Telling Time in German | Don't Make These Mistakes - Never Fail Again (2024)

⏰ How to tell time in German | Useful Expressions

In the following I will explain you all the possibilities of how to tell time in German.But before we start, I want to teach you some important vocabulary.

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Es ist … It is …
Uhr o’clock
Viertel quarter
halb half
nach past (after)
vor to (before)
Wie spät ist es? What time is it?

Did you see the word ‘spät‘?

It has an a umlaut.

If you follow the link, I will explain how to correctly pronounce the umlauts.

Knowing how to tell time in German is handy, but to be truly fluent, there’s more to learn. Ready to un(c)lock it all? Take the 7 Rule Challenge!

Show me your 7-Rule Challenge (free)

Example 1 - Let's start easy to tell the time


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Example No 1

When we have a full hour we put the word ‘Uhr‘ at the end.

This is essential for understanding the clock in German.

1 Uhr:
Es ist ein Uhr. = It’s one o’clock.

10 Uhr:
Es ist zehn Uhr. = It’s ten o’clock.

Example 2 - This is how you tell the exact time in German


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Example No 2

To tell the exact time you say the hour and then the minutes but make sure you put the wordUhrthis time between the hour and the minutes when you speak it.

2:16 Uhr:
Es ist zwei Uhr sechzehn.
It’s two sixteen.

3:25 Uhr:
Es ist drei Uhr fünfundzwanzig.
It’s three twenty-five.

7:34 Uhr:
Es ist sieben Uhr vierunddreißig.
It’s seven thirty-four.

5:45 Uhr:
Es ist fünf Uhr fünfundvierzig.
It’s five fourty-five.

Example 3 - Telling the time with the word 'nach'


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Example No 3

Another way of telling the time is to use the word: nach.

But be careful – this time you say the minutes first.

10:05 Uhr:
Es ist fünf nach zehn.
It’s five past ten.

12:10 Uhr:
Es ist zehn nach zwölf.
It’s ten past twelve.

4:02 Uhr:
Es ist zwei nach vier.
It’s two past four.

Example 4 - Telling the time with the word 'vor'


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Example No 4

If we have less than 30 minutes to the next hour we can use the word: vor.

2:50 Uhr:
Es ist zehn vor drei.
It’s ten to (before) three.

3:40 Uhr:
Es ist zwanzig vor vier.
It’s twenty to (before) four.

Example 5 - Telling the time in German with the word 'Viertel vor/nach'

Example 5


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Example No 5

You can divide an hour like a pie into quarters (4×15 minutes) and use the words: Viertel vor and Viertel nach.

8:45 Uhr:
Es ist Viertel vor neun.
It’s (a) quarter to nine.

6:15 Uhr:
Es ist Viertel nach sechs.
It’s (a) quarter past six.

Example 6 - Telling the time with the word 'halb'


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Example No 6

In German it is a little tricky when we have 30 minute left to the next hour. You use the word: halb but then you add the next hour!

Be careful!

8:30 Uhr:
Es ist halb neun.
It’s half past eight.
(In the sense of: It’s half way to nine.)

9:30 Uhr:
Es ist halb zehn.
It’s half past nine.

Example 7 - How to tell the time in German with the 24 hour system


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Example No 7

We Germans use the 24-hour system.

If you see an hour greater than 12 just subtract 12 to get the p.m. time. Understanding this system is crucial for reading the clock in German.

13:00 Uhr:
Es ist dreizehn Uhr.
It’s 1pm. (13 – 12 = 1)

15:00 Uhr:
Es ist fünfzehn Uhr.
It’s 3pm. (15 – 12 = 3)

17:30 Uhr:
Es ist siebzehn Uhr dreißig.
It’s 5:30pm. (17 – 12 = 5)

19:16 Uhr:
Es ist neunzehn Uhr sechzehn.
It’s 7:16pm. (19 – 12 = 7)

20:45 Uhr:
Es ist zwanzig Uhr fünfundvierzig.
It’s 8:45pm. (20 – 12 = 8)

Remember: In order to tell every possible time you just need the examples No 1 and No 2. Let’s practice a little with the examples of No 1 and No 2.

Next, you can practice telling the time in German yourself (see the exercises below).

You can also follow the links to some other interesting German lessons such as the weekdays in German or what about a grammar subject like the German imperative. Take a look around, there is a lot to discover on my website.

🎓 Question and Answer Exercise

Try to answer the questions out loud during the pauses. This way, you train your brain to think in German. This is an effective learning method.

Telling Time in German | Don't Make These Mistakes - Never Fail Again (1)

The Question and Answer Part

This technique will help you to store new information easily in your long-term memory.

Listen to the questions and answers a few times then try to answer the questions out loud. Try to imitate the pronunciation.

Repeat this unit until you can answer all questions easily.


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Fragen und Antworten:

1:00 Uhr

Frage:
Wie spät ist es?
What time is it?

Antwort:
Es ist ein Uhr.
It’s one o’clock.

10:00 Uhr
Wie spät ist es?
Es ist zehn Uhr.

13:00 Uhr
Wie spät ist es?
Es ist dreizehn Uhr.

4:02 Uhr
Wie spät ist es?
Es ist vier Uhr zwei.

10:05 Uhr
Wie spät ist es?
Es ist zehn Uhr fünf.

12:10 Uhr
Wie spät ist es?
Es ist zwölf Uhr zehn.

17:30 Uhr
Wie spät ist es?
Es ist siebzehn Uhr dreißig.

3:25 Uhr
Wie spät ist es?
Es ist drei Uhr fünfundzwanzig.

5:45 Uhr
Wie spät ist es?
Es ist fünf Uhr fünfundvierzig.

7:34 Uhr
Wie spät ist es?
Es ist sieben Uhr vierunddreißig.

19:16 Uhr
Wie spät ist es?
Es ist neunzehn Uhr sechzehn.

Quote:

Zeit ist das, was wir am meisten wollen, aber was wir am schlechtesten nutzen.

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.
~ William Penn

Here is more interesting information about the time in Germany

Telling Time in German | Don't Make These Mistakes - Never Fail Again (2)

The Time System in Germany

We Germans use the24-hour system.

If you see an hour greater than 12 just subtract 12 to get the p.m. time.

For example: 14:00 Uhr
It’s 2pm. (14 – 12 = 2)

Counting in German is not difficult. Can you do it? Follow the link and try it.

And in the World Population Review, article on the 24-hour system, you can learn which countries also use the 24-hour format.

What is Daylight Saving Time?

Daylight Saving Time (DST) also called „Sommerzeit“ in Germany (summer time) is a seasonal time change so that evening daylight lasts longer.

The clocks are set forward one hour in the spring and backward one hour in the autumn.

How many time zones does Germany have?

Germany has only 1 time zone.

Germany is GMT/UTC + 2 hours during Daylight Saving Time and GMT/UTC + 1 hour during Standard Time.

All German states have the same time zone.

Telling Time in German | Don't Make These Mistakes - Never Fail Again (2024)

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