A1-18 · Use um and von ... bis with clock times
What time is it?
Ask the time and understand simple opening hours.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
Read the clock
Wie spät ist es asks what time it is. For a clear starting point, use the 24-hour clock with Uhr.
Es ist acht Uhr.
It is eight o'clock.
08:30 ist acht Uhr dreißig.
08:30 is eight thirty.
14:15 ist vierzehn Uhr fünfzehn.
14:15 is fourteen fifteen.
08:30 ist halb neun.
08:30 is half past eight.
Es ist acht Uhr means it is eight o'clock. At half past eight, German says halb neun, halfway to nine. This chapter mainly uses the clear Uhr form.
02
At a particular time
Use um before the time of an event. The phrase um acht Uhr means at eight o'clock.
Der Kurs beginnt um neun Uhr.
The course begins at nine o'clock.
Um zehn Uhr kommt Mara.
At ten o'clock Mara comes.
Wir treffen uns um elf Uhr.
We meet at eleven o'clock.
Um zwölf Uhr habe ich Zeit.
At twelve o'clock I have time.
You can put the time phrase first or later in the sentence. The conjugated verb keeps second position.
03
From one time to another
Use von ... bis to give a time range. The examples describe a fictional library and shop.
Die Bibliothek ist von neun bis siebzehn Uhr geöffnet.
The library is open from nine to seventeen o'clock.
Der Laden ist von zehn bis achtzehn Uhr geöffnet.
The shop is open from ten to eighteen o'clock.
Der Kurs dauert von neun bis zehn Uhr.
The course lasts from nine to ten o'clock.
Um acht Uhr ist der Laden noch geschlossen.
At eight o'clock the shop is still closed.
Geöffnet means open and geschlossen means closed. A range answers how long a place is open, not only when it opens.
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Check what you remember with 12 short questions.
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