Hours in German

Knowing how to tell the time in German is essential for both everyday communication and formal situations. Knowing the time precisely allows you to plan meetings, travel, and organize your day. The German language, with its specific structure, offers various ways of describing time that may seem complicated, but are extremely logical and orderly. In this article, we will look at how to tell hours and minutes in German, and how the 24-hour system works.

01 Full hours

  • 1:00 - It is one o'clock.
  • 2:00 - It is two o'clock.
  • 3:00 - It is three o'clock.
  • 4:00 - It is four o'clock.
  • 5:00 - It is five o'clock.
  • 6:00 - It is six o'clock.
  • 7:00 - It is seven o'clock.
  • 8:00 - It is eight o'clock.
  • 9:00 - It is nine o'clock.
  • 10:00 - It is ten o'clock.
  • 11:00 - It is eleven o'clock.
  • 12:00 - It is twelve o'clock.

02 Hours and minutes

  • 1:15 - It is a quarter past one.
  • 2:30 - It's half past two.
  • 3:45 - It is a quarter to four.
  • 4:05 - It is five past four.
  • 5:10 - It is ten past five.
  • 6:20 - It is twenty past six.
  • 7:25 - It's five to half past seven.
  • 8:35 - It is five past eight-thirty.
  • 9:40 - It is twenty to ten.
  • 10:50 - It's ten to eleven.
  • 11:55 - It's five to twelve.

03 In a 24-hour system

  • 13:00 - It is thirteen o'clock.
  • 14:00 - It is two o'clock.
  • 15:00 - It is 15 o'clock.
  • 16:00 - It is 4:00 PM.
  • 17:00 - It is 5:00 PM.
  • 18:00 - It is six o'clock.
  • 19:00 - It is seventeen o'clock.
  • 20:00 - It is 20 o'clock.
  • 21:00 - It is twenty-one o'clock.
  • 22:00 - It is twenty-two o'clock.
  • 23:00 - It is twenty-three o'clock.
  • 24:00 - It is twenty-four o'clock (lub It is midnight dla północy).

Additional tips

  • "nach" means "after" (e.g. Viertel nach eins - a quarter past one).
  • "vor" means "before" (e.g. Viertel vor vier - a quarter to four).
  • "halb" means "half past" (e.g. halb drei - half past two).

Mastering how to tell the time in German is a key element of learning the language, which makes communication and everyday functioning much easier. The German system of telling time, while seemingly complex at first glance, is characterized by great precision and logic. Practice and regular use of learned phrases allow for quick assimilation of these rules. Regardless of your level of German language learning, knowing how to tell the time accurately is essential and opens the door to better understanding and more effective communication in a German-speaking environment.