Tell the Time: German Time Vocabulary with Audio

In order to function in a German-speaking country or simply talk in German to other people, it is important to understand the basics of telling time. Not only will it give you the opportunity to make plans or get to the train station on time, but it will also give you some necessary knowledge for determining which grammar tense should be used when.

Fortunately, it is enough to know some key vocabulary words and phrases related to time, as well as understand how to use them in sentences. To help you get the hang of German time words, we have prepared this short guide.

So, check the main rules and exceptions below, get familiar with the examples, and make sure you learn the necessary skill of telling time in German.

How to Ask For the Time in German?

The German word for “time” is Zeit. You'll use this term when talking about::

On the other hand, you won't use Zeit when asking for the time. When you want to ask someone "What time is it?"... you would use either the word Uhr (something like “o’clock”) or spät (which literally means “late”). So, you basically have two expressions you can choose from:

You can also play with them a little by adding the word “now” – and, of course, don’t forget about the German alternative of “excuse me.” A polite and full version would be:

Or, you can also rephrase it a bit:

There is also a very formal option that you can use when asking someone on the street for time:

How to Tell Time in German

Telling time in German is not that different from telling time in

English. You would need to say “It is…”, then the number, and then add the German word Uhr (o’clock) after the number. Make sure you learn the German numbers beforehand!

Remember about that last part: the “o’clock” in the German language, is, unlike in English, mandatory.

For example:

If you need to add minutes, add them after the word Uhr.

There is one exception here with the number one. On informal occasions, it is allowed to omit the word Uhr when talking about one o’clock. However, in that case, we use the other word for “one”: eins. So, you can say, for example:

Important Note: 24-Hour Clock

In Germany, people mostly use the 24-hour clock (or military time) for schedules, appointments, signs, and official information. So, don’t be shocked if you hear from someone:

Nevertheless, many people still use the 12-hour clock in casual situations, such as talking to friends or classmates. In that case, an alternative to the English “am” and “pm” is used – and it’s as simple as “in the morning” or “at night.” You can choose from a variety of words for specifying the time; here, German is rather flexible.

Rounding Up: Half Past, Quarter Past, and Quarter To

If you’re used to rounding up the time to the half hour in English, there’s good news: in German, you can do the same. Bad news: Germans do it differently.

What would you call this number? 4:30. Yes, “half past four” – or “half four” in British English. In Germany, however, the halves are expressed with the next hour. So 4:30 would be:

Fortunately, just saying Es ist vier Uhr dreißig (It is four thirty) still works – in case you can’t get used to the new system fast enough.

But what about quarters? Fortunately, the situation is simpler. There are two alternatives to the English versions:

For example:

And, to make your journey of learning German a bit more interesting, there’s one more rounding that German people use: for 25 minutes (to or past). This is the German logic in action – they say it’s “five minutes before/past half hour.”

Let’s see a few examples:

Of course, all of these can make your everyday life in Germany complicated – so if you can’t bear with them, remember that just using regular numbers is also okay.

General German Vocabulary You Need to Know

Knowing how to tell and ask for the time in German is just the basics. To ensure that you can get along with your German friends and understand what time and day each of you is talking about, it’s also necessary to learn some general German words. Here’s a short list:

Other German Time Expressions

And, in case you want to boost your vocabulary a little bit more, here are some other time expressions that might come in handy when talking to German speakers:

Telling Time in German is Easy: Just Practice a Bit

Although telling time in German may seem complicated at first, with a bit of practice, it will get much easier. Often, you don’t even need to remember the different words and phrases for expressing time – in most cases, saying something like “It’s one ten” is enough.

However, this doesn’t mean that you should avoid practicing. If you want to learn German well and speak it fluently, knowing all the different time vocabulary won’t only boost your speaking skills but will also give you some insights into German grammar and pronunciation. So, what are you waiting for? Start practicing today!