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- In the media and for official appointments the time is usually given using the 24-hour clock.
- In daily life the time is usually given in this way.
- By using the prepositions vor and nach you can state the interval to- or from- the full hour (plus or minus twenty minutes) and to the half-hour (when it is less than ten minutes).
- When the period before or after the full hour is 15 minutes, instead of stating the number of minutes you use the word Viertel.
Everything for basic users with no previous knowledge and for learners at levels A1 and A2 of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Using videos, audios and interactive tasks, our free German courses teach you basic skills for everyday situations and simple conversations -in a comprehensive course, in short learning units or with music videos.
33. Wie spät ist es?
33.1. Grammar
Time specification: 24-hour clock
Es ist siebzehn Uhr vierzig.
or:
Es ist siebzehn Uhr und vierzig Minuten.
In the media and for official appointments the time is usually given using the 24-hour clock.
- All the 24 hours are counted.
- At midnight you can say: Es ist null Uhr or: Es ist vierundzwanzig Uhr.
- First you say the hour and then the minutes.
Time: 12-hour clock (2)
Es ist zwanzig vor sechs (morgens/nachmittags).
or:
Es ist zwanzig Minuten vor sechs.
In daily life the time is usually given in this way.
- You use the twelve-hour clock.
- If necessary you can add morgens, vormittags, mittags, nachmittags, abends or nachts, in order to make the time of day clear.
- First say the minutes and then the hours.
- By using the prepositions vor and nach you can state the interval to- or from- the full hour (plus or minus twenty minutes) and to the half-hour (when it is less than ten minutes).
- When the period before or after the full hour is 15 minutes, instead of stating the number of minutes you use the word Viertel:
17:45 Uhr: Es ist Viertel vor sechs.
18:15 Uhr: Es ist Viertel nach sechs. - With half hours, instead of stating the number of minutes, you say:
Es ist halb + the number of the next full hour:
17:30 Uhr: Es ist halb sechs.
Overview:
| 12:00 Uhr | Es ist zwölf Uhr. |
| 12:05 Uhr | Es ist fünf (Minuten) nach zwölf. |
| 12:10 Uhr | Es ist zehn (Minuten) nach zwölf. |
| 12:15 Uhr | Es ist Viertel nach zwölf.* |
| 12:20 Uhr | Es ist zwanzig (Minuten) nach zwölf. |
| 12:25 Uhr | Es ist fünf (Minuten) vor halb eins. |
| 12:30 Uhr | Es ist halb eins. |
| 12:35 Uhr | Es ist fünf (Minuten) nach halb eins. |
| 12:40 Uhr | Es ist zwanzig (Minuten) vor eins. |
| 12:45 Uhr | Es ist Viertel vor eins.* |
| 12:50 Uhr | Es ist zehn (Minuten) vor eins. |
| 12:55 Uhr | Es ist fünf (Minuten) vor eins. |
| 13:00 Uhr | Es ist ein Uhr.** |
* In some parts of Germany you also hear:
- 12:15 Uhr: Es ist viertel eins.
- 12:45 Uhr: Es ist drei viertel eins.
** When stating the full hour, the word Uhr is often used. With the number one, note that when the word Uhr is used, you say: ein. If you do not use the word Uhr you say: eins.
Prepositions of time
Time with prepositions
Use the question word Wann …? when asking about time. Answer using the prepositions um, am (= an + dem), im (= in + dem) or in.
um + time:
- Wann stehst du auf?
- Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf.
am + day of the week:
- Wann gehst du ins Kino?
- Ich gehe am Freitag ins Kino.
im + month or season:
- Wann ist die Party?
Die Party ist im August. - Wann hast du Geburtstag?
Ich habe im Sommer Geburtstag.
in + a later point in time (in … Minuten, Tagen, Wochen, Monaten, Jahren):
- Wann beginnt der Kurs?
- Der Kurs beginnt in 20 Minuten.
There are different ways to ask about periods of time.
If you want to know when something starts and ends you ask: Von wann … bis wann …? You answer with:
von … bis …+ time or day of the week:
- Von wann bis wann arbeitest du?
- Ich arbeite von Montag bis Freitag von acht Uhr bis fünf Uhr.
If you only want to know when something begins, you ask: Ab wann …? You answer with:
ab + time or day of the week
Ab wann hat das Restaurant geöffnet?
Das Restaurant hat ab neun Uhr geöffnet.
33.2. Vocabulary
| ab | from |
| ab wann | from when (on) |
| allein umgangssprachlich auch: alleine | alone |
| am | on |
| Auf Wiederhören! | Goodbye! (on the telephone) |
| die Dreiviertelstunde, die Dreiviertelstunden Plural selten | three-quarters of an hour; 45 minutes |
| der Fisch, die Fische | fish |
| geöffnet haben hat, hatte, hat gehabt | to be open (as in: a store, business, etc.) |
| geschlossen haben hat, hatte, hat gehabt | to be closed (as in: a store, business, etc.) |
| halbe Stunde | half an hour |
| in | in |
| kurz nach | shortly after |
| kurz vor | shortly before |
| leider | unfortunately |
| die Minute, die Minuten | minute |
| das Mittagsangebot, die Mittagsangebote | lunch dish; lunch menu |
| nach | after |
| die Öffnungszeit, die Öffnungszeiten | opening hours; business hours |
| die Roulade, die Rouladen | roulade; braised meat rolls |
| die Stunde, die Stunden | hour |
| die Suppe, die Suppen | soup |
| die Viertelstunde, die Viertelstunden Plural selten | quarter of an hour |
| Viertel nach | quarter past |
| Viertel vor | quarter to |
| vor | before |
| (auf jemanden/etwas) warten wartet, wartete, hat gewartet | to wait (for so./sth.) |
| der Zug, die Züge | train |
33.3. Culture and society
Opening hours
“Oh no, the supermarket is shut!”
Most supermarkets are closed at night and on Sundays. In smaller towns, the shops may close at 6 or 7 p.m. Train stations are exceptions: there, you may be able to shop longer.
In larger cities, grocery stores may be open until 10 p.m. There are also kiosks and smaller stores that are open later, but they are usually more expensive. At restaurants, you have to check how late they serve food.
Tip: Pharmacies also close early in the evening, but there is usually one per city district that is open late. The pharmacies take turns offering this emergency service. There is usually a sign in the window of a pharmacy to say who is offering the emergency service, or you can check the internet.
34. Hast du morgen Zeit?
34.1. Grammar
Ordinal numbers
Heute ist der siebzehnte Januar.
Ordinal numbers can be used to determine a sequence. They give the position of an element in a succession of elements. For example, the days of the month form a sequence in which one day occupies a certain position:
der siebzehnte Januar = the seventeenth day in the month of January
The ordinal number is written with a point after it.:
der 17. Januar
Formation of ordinal numbers
For numbers one to 19 in the singular, add the ending -te to the cardinal number.
The ordinal numbers for one, three and seven have an irregular form.
| eins | der erste Januar |
| zwei | der zweite Januar |
| drei | der dritte Januar |
| vier | der vierte Januar |
| fünf | der fünfte Januar |
| sechs | der sechste Januar |
| sieben | der siebte Januar |
| acht | der achte Januar |
| neun | der neunte Januar |
| zehn | der zehnte Januar |
| elf | der elfte Januar |
| zwölf | der zwölfte Januar |
| dreizehn | der dreizehnte Januar |
| vierzehn | der vierzehnte Januar |
From 20 onwards, the forms are regular. Always add the ending -ste to the cardinal number:
| zwanzig | der zwanzigste Januar |
| einundzwanzig | der einundzwanzigste Januar |
| zweiundzwanzig | der zweiundzwanzigste Januar |
| dreiundzwanzig | der dreiundzwanzigste Januar |
| vierundzwanzig | der vierundzwanzigste Januar |
| dreißig | der dreißigste Januar |
| einunddreißig | der einunddreißigste Januar |
Dates
The months of the year are also in a set sequence. When giving a date, you can say the name of the month or give the month in the form of another ordinal number.
Heute ist der siebzehnte Januar.
or:
Heute ist der siebzehnte Erste.
After prepositions of time, the ending of the ordinal number changes from
-(s)te to -(s)ten:
Heute ist der siebzehnte Januar.
but:
Am siebzehnten Januar fahre ich nach Berlin.
When a date is given, some prepositions that come before the ordinal number also change:
von -> vom (= von + dem)
bis -> bis zum
Vom siebzehnten bis zum fünfundzwanzigsten Januar habe ich Urlaub.
34.2. Vocabulary
| abends | in the evening |
| der April nur Singular | April |
| der August nur Singular | August |
| Das passt gut. | That works/That’s fine. |
| das Datum, die Daten | date |
| Der Wievielte ist heute? | the date (today) |
| der Dezember nur Singular | December |
| der Februar nur Singular | February |
| der Frühdienst, die Frühdienste | early shift |
| Heute ist der … | Today is the… (plus date) |
| der Januar nur Singular | January |
| der Juli nur Singular | July |
| der Juni nur Singular | June |
| der Kalender, die Kalender | calendar |
| der Mai nur Singular | May |
| der März nur Singular | March |
| mittags | at noon; at midday |
| morgens | in the mornings; every morning |
| nachmittags | in the afternoon; in the afternoons |
| der November nur Singular | November |
| der Oktober nur Singular | October |
| die Person, die Personen | person |
| (etwas) reservieren reserviert, reservierte, hat reserviert | to reserve |
| die Reservierung, die Reservierungen | reservation |
| der September nur Singular | September |
| übermorgen | the day after tomorrow |
| vorgestern | the day before yesterday |
| vormittags | mornings; in the morning (regularly) |
34.3. Culture and society
Day and night
In Germany, the length of the days and nights changes. The shortest day of the year is December 21, when it gets light at about 8:30 a.m. and is dark at around 4 p.m. Then, lots of people spend more time at home being cosy.
On June 21, the sun sets at around 10 p.m. This is the longest day of the year. The differences are greater in northern Germany than in southern Germany.
Changing the clock
Twice a year the clocks are changed by one hour. On the last Sunday in March, the clock is set ahead from 2 to 3 in the morning. This is summer daylight savings time. On the last Sunday in October, the clock is set back an hour.
Why do we do this? Originally, people hoped to be able to make the most of more daylight and use less electricity. But according to the national environment department, it doesn’t actually work. Lights are turned on later in the evenings, but heating is turned up in the mornings.
35. Wann spielen wir?
35.1. Grammar
Conjugation: können
Kannst du am Montag? – Nein, am Montag kann ich nicht.
The verb können belongs to the special group of verbs known as “modal verbs”. These verbs are conjugated differently from the verbs that you already know.:
- Modal verbs often have a different vowel in the singular than in the plural.
- The form of the first- and third-person singular is the same: the verb has no ending.
| Singular | |
| 1st person | ich kann |
| 2nd person | du kannst |
| 3rd person | er/sie/es kann |
| Plural | |
| 1st person | wir können |
| 2nd person | ihr könnt |
| 3rd person | sie können |
| Formal | Sie können |
Time: dies-/nächst-
Kannst du diese Woche? – Nein, aber nächste Woche habe ich Zeit.
In addition to the time phrases that you already know, you can also give time details using the words dies- and nächst-. You can combine these with a noun, e.g. Monat, Woche or Jahr. The times are often in the accusative, so pay attention to the endings.
| Accusative | |
| masculine (der) | diesen Monat nächsten Monat |
| feminine (die) | diese Woche nächste Woche |
| neuter (das) | dieses Jahr nächstes Jahr |
35.2. Vocabulary
| etwas/jemanden brauchen braucht, brauchte, hat gebraucht | to need something/somebody |
| Das geht. | That works./That’s OK. |
| den ganzen Tag | the entire day |
| dieser, diese, dieses | this |
| erst | just; only |
| Gute Idee. | Good idea. |
| Ich habe Lust. | I feel like…/I would enjoy… |
| Ich habe keine Lust. | I don’t feel like it. |
| können kann, konnte | to be able to; can |
| Lust (auf etwas) haben hat, hatte, hat gehabt | to feel like something; to have a desire for something |
| nächster, nächste, nächstes | next |
| noch | still (i.e., still raining, still asleep) |
| nur | only; just |
| schon | already |
| das Schwimmbad, die Schwimmbäder | swimming pool |
| (jemanden) treffen trifft, traf, hat getroffen | to meet (someone) |
| wann | when |
| die Woche, die Wochen | week |
| der Zoo, die Zoos | zoo |
35.3. Culture and society
Working hours
The average workweek in Germany is 38.5 or 40 hours for those who work Vollzeit (full-time) or have a Vollzeitstelle (full-time job).
Some people work Teilzeit (part-time) or have a Teilzeitstelle (part-time job). They might work 20 or 30 hours a week. You will probably meet people who work a lot more or a lot less. For example, people tend to work longer hours in restaurants, like Max and Tarek. But generally, working hours have dropped over time.
In a factory, hotel or hospital, people tend to work on shifts that change, such as one week of night shifts and then one week of day shifts.
In a lot of offices, people can work flexible hours. You can decide yourself when you want to start work, but you must work the hours stipulated in your contract. But for jobs in which you serve customers, that’s not possible.
Some companies also offer the possibility of Homeoffice (working from home). That could be only one day a week, or all the time.
36. Zu spät!?
36.1. Grammar
Simple past: haben
A verb in the simple past indicates that the action took place in the past. You already know the simple past of the verb sein. The verb haben is also often used in the simple past, e.g. when explaining why you arrived late:
Tut mir leid, mein Auto hatte eine Panne.
Tut mir leid, der Bus hatte Verspätung.
Below is another overview of the present:
Mein Auto hat (jetzt) eine Panne.
| Singular | |
| 1st person | ich habe |
| 2nd person | du hast |
| 3rd person | er/sie/es hat |
| Plural | |
| 1st person | wir haben |
| 2nd person | ihr habt |
| 3rd person | sie haben |
| Formal | Sie haben |
The simple past is formed like this:
Mein Auto hatte (gestern) eine Panne.
| Singular | |
| 1st person | ich hatte |
| 2nd person | du hattest |
| 3rd person | er/sie/es hatte |
| Plural | |
| 1st person | wir hatten |
| 2nd person | ihr hattet |
| 3rd person | sie hatten |
| Formal | Sie hatten |
Grammatical terms in German:
das Präsens: The present is a verb tense. It is used when we are talking about events, activities or situations that take place in the present or are ongoing.
das Präteritum: The simple past is a verb tense. It is used mainly in written language to describe events, activities or situations that took place in the past. Certain verbs, e.g. haben are also used in the simple past in spoken language.
36.2. Vocabulary
| etwas ab|sagen sagt ab, sagte ab, hat abgesagt | to cancel something |
| Das macht nichts. | That doesn’t matter. |
| der Deutsche, die Deutschen mit unbestimmtem Artikel: ein Deutscher, Deutsche | German person (male) |
| die Deutsche, die Deutschen mit unbestimmtem Artikel: eine Deutsche, – | German person (female) |
| ein paar Tage | a few days |
| der Europäer, die Europäer | European (male) |
| die Europäerin, die Europäerinnen | European (female) |
| jemandem etwas geben gibt, gab, hat gegeben | to give something to someone |
| glauben glaubt, glaubte, hat geglaubt | to believe; to think |
| Ist schon gut. | It’s all good./That’s fine. |
| die Langeweile nur Singular | boredom |
| langsam langsamer, am langsamsten | slow |
| modern moderner, am modernsten | modern |
| die Panne, die Pannen | breakdown; glitch; malfunction |
| der Platz nur Singular | space; room |
| pünktlich pünktlicher, am pünktlichsten | punctual |
| Sorry! aus dem Englischen | sorry |
| Spaß haben hat, hatte, hat gehabt | to have fun |
| später | later |
| der Stau, die Staus alternativer Plural: Staue | traffic jam |
| das Treffen, die Treffen | meeting |
| unpünktlich unpünktlicher, am unpünktlichsten | tardy |
| die Verspätung, die Verspätungen | delay; late arrival |
| Viele Grüße | best regards |
| voll | full; filled |
| wie | as |
36.3. Culture and society
Punctuality
“Germans are always punctual – only the Swiss are more punctual!”
You may have heard this stereotype before. Often, people who don’t have contact with Germans or Swiss make generalizations like this.
There is no question that punctuality is taken more seriously in Germany than in many other parts of the world. Appointments are commitments, especially in a professional context.
When you are doing your vocational training, going to the doctor or to work, you should be punctual. You could run into problems if you make your boss, your colleagues, or customers wait. It is also impolite to arrive late when meeting friends. You should at least call if you know you’re going to be late.
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