German · A1 · Everyday language
What time is it? in German
Learn to ask the time, read the clock, and talk about a simple daily routine in German.
What you'll learn
- Ask what time it is and give simple answers.
- Use um to say when something happens.
- Understand German half-hour expressions.
- Talk about getting up, lunch, and bedtime.
German phrases for what time is it?
Wie spät ist es?
What time is it?
A common way to ask the time. You can also say: Wie viel Uhr ist es?
Es ist sieben Uhr.
It is seven o'clock.
Use Es ist + number + Uhr for whole hours.
Es ist halb neun.
It is half past eight.
German halb points to the next hour: halb neun means 8:30, halfway to nine.
Wir stehen um sieben auf.
We get up at seven.
Um means at with clock times. Aufstehen splits: stehen comes after wir, and auf goes at the end.
Das Mittagessen ist um zwölf.
Lunch is at twelve.
You can also say um zwölf Uhr.
Es ist spät.
It is late.
Spät means late.
In fünf Minuten.
In five minutes.
Use this short answer to say how long from now something will happen.
Es ist Zeit fürs Bett.
It is time for bed.
Fürs is short for für das. This is a natural way to announce bedtime.
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
die Uhr; plural: die Uhren
clock; watch
After a number, Uhr means o'clock and stays unchanged: sieben Uhr.
die Minute; plural: die Minuten
minute
Use the plural after fünf: fünf Minuten.
das Mittagessen; plural: die Mittagessen
lunch
Usually used in the singular when talking about your daily meal.
die Zeit; plural: die Zeiten
time
Use the singular in Es ist Zeit fürs Bett. The plural means times or periods.
das Bett; plural: die Betten
bed
Für das Bett becomes fürs Bett.
aufstehen
to get up
A separable verb: Wir stehen auf means We get up.
halb
half
With clock times, name the next hour: halb neun is 8:30.
spät
late
Use it in Wie spät ist es? and Es ist spät.
Asking and telling the time
Ask Wie spät ist es? Answer with Es ist. For whole hours, put Uhr after the number. For half hours, use halb plus the next hour, without Uhr.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ask the time | Wie spät ist es? | Wie spät ist es? — Es ist sieben Uhr. |
| Whole hour | Es ist + number + Uhr. | Es ist sieben Uhr. — It is seven o'clock. |
| Half hour | Es ist halb + next hour. | Es ist halb neun. — It is half past eight. |
Saying when something happens
Use um for a clock time. Use in to say how long from now something will happen. Minuten is the plural of Minute.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| At a clock time | um + time | Das Mittagessen ist um zwölf. — Lunch is at twelve. |
| A short time from now | in + number + Minuten | In fünf Minuten. — In five minutes. |
The separable verb aufstehen
In a simple statement, aufstehen splits into two parts. With wir, use stehen near the beginning and put auf at the end.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Daily routine | Wir stehen + time phrase + auf. | Wir stehen um sieben auf. — We get up at seven. |
More examples
Es ist acht Uhr.
It is eight o'clock.
Uhr follows the hour number.
Es ist halb acht.
It is half past seven.
Halb acht means 7:30, not 8:30.
Wir stehen um halb acht auf.
We get up at half past seven.
Use um before a half-hour time too.
In fünf Minuten ist Zeit fürs Bett.
In five minutes, it is time for bed.
A gentle way to give a child a five-minute bedtime warning.