German · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 16
Wie spät ist es?What time is it?
Telling time with "Es ist". You ask: Wie spät ist es? Answer: Es ist ein Uhr, Es ist zwei Uhr (always "Es ist"). For the minutes: Viertel nach (:15), halb (:30), Viertel vor (:45). WATCH OUT, big trap: "halb drei" means 2:30 (half toward the THIRD hour), NOT 3:30! For the time of day: am Morgen, am Mittag, am Abend. New vocabulary: Uhr, Minute, halb, Viertel, jetzt, früh, Morgen, Mittag, Abend, Nacht.
Dialogue
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halb zwei oder halb drei?— halb zwei or halb drei?
- LukasMike, wie spät ist es?Mike, what time is it?
- MikeEs ist halb zwei.It's half past two. (slip: German "halb zwei" = 1:30! For 2:30 say "halb drei" — half toward three)
- Lukas„halb zwei“ ist 1:30. Für 2:30 sagt man „halb drei“."halb zwei" is 1:30. For 2:30 you say "halb drei".
- MikeAh, es ist halb drei. Es ist schon spät!Ah, it's half past two. It's late already!
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Um wie viel Uhr?— At What Time?
- LenaLukas, um wie viel Uhr ist der Kurs?Lukas, what time is the class?
- LukasEr ist um neun Uhr.It's at nine o'clock.
- LenaUnd wie spät ist es jetzt?And what time is it now?
- LukasEs ist Viertel vor neun. Es ist früh.It's a quarter to nine. It's early.
Vocabulary
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- Uhr
n.f.o'clock, clock (f)
- Minute
n.f.minute (f)
- halb
adverbhalf (toward next hour)
- Viertel
n.n.quarter (n)
- jetzt
adverbnow
- früh
adverbearly
- Morgen
n.m.morning (m)
- Mittag
n.m.noon, midday (m)
- Abend
n.m.evening (m)
- Nacht
n.f.night (f)
Grammar
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Telling time and the "halb" trap
Explanation
You ask: Wie spät ist es? The answer always starts with "Es ist": Es ist ein Uhr, Es ist zwei Uhr. For the minutes: Viertel nach zwei = 2:15, Viertel vor drei = 2:45. The BIG trap is "halb": in German you count toward the NEXT hour. "halb drei" = 2:30 (half on the way to three), NOT 3:30! So 1:30 = halb zwei, 2:30 = halb drei. English speakers often wrongly think "halb drei" is 3:30. For the time of day: am Morgen, am Mittag, am Abend, in der Nacht. For "at what time" use "um": Der Kurs ist um neun Uhr.
Examples
- Wie spät ist es? — Es ist ein Uhr.What time is it? — It's one o'clock.
- Es ist Viertel nach zwei.It's a quarter past two (2:15).
- Es ist halb drei. (= 2:30!)It's half past two (2:30 — half toward three!).
- Der Kurs ist um neun Uhr am Morgen.The class is at nine in the morning.
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