TOPIC · Miscellaneous (Anders)

Telling time in German

A1

After this lesson, you will be able to express the time in German both formally and informally.

Reading the time in German is an essential skill for language learners. In this lesson, we will explore how to express time in two different ways: formally and informally. Let’s get started!

A. How to ask for the time

There are two common ways to ask for the time:

  • Wie spät ist es? (What time is it?)
  • Um wie viel Uhr ist es? (At what time is it?)
    Both questions are interchangeable and can be used to inquire about the time. The answer starts with: Es ist + time.

B. Official and unofficial time expressions

1. Official way (offiziell)

This method is used in formal situations, such as documents or official announcements.
Structure: hour + Uhr + minutes

TimeIn GermanTranslation
10:15Es ist zehn Uhr fünfzehn.It is 10:15 o’clock.
07:45Es ist sieben Uhr fünfundvierzig.It is 7:45 o’clock.
13:00Es ist dreizehn Uhr.It is 1 PM.

Note: In this official way of telling time, the 24-hour clock is used. For example, 17:00 is siebenzehn Uhr (5 PM).

2. Unofficial way (inoffiziell)

This method is used in everyday situations. In the unofficial time expression, you read the minutes and hours in reverse order.
Structure: minutes + nach/vor + hours

TimeIn GermanTranslation
09:20Es ist zwanzig nach neun.It is 20 past 9.
22:35Es ist fünf nach halb elf.It is 5 past half 11.
15:50Es ist zehn vor vier.It is 10 to 4.

Notes:

  • Count the minutes that come after or before the full hour.
  • Sometimes the word “Uhr” is omitted in the unofficial expression.

C. Special expressions

1. Half

  • It’s half past:
    Es ist halb zwei. (It is 1:30 o’clock.)

2. Quarter

  • It’s a quarter past three:
    Es ist Viertel nach drei. (It is 3:15 o’clock.)
  • It’s a quarter to four:
    Es ist Viertel vor vier. (It is 3:45 o’clock.)

3. Special minutes

  • Five minutes past half past six:
    Es ist fünf nach halb sieben. (It is 6:35 o’clock.)
  • Five minutes to half past eight:
    Es ist fünf vor halb acht. (It is 7:25 o’clock.)

Summary

We have learned how to tell time in both official and unofficial ways. You are now ready to express the time in German confidently!