If a German colleague says the meeting is at halb acht, and you turn up at half past eight, you're an hour late. Halb acht means half to eight — 7:30.
It's the single most expensive misunderstanding in beginner German, because it happens with real appointments. This page sorts out the clock, the words around it, and the three small prepositions that go with time.
Today, Tomorrow, Soon
today
heute
tomorrow
morgen
yesterday
gestern
the day after tomorrow
übermorgen
the day before yesterday
vorgestern
now
jetzt
in a moment
gleich
later
später
soon
bald
this morning
heute Morgen
this evening
heute Abend
tomorrow morning
morgen früh
at the weekend
am Wochenende
next week
nächste Woche
last year
letztes Jahr
Practice these words
heute
Quick notes:
- German has single words for the day after tomorrow and the day before yesterday. Übermorgen and vorgestern are everyday words, not formal ones.
- Morgen früh is "tomorrow morning". German avoids morgen Morgen, which would be correct and sounds silly.
Units of Time
second
die Sekunde
minute
die Minute
hour
die Stunde
day
der Tag
week
die Woche
month
der Monat
year
das Jahr
weekend
das Wochenende
working day
der Werktag
public holiday
der Feiertag
decade
das Jahrzehnt
century
das Jahrhundert
Practice these words
die Sekunde
Quick notes:
- Stunde is an hour as a length of time. Uhr is the hour on the clock. Zwei Stunden is two hours; zwei Uhr is two o'clock.
- A Werktag includes Saturday. A deadline of "three Werktage" counts Saturday, which surprises people waiting for a delivery.
Parts of the Day
morning
der Morgen
late morning
der Vormittag
midday
der Mittag
afternoon
der Nachmittag
evening
der Abend
night
die Nacht
in the mornings
morgens
at midday
mittags
in the evenings
abends
at night
nachts
at midnight
um Mitternacht
Practice these words
der Morgen
Quick note: the forms ending in -s mean "regularly at that time": Ich arbeite abends is "I work evenings".
Reading the Clock
German has two systems. The 24-hour clock is used for anything official: timetables, appointments, opening hours. The 12-hour spoken version is used in conversation.
| Time | Official | Spoken |
|---|---|---|
7:00 | sieben Uhr | sieben |
7:10 | sieben Uhr zehn | zehn nach sieben |
7:15 | sieben Uhr fünfzehn | Viertel nach sieben |
7:25 | sieben Uhr fünfundzwanzig | fünf vor halb acht |
7:30 | sieben Uhr dreißig | halb acht |
7:35 | sieben Uhr fünfunddreißig | fünf nach halb acht |
7:45 | sieben Uhr fünfundvierzig | Viertel vor acht |
7:50 | sieben Uhr fünfzig | zehn vor acht |
19:30 | neunzehn Uhr dreißig | halb acht |
Quick notes:
- Halb always looks forward to the next hour. Halb acht is 7:30, halb eins is 12:30.
- Around the half hour, German counts from halb: 7:25 is "five before half eight". It sounds elaborate and everyone says it.
- In eastern and southern Germany you'll also hear viertel acht for 7:15 and drei viertel acht for 7:45. If someone uses them and you're unsure, ask for the time in numbers.
- When in doubt, use the official form. Neunzehn Uhr dreißig can't be misunderstood.
Asking and Arranging
What time is it?
Wie spät ist es?
It's half past seven.
Es ist halb acht.
At what time?
Um wie viel Uhr?
At eight o'clock.
Um acht Uhr.
From nine to five.
Von neun bis fünf.
Since when?
Seit wann?
Until when?
Bis wann?
How long does it take?
Wie lange dauert das?
I don't have time.
Ich habe keine Zeit.
I'm running late.
Ich bin spät dran.
I'll be there in a moment.
Ich komme gleich.
Are you on time?
Bist du pünktlich?
Practice these words
Wie spät ist es?
Um, Am, Im
| Preposition | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
um | clock times | um acht Uhr |
am | days and parts of the day | am Montag, am Abend |
im | months, seasons, years with Jahr | im Mai, im Sommer |
— | years on their own | 2026 (no preposition) |
Quick note: German says Ich bin 1990 geboren, with no "in". Adding in before a year is an English habit. The names of the days and months are in days of the week and seasons and months.
What Punctual Means in Germany
On time means a few minutes early. For an appointment at an office, a doctor's or a job interview, arriving at the stated minute is cutting it fine. Five minutes early is normal.
Private invitations are exact too. If dinner is at 19:00, guests arrive at 19:00, not 19:20. If you'll be more than five minutes late, send a message.
Universities have their own rule. A lecture marked c.t. starts fifteen minutes after the hour, the "academic quarter". One marked s.t. starts on the dot.
Three Mistakes to Avoid
Reading halb acht as half past eight. It's 7:30. Confirm appointments in numbers until it's automatic.
Mixing Uhr and Stunde. Drei Uhr is a time, drei Stunden is a duration.
Saying in 2026. German uses the year alone, or im Jahr 2026.