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Time & Dates
Clock time, days, months, and how to say when.
Telling the clock
To ask the time: Wie spät ist es? or Wie viel Uhr ist es? The answer is Es ist …
Everyday German counts toward the next hour. The tricky one is halb: "halb drei" means half an hour before three = 2:30, not 3:30. Think "half on the way to three."
Everyday German counts toward the next hour. The tricky one is halb: "halb drei" means half an hour before three = 2:30, not 3:30. Think "half on the way to three."
| Time | Everyday German | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | drei Uhr | three o'clock |
| 3:15 | Viertel nach drei | quarter past three |
| 3:30 | halb vier | "half to four" = 3:30 |
| 3:45 | Viertel vor vier | quarter to four |
| 3:20 | zwanzig nach drei | twenty past three |
| 3:40 | zwanzig vor vier | twenty to four |
Official/formal contexts (timetables, TV) use the 24-hour clock, read straight: 14:30 = "vierzehn Uhr dreißig." No halb/Viertel.
Es ist halb neun.
It's 8:30. (half on the way to nine)
Watch out: halb neun = 8:30, not 9:30.
Der Zug fährt um 16:12 (sechzehn Uhr zwölf).
The train leaves at 16:12.
Timetables use the 24-hour clock, read as "… Uhr …".
um, am, im — the three time prepositions
Three little words cover most "when" answers, and they don't translate one-to-one with English:
um + clock time — at: um acht Uhr (at eight)
am + day / part of day — on/in: am Montag (on Monday), am Morgen (in the morning)
im + month / season — in: im Mai (in May), im Sommer (in summer)
Exception: in der Nacht (at night) and um Mitternacht (at midnight).
um + clock time — at: um acht Uhr (at eight)
am + day / part of day — on/in: am Montag (on Monday), am Morgen (in the morning)
im + month / season — in: im Mai (in May), im Sommer (in summer)
Exception: in der Nacht (at night) and um Mitternacht (at midnight).
Der Kurs beginnt um neun Uhr.
The course starts at nine o'clock.
um is used only with clock times.
Am Freitag habe ich frei.
On Friday I have off.
am = an + dem, used with days and parts of the day (am Abend).
Im Dezember schneit es oft.
In December it often snows.
im = in + dem, used with months and seasons (im Winter).
Days, months, seasons
Days and months are all maskulin (der Montag, der Mai), so they take am/im (from dem). Seasons are maskulin too (der Sommer).
| Days (die Woche) | Months (das Jahr) | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Montag, Dienstag | Januar, Februar | der Frühling (spring) |
| Mittwoch, Donnerstag | März, April, Mai | der Sommer (summer) |
| Freitag, Samstag | Juni, Juli, August | der Herbst (autumn) |
| Sonntag | September … Dezember | der Winter (winter) |
Dates
Dates use ordinal numbers (first, second, third…), formed by adding -te (1–19) or -ste (from 20) to the number, written with a dot: 1. = erste, 3. = dritte, 20. = zwanzigste. A few are irregular: erste (1st), dritte (3rd), siebte (7th).
To say "on the …th," use am … -ten.
To say "on the …th," use am … -ten.
Heute ist der erste Mai.
Today is the first of May.
der erste = the 1st (Nominativ). Written "der 1. Mai".
Ich habe am dritten Juni Geburtstag.
My birthday is on the third of June.
am dritten = on the 3rd (am + ordinal + -en). Written "am 3. Juni".
Time & dates in one line
halb drei = 2:30 (half toward three). um + clock, am + day, im + month/season.
Days and months are all maskulin. Dates use ordinals: am dritten Juni (am 3. Juni).
Related
- Numbers — the cardinals and ordinals behind the clock
- Contractions — am, im, zum used with times