1.Telling the time
Telling the time is one of the most important everyday topics at A1. German usually has two main ways to name a time: an official / exact form with numbers, and a colloquial form with nach, vor, halb and Viertel.
Both sentences mean the same time: 6:30. In the official form you usually name the current hour and the minutes. In everyday speech, time is often described relative to the previous or next full hour.
2.How to ask the time
The most common questions:
Both mean “What time is it?”
For an event or appointment, people often ask:
Wie spät ist es? asks for the current time. Um wie viel Uhr …? asks for the time of an event.
3.The simplest answer: Es ist … Uhr
For a full hour the structure is very simple: Es ist + number + Uhr.
For 1:00, say Es ist ein Uhr. — not eins Uhr. Without the word Uhr, Es ist eins. is possible.
4.Official time: hour + Uhr + minutes
In timetables, announcements, appointments and formal situations, time is often named very precisely. Basic pattern: hour + Uhr + minutes.
The minutes simply follow Uhr.
5.24-hour format
In official contexts, the 24-hour format is very common.
| Time | German |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | acht Uhr |
| 13:15 | dreizehn Uhr fünfzehn |
| 16:30 | sechzehn Uhr dreißig |
| 21:45 | einundzwanzig Uhr fünfundvierzig |
This format is especially typical for schedules, opening hours, appointments and announcements.
6.Colloquial speech: nach and vor
In everyday speech, time is often expressed relative to a full hour. nach means after the full hour: Es ist zehn nach sechs. = 6:10. vor means before the next full hour: Es ist zehn vor sieben. = 6:50.
Pattern: minutes +
nach+ hour; minutes +vor+ next hour.
7.halb: think of the next hour
halb is especially important because this pattern differs from what many languages expect. Es ist halb sieben. means 6:30, not 7:30. The logic: halb sieben = halfway to seven.
| Time | German |
|---|---|
| 5:30 | halb sechs |
| 8:30 | halb neun |
| 11:30 | halb zwölf |
With
halb, German names the next full hour.
8.Quarter hours
For 15 minutes past the hour, people often say Es ist Viertel nach drei. = 3:15. For 15 minutes before the next hour: Es ist Viertel vor vier. = 3:45.
Standard pattern: 3:15 → Viertel nach drei; 3:45 → Viertel vor vier.
Regional variants such as Viertel vier and dreiviertel vier exist. At A1 it is safer to use the widely understood forms with Viertel nach and Viertel vor.
9.Minutes around halb
In colloquial speech, halb can combine with vor and nach.
The first = 6:25, the second = 6:35. These forms are fairly common but a bit harder. At the beginning it is enough to recognise them.
10.Official vs colloquial time
The same clock time can be expressed in different ways.
| Time | Official | Colloquial |
|---|---|---|
| 6:10 | sechs Uhr zehn | zehn nach sechs |
| 6:15 | sechs Uhr fünfzehn | Viertel nach sechs |
| 6:30 | sechs Uhr dreißig | halb sieben |
| 6:45 | sechs Uhr fünfundvierzig | Viertel vor sieben |
| 6:50 | sechs Uhr fünfzig | zehn vor sieben |
Both systems are correct. The choice depends on situation and style.
11.um for the time of an event
When you need to say when something happens, um + time is very common.
Important contrast: Es ist acht Uhr. — it is eight now; Der Kurs beginnt um acht Uhr. — the course starts at eight.
12.von … bis for a time span
For a span between two points, von … bis … is common.
With clock times you can repeat Uhr, but if the meaning is already clear, it is not always necessary.
13.Parts of the day help clarify time
In a 12-hour system the same number occurs twice a day. Useful words: morgens, vormittags, mittags, nachmittags, abends, nachts.
In the official 24-hour format this clarification is usually unnecessary.
14.Noon and midnight
Two important points in the day: 12:00 → zwölf Uhr / mittags; 00:00 → null Uhr / Mitternacht.
In schedules you may also see 0:00 and hear null Uhr.
15.Time in schedules and opening hours
In transport schedules, medical appointments and opening hours, precision matters especially.
Opening hours such as Mo–Fr 08:00–18:00, Sa 09:00–14:00 can be expressed like this:
16.How time is written
German texts show different variants: 8 Uhr, 8:00 Uhr, 08:00 Uhr, 14:30 Uhr. With a specific moment: um 8 Uhr, um 14:30 Uhr.
In ordinary text, 8 Uhr is very common. In tables, schedules and digital displays, 08:00 and 14:30 are typical.
17.Time and word order
A time adverbial can stand inside the sentence:
It can also stand at the beginning:
Then Verbposition 2 applies: Um sieben Uhr takes position 1, so the finite verb comes immediately after it.
18.Asking about appointments and starts
Typical questions:
Typical answers: Um neun Uhr., Um Viertel nach zehn., Um halb acht.. A short answer does not have to be a full sentence.
19.gegen for approximate time
If the time is approximate, you can use gegen.
This means around eight — a little earlier or later. Compare: um acht Uhr → fairly exactly at 8:00; gegen acht Uhr → roughly around 8:00. At A1 this basic contrast is enough.
20.Everyday sentences
Time constantly appears in descriptions of daily routines.
Such sentences link the time topic directly to everyday life and separable verbs.
21.Common mistakes
| Mistake | Wrong | Right / note |
|---|---|---|
eins Uhr | Es ist eins Uhr. | Es ist ein Uhr. — without Uhr, Es ist eins. is possible |
halb sieben | reading it as 7:30 | halb sieben = 6:30 |
um for current time | Es ist um acht Uhr. | Es ist acht Uhr. — but Der Kurs beginnt um acht Uhr. |
vor / nach | — | zehn nach sechs = 6:10; zehn vor sieben = 6:50 |
next hour with vor | Viertel vor sechs for 6:45 | Viertel vor sieben |
22.Practical strategy
When you need to name a time, first decide: do you need an exact / official form → hour + Uhr + minutes; or is it colloquial speech → nach / vor / halb / Viertel.
Then decide the function: current time → Es ist …; event time → um …; time span → von … bis …; approximate time → gegen ….
These four models cover most everyday A1 situations.