Wie im April, wie im April

Like in April, like in April – "April" by Tim Bendzko

What better time than spring to “komm aus dem Winterschlaf” (come out of the winter sleep) and embark on a new adventure? In “April”, German pop singer Tim Bendzko uses the month of April as a symbol for fresh starts and new beginnings.

Alongside several other months such as August, September, and November, the month of April has the same spelling in both English and in German, with only the pronunciation differing slightly.

In German, all month names are masculine – der Januar, der Februar, der März – and in sentences they often follow the tiny contraction “im”:

Wir reisen im Januar.
We are traveling in January.

Mein Geburtstag ist im März.
My birthday is in March.

Or, for an example from the song:

Wie im April, wie im April
Like in April, like in April
Mache was ich will, mache was ich will
Do what I want, do what I want
Es sind chaotische Zeiten, doch es kann nicht mehr weit sein
These are chaotic times, but it can't be far off
Werde mich wie 'n Phönix aus der Asche neu entfalten
I'll rise again like a phoenix from the ashes
Wie im April, wie im April
Like in April, like in April

View full song lyrics »

So what does “im April” mean? It’s a shortening of “in dem April”, or “in (the) April”, where the masculine article “der” becomes “dem” to signal use of the dative case. But even without knowing the grammar behind the phrase – you can just memorize “im” for use before a month’s name.

Here are a few additional words from “April” to add to your vocabulary list:

der Winterschlaf - the winter sleep
die Barrikaden - the barricades
die Antwort - the answer
sich sortieren - to sort oneself out
anfangen - to begin
aufgeladen - charged
entfalten - to unfold
begutachten - to review, examine
der Lederhaken - to leather hook
der Ritterschlag - the knighthood