German Phrase
Gestern war Sonntag.
Meaning
A concise statement that yesterday was Sunday. It uses the simple past (Präteritum) of sein to place the day of the week in a past context.
When to use
Use this sentence when you are talking about the previous day’s date, confirming a schedule, or contrasting yesterday with today’s day of the week.
✦Grammar Breakdown
GesternwarSonntag
Gestern
An adverb of time meaning ‘yesterday’. It is placed at the beginning of the sentence to set the temporal context.
war
3rd‑person singular preterite (simple past) of the verb sein ‘to be’. Use the past form when you refer to a completed situation in the past.
Sonntag
Masculine noun (der Sonntag) meaning ‘Sunday’. In statements about the past the article is often omitted, especially in short sentences.
🗨In Conversation
Gestern war Sonntag.
Yesterday was Sunday.
Ja, und heute ist Montag.
Yes, and today is Monday.
✕Common Mistakes
Gestern ist Sonntag.
‘Ist’ is present tense; for yesterday you need the past form ‘war’.
Gestern war der Sonntag.
Adding the article is not wrong, but in a short factual statement it sounds overly formal.
↔Alternatives
Gestern war ein Sonntag.
Yesterday was a Sunday.
Am gestrigen Sonntag war ich im Park.
I was in the park on Sunday yesterday.
Cultural Tip
In Germany the week officially starts on Monday, so Sunday is considered the last day of the weekend. When you talk about a specific Sunday you can add the article (der Sonntag) for emphasis, but in short statements like this the article is usually omitted. Also note that Germans often use the simple past (Präteritum) in written language and formal speech, while in everyday conversation the perfect tense (Gestern ist Sonntag gewesen) can also appear, especially in southern dialects.