How to ask time in German

time vocabulary in german

• Datum Date
• Tag Day
• Woche Week
• Monat Month
• Jahr Year
• Jahrzehnt Decade
• Jahrhundert Century
• Jahrtausend Millennium
• Frühling Spring
• Sommer Summer
• Herbst Autumn/Fall
• Winter Winter
• Montag Monday
• Dienstag Tuesday
• Mittwoch Wednesday
• Donnerstag Thursday
• Freitag Friday
• Samstag Saturday
• Sonntag Sunday
• Wochenende Weekend
• Feiertag Holiday
• Arbeitstag Workday
• Werktag Weekday
• Wochenende Weekend
• dieser Tag This day
• gestern Yesterday
• heute Today
• morgen Tomorrow
• übermorgen The day after tomorrow
• vorgestern The day before yesterday
• jetzt Now
• sofort Immediately
• gleich In a moment/soon
• bald Soon
• später Later
• früher Earlier
• immer Always
• manchmal Sometimes
• selten Rarely
• nie Never
• Mitternacht Midnight
• Mittag Noon
• Morgen Morning
• Vormittag Late morning
• Nachmittag Afternoon
• Abend Evening
• Nacht Night
• Tageszeit Time of day
• Stundenplan Schedule/timetable
• Stunde Hour
• Minute Minute
• Sekunde Second
• Zeit Time
• Zeitzone Time zone
• Sommerzeit Daylight saving time
• Winterzeit Standard time
• Kalender Calendar
• Uhrzeit Time (of the day)

Asking for Time in German

When you want to know the time in German, you can use the following phrases:

German Phrase	English Translation
Wie viel Uhr ist es?	What time is it?
Wie viel Uhr haben wir?	What time do we have?
Wie spät ist es?	How late is it?

These informal phrases are suitable for casual conversations with friends. Despite their literal differences, they all essentially mean "what time is it?"

For more formal situations, such as when speaking to elders or showing respect, you can use:

Formal Phrase	English Translation
Entschuldigung, könnten Sie mir bitte sagen, wie viel Uhr es ist?	Excuse me, could you please tell me what time it is?
Entschuldigung, könnten Sie mir bitte sagen, wie viel Uhr wir haben?	Excuse me, could you please tell me what time we have?

To sound polite, start with "Entschuldigung, könnten Sie mir bitte sagen," before the question. Remember to place the verb at the end after the comma for correct grammar.

Telling the Time in German

Official vs. Informal Ways of Telling Time

When it comes to telling time in German, there are different approaches depending on the formality of the situation. Let's explore these methods to ensure you're prepared for any context.

Official (Formal) Method

The official method of telling time is typically used in formal situations, such as when speaking to strangers or elders. It's characterized by a more structured and respectful tone. This method often employs the 24-hour clock format, especially in official settings like flight schedules or corporate appointments.

Informal Method

Conversely, the informal method of telling time is used in everyday casual conversations. It's less structured and more commonly employs the 12-hour clock format. This method is suitable for interactions with friends or in relaxed settings where formality is not required.

Understanding the 12-hour and 24-hour Clock

The 12-hour clock is commonly used in informal scenarios and everyday language. It follows the standard AM/PM system familiar to many English speakers. For example, 8:00 AM is "acht Uhr morgens" (eight o'clock in the morning), while 8:00 PM is "acht Uhr abends" (eight o'clock in the evening).

On the other hand, the 24-hour clock, also known as military time, is used in formal or official contexts. It eliminates confusion between morning and evening hours by counting the full 24-hour day. For instance, 8:00 AM is "acht Uhr" (eight o'clock), while 8:00 PM is "zwanzig Uhr" (twenty o'clock).

Telling Full Hours

When it's a full hour in German, it's quite straightforward. You simply state the hour followed by "Uhr," which means "o'clock" in English. Here's the structure:

Es ist [hour number] Uhr.

For example:

• Es ist ein Uhr.

It is one o'clock.

• Es ist zwei Uhr.

It is two o'clock.

• Es ist drei Uhr.

It is three o'clock.

This follows a similar pattern to English, making it easy to understand. This format is commonly used in the 12-hour clock system. However, in the 24-hour clock system, you can say:

• Es ist dreizehn Uhr.

It is 13 o'clock (equivalent to 1 PM).

• Es ist vierzehn Uhr.

It is 14 o'clock (equivalent to 2 PM).

• Es ist fünfzehn Uhr.

It is 15 o'clock (equivalent to 3 PM).

If the 24-hour clock system seems challenging, here's a handy trick: Subtract 12 from the 24-hour time to get the equivalent 12-hour time. For instance, 13 - 12 = 1, so 13 o'clock becomes 1 o'clock. Similarly, 14 - 12 = 2, so 14 o'clock becomes 2 o'clock.

Telling Minutes Along with Hours in German

When telling time in German, including minutes along with hours is essential for clarity. Here's how to do it in both formal and informal contexts:

Minutes	Formal Expression	Informal Expression	English Translation
:01-:14	[Hour] Uhr [Minutes]	[Hour] Uhr [Minutes]	[Hour] o'clock [Minutes]
:15	Viertel nach [Hour]	Viertel [Hour]	Quarter past [Hour]
:16-:29	[Minutes] nach [Hour]	[Minutes] [Hour]	[Minutes] past [Hour]
:30	Halb [Next Hour]	Halb [Next Hour]	Half past [Next Hour]
:31-:44	[Minutes] vor [Next Hour]	[Minutes] [Next Hour]	[Minutes] to [Next Hour]
:45	Dreiviertel [Next Hour]	Dreiviertel [Next Hour]	Quarter to [Next Hour]
:46-:59	[Hour + 1] Uhr [60 - Minutes]	[Hour + 1] Uhr [60 - Minutes]	[Hour + 1] o'clock [60 - Minutes]

In formal situations, you typically use phrases like "Viertel nach" (quarter past), "Halb" (half past), and "Dreiviertel" (quarter to) to express minutes. In informal settings, you might simply state the number of minutes followed by "Uhr" (o'clock).

For example:

• Es ist drei Uhr fünfzehn.

It is three fifteen. (Quarter past three)

• Es ist sechs Uhr dreißig.

It is six thirty. (Half past six)

• Es ist acht Uhr fünfundvierzig.

It is eight forty-five. (Quarter to nine)

Quick Recall: Telling Time in German

Let's recap what we've learned in a concise manner:

Writing Full Hours

To express full hours in German, we use the following format:

German	English
Es ist [hour] Uhr.	It is [hour] o'clock.

For example:

• Es ist vier Uhr. (It is four o'clock.)

Half Past the Hour

In German, when telling time half-past the hour, we round it up to the next hour. Here are some examples:

German	English
Es ist halb [next hour].	It is half past [next hour].

For example:

• Es ist halb drei. (It is two-thirty.)
• Es ist halb vier. (It is three-thirty.)

Quarter Past and Quarter To

Like in English, German also uses "quarter past" and "quarter to" for time. Here's how to express it:

German	English
Es ist viertel nach [hour].	It is quarter past [hour].
Es ist viertel vor [next hour].	It is quarter to [next hour].

For example:

• Es ist viertel nach drei. (It is quarter past three – 3:15)
• Es ist viertel vor vier. (It is quarter to four – 3:45)

Minutes After and Minutes Before

When expressing time between 20 and 30 minutes past the hour, we use "nach" (after), and between 20 and 30 minutes before the hour, we use "vor" (before). Here's how:

• For time from 20 minutes till 30 minutes, use "nach" for the hour.
• For time from 30 minutes till 40 minutes, use "vor" for the half-hour.

For example:

• Es ist zwanzig nach sechs. (6:20)
• Es ist zehn nach halb sieben. (6:40)

Using "Gleich" and "Kurz Vor/Nach"

• "Gleich" is used when there are just two or three minutes left for an event to happen.
• "Kurz vor" is used when there are just two or three minutes left for an event to happen.
• "Kurz nach" is used when just two or three minutes have passed from an event.
• "Genau" is used when an event happens exactly on the hour.

For example:

• Es ist gleich zwei. (13:58)
• Es ist kurz vor zwei. (13:58)
• Es ist kurz nach zwei. (14:03)
• Es ist genau zwei. (14:00)