read the time in German

To read the time in German, you need to be familiar with the German vocabulary for hours, minutes, and the specific way of expressing time. Here’s a guide on how to read the time in German:

1. Hours: In German, the hours are expressed in a 12-hour format, similar to English. The hours are typically stated first, followed by the minutes.

   Example:

   • 3:00 PM: “drei Uhr” (literally, “three o’clock”)
   • 10:30 AM: “zehn Uhr dreißig” (literally, “ten o’clock thirty”)
2. Minutes: When stating the minutes, the word “Uhr” (o’clock) is often omitted. However, it’s important to include it when specifying the exact hour.

   Example:

   • 4:15 PM: “viertel nach vier” (literally, “a quarter past four”)
   • 9:45 AM: “viertel vor zehn” (literally, “a quarter to ten”)
3. Half Past: To express “half past” in German, the word “halb” is used.

   Example:

   • 7:30 PM: “halb acht” (literally, “half eight”)
4. Minutes 1-29: For minutes between 1 and 29, the word “nach” (past) is used after the hour.

   Example:

   • 2:10 PM: “zehn nach zwei” (literally, “ten past two”)
   • 6:20 AM: “zwanzig nach sechs” (literally, “twenty past six”)
5. Minutes 31-59: For minutes between 31 and 59, the word “vor” (to) is used to indicate the minutes until the next hour.

   Example:

   • 8:50 PM: “zehn vor neun” (literally, “ten to nine”)
   • 11:55 AM: “fünf vor zwölf” (literally, “five to twelve”)

Note that when reading the time in German, you typically use the numeral form for the hours (e.g., “drei” for 3) instead of the word form (e.g., “drei” for three). Additionally, it’s common to use the 24-hour format in written form, especially in train schedules or digital displays.

Practice reading the time in German regularly to become more comfortable with the expressions and improve your proficiency in telling time.