A2-20 · Place travel plans in time
Planning a holiday
Use seit, vor, für, in and über to describe a fictional holiday booking and packing schedule.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
Since then and before now
In this fictional story, Nora plans a holiday. Seit gives the starting point or duration of something still continuing. Vor says how long ago something happened. Both take the dative.
Nora plant seit einer Woche den Urlaub.
Nora has been planning the holiday for a week.
Sie spart seit einem Monat für die Reise.
She has been saving for the trip for a month.
Vor einer Woche hat Nora das Hotel gebucht.
Nora booked the hotel a week ago.
Vor zwei Tagen hat sie die Fahrkarten gekauft.
She bought the tickets two days ago.
Use the present with seit for an action that still continues: Ich plane seit einer Woche. For a completed booking, use vor with a past-tense sentence.
02
In a week and for a week
Nora and Emil discuss when they will leave and how long they will stay. In with the dative gives a point in the future. Für with the accusative gives a planned duration.
In einer Woche fahren wir ans Meer.
We are going to the seaside in a week.
Wir buchen das Zimmer für eine Woche.
We book the room for a week.
In zwei Tagen packt Emil den Koffer.
Emil will pack the suitcase in two days.
Nora mietet ein Auto für einen Tag.
Nora rents a car for one day.
In einer Woche answers when. Für eine Woche answers for how long. Do not use seit for a stay that has not started.
03
Over the weekend
Über with a time expression can mean over or throughout a period. Nora and Emil compare a weekend trip with their longer holiday. Here über takes the accusative.
Über das Wochenende besuchen wir Freunde.
We are visiting friends over the weekend.
Über die Feiertage bleiben Nora und Emil am Meer.
Nora and Emil stay at the seaside over the holidays.
In drei Tagen beginnt der Urlaub.
The holiday begins in three days.
Seit drei Tagen liegt die Packliste auf dem Tisch.
The packing list has been lying on the table for three days.
Use über das Wochenende and über die Feiertage. Keep the difference between a future point, in drei Tagen, and a continuing duration, seit drei Tagen.
Ready to try it?
Check what you remember with 12 short questions.
Loading quiz…