German has a few ways to tell the time, and one of them is a classic trap for English speakers: halb vier means half past three, not half past four. Here is how it all fits together.
Asking and answering
To ask the time, say Wie spät ist es? or Wie viel Uhr ist es?. The answer starts with Es ist …:
Es ist drei Uhr.
It is three o’clock.
You need the numbers for this. If they are shaky, start with German numbers, prices and money.
Past and to
For times just after or before the hour, use nach (past) and vor (to):
- fünf nach drei: 3:05
- zehn nach drei: 3:10
- Viertel nach drei: 3:15 (a quarter past)
- zehn vor vier: 3:50
- Viertel vor vier: 3:45 (a quarter to)
The half hours: halb
German counts the half hour towards the next hour. So halb vier is half way to four: 3:30. Think of it as “half of the fourth hour”, a half hour on the way to four o’clock.
For the times near half past, German uses halb as the anchor:
- fünf vor halb vier: 3:25 (five before half four)
- fünf nach halb vier: 3:35 (five after half four)
In some regions you will also hear Viertel vier for 3:15 and dreiviertel vier for 3:45, using the same “towards the next hour” idea.
The formal way
Timetables, announcements and official notices use the 24-hour clock and read it out as numbers: fünfzehn Uhr dreißig is 15:30. It is the one to expect at a station or when booking an appointment.
At a time
To say something happens at a certain time, use um:
Der Zug fährt um acht Uhr ab.
The train leaves at eight o’clock.