German · A1 · Everyday language
Time for Football in German
Practise telling the time in German while talking about school, meals, football and bedtime.
What you'll learn
- Say full hours with Uhr.
- Use um to say when something happens.
- Understand halb, Viertel nach and Viertel vor.
German phrases for time for football
Es ist sieben Uhr.
It is seven o'clock.
Use Es ist to say what time it is now.
Wir gehen um halb acht los.
We leave at half past seven.
Halb acht means 7:30: halfway to eight. Losgehen means to leave or set off.
Die Schule beginnt um acht Uhr.
School starts at eight o'clock.
Um means at when giving the time of an activity.
Um zwölf Uhr gibt es Mittagessen.
Lunch is at twelve o'clock.
Gibt es means there is. This is a natural way to say when lunch is served.
Dein Freund kommt um Viertel nach drei.
Your friend comes at quarter past three.
Viertel nach drei means 3:15. For a female friend, say deine Freundin.
Fußball beginnt um halb fünf.
Football starts at half past four.
Halb fünf means 4:30, not 5:30.
Wir essen um Viertel vor sechs.
We eat at quarter to six.
Viertel vor sechs means 5:45: fifteen minutes before six.
Um acht Uhr ist Schlafenszeit.
Bedtime is at eight o'clock.
Schlafenszeit means bedtime. Here, the daily routine tells us that acht Uhr means 8 p.m.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
Uhr
o'clock; clock
Use Uhr after the number for a full hour: sieben Uhr.
um
at
Use before the time when an activity happens.
halb
halfway to the next hour
Name the coming hour: halb acht is 7:30.
das Viertel
quarter
In time expressions, a quarter means fifteen minutes.
nach
past; after
Viertel nach drei is fifteen minutes after three.
vor
to; before
Viertel vor sechs is fifteen minutes before six.
The time now and the time of an activity
Use Es ist to tell the current time. Use um before a time to say when something happens.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Current time | Es ist + time. | Es ist sieben Uhr. |
| Activity time | um + time | Die Schule beginnt um acht Uhr. |
Full hours, halves and quarters
Use Uhr for full hours. In these everyday half-hour and quarter-hour expressions, leave out Uhr. German halb names the next hour, unlike English half past.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 | sieben Uhr | Es ist sieben Uhr. |
| 7:30 | halb acht | Es ist halb acht. |
| 3:15 | Viertel nach drei | Es ist Viertel nach drei. |
| 5:45 | Viertel vor sechs | Es ist Viertel vor sechs. |
Starting with the time
You can put the time first. The verb then comes directly after the whole time phrase, followed by the subject.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject first | Subject + verb + time | Wir essen um Viertel vor sechs. |
| Time first | Time + verb + subject | Um Viertel vor sechs essen wir. |
More examples
Wie spät ist es? – Es ist halb acht.
What time is it? – It is half past seven.
Ask this while pointing to a clock showing 7:30.
Wann beginnt die Schule? – Um acht Uhr.
When does school start? – At eight o'clock.
Wann means when. A short answer with um is enough.
Wann beginnt Fußball? – Um halb fünf.
When does football start? – At half past four.
Remember: halfway to five means 4:30.