German:
Ich habe Tag, Monat und Jahr,
doch keine Uhr, das ist doch klar.
Auf Briefen steh' ich, auf jedem Schein,
was kann ich wohl nur sein?

Lösung: Das Datum

English Translation:
I have day, month, and year,
but no clock, that much is clear.
On letters I stand, on every note,
What can I possibly be, of quote?

Answer: The date (Das Datum)

📌 More To Know

• Etymology: The word "Datum" comes from the Latin past participle passive of dare ('to give'), which is datum ('given'). It originally appeared in letters like "datum Romae..." ('given at Rome on...').
• Date Format in Germany: The standard format is DD.MM.YYYY (e.g., 15.05.2024). In international contexts, YYYY-MM-DD (ISO 8601) is sometimes used.
• Compound words (Wortzusammensetzungen): Geburtsdatum (date of birth), Verfallsdatum (expiration date), Tagesdatum (today's date), Rechnungsdatum (invoice date), Lieferdatum (delivery date).