A1 · Beginner Vocabulary
Telling the time (die Uhrzeit) is a must-have skill — and German has one famous trap that catches every beginner. Here are the words and phrases with pronunciation and audio.
Tap 🔊 to hear each word spoken in German.
The basics
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Wie spät ist es? | vee shpayt ist es | What time is it? |
| die Uhr | dee oor | clock / watch / o’clock |
| die Stunde | dee SHTOON-de | hour |
| die Minute | dee mi-NOO-te | minute |
| Es ist ein Uhr | es ist ine oor | It is one o’clock |
| Es ist zwei Uhr | es ist tsvy oor | It is two o’clock |
Halves & quarters
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| halb | halp | half |
| Viertel | FEER-tel | quarter |
| vor | for | to / before |
| nach | nakh | past / after |
| Viertel nach zehn | FEER-tel nakh tsayn | quarter past ten |
| Viertel vor acht | FEER-tel for akht | quarter to eight |
| halb drei | halp dry | half past two (2:30) |
Times of day
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Morgen | dair MOR-gen | morning |
| der Mittag | dair MIT-tahk | noon / midday |
| der Abend | dair AH-bent | evening |
| die Mitternacht | dee MIT-er-nakht | midnight |
The famous trap: „halb drei“ does NOT mean half past three — it means half past TWO (2:30). Germans count towards the next hour, so „halb drei“ literally means „halfway to three.“ Remember: always subtract one hour from the number you hear after halb.
Want to actually use these words in conversation? Practise them with a friendly native tutor on italki.
Practise with a tutor on italki →