Today's words · ⏳ Prepositions of time
Never miss a meeting: 10 time prepositions
A1B1
um, seit, ab, bis — get one tiny word wrong and you're at the wrong place at the wrong time.
A German friend texts: “Wir treffen uns gegen acht.” Is that eight sharp or around eight? A letter says “Bitte melden Sie sich innerhalb einer Woche.” — in a week, or within a week?
Today's ten words are the little prepositions you need for talking about time. They're short, but once you've got them, appointments, opening hours and deadlines get much less confusing. ⏳
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
um
[OOM]at (time); around(+ acc.)
📌 Der Film beginnt um acht Uhr.
→ The film starts at eight o'clock.
💡 um = on the dot ⏰ um 8 Uhr = at eight o'clock sharp.
Bonus For ‘around’, use gegen: gegen 8 Uhr = about eight
seit
[ZITE]since; for (time)(+ dat.)
📌 Ich wohne seit drei Jahren in Berlin.
→ I've been living in Berlin for three years.
💡 Same root as since 📅 Started in the past, still going.
⚠ German uses the present tense: Ich lerne seit einem Jahr Deutsch. = I've been learning German for a year.
bis
[BISS]until, till; by(+ acc.)
📌 Ich arbeite bis 18 Uhr.
→ I work until 6 p.m.
💡 bis = until — and a handy way to say goodbye 🏁
Bonus Bis morgen! / Bis später! / Bis bald! = See you tomorrow / later / soon!
vor
[FOR]in front of; before; ago(+ dat./acc.)
📌 Wir treffen uns vor dem Kino.
→ Let's meet in front of the cinema.
💡 Like fore in before 🔙 With time it means ‘before’ or ‘ago’.
⚠ ‘Ago’ comes first, with the dative: vor einer Woche = a week ago. Not after, like English.
nach
[NAHKH]to (cities, countries); after(+ dat.)
📌 Ich fahre nach Berlin.
→ I'm going to Berlin.
💡 nach = next, after 🔜 nach dem Essen = after the meal
Bonus Also for travelling to cities and countries: nach Berlin fahren
ab
[AP]from (… on); off(+ dat.)
📌 Ab Montag habe ich Urlaub.
→ I'm on holiday from Monday.
💡 Like off — and we're off from this point! 🚀 ab Montag = from Monday on
Bonus ab und zu = now and then
während
[VAIR-ent]during; while(prep. + gen. (also used as a conjunction))
📌 Während des Essens sieht er nie fern.
→ He never watches TV during meals.
💡 From währen (to last) ⌛ for the whole time something lasts
⚠ Standard German uses the genitive: während des Urlaubs. You'll often hear the dative in speech.
von
[FON]from; of; by(+ dat.)
📌 Ich habe einen Brief von meiner Oma bekommen.
→ I got a letter from my grandma.
💡 von A bis B: von marks the start 🟢 von 9 bis 17 Uhr = from 9 to 5
gegen
[GAY-gen]against; for (a remedy); around, about (time)(+ acc.)
📌 Haben Sie etwas gegen Kopfschmerzen?
→ Do you have anything for a headache?
💡 gegen = give or take a few minutes 🕗 gegen acht = around eight
Bonus At the pharmacy it means ‘for’: etwas gegen Kopfschmerzen
innerhalb
[IN-er-halp]within, inside(+ gen.)
📌 Bitte antworten Sie innerhalb einer Woche.
→ Please reply within a week.
💡 inner + halb (side) = on the inside of a time span 📦 innerhalb einer Woche = within a week
⚠ Takes the genitive: innerhalb eines Monats.
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Being on time (pünktlich) matters a lot in Germany. People usually arrive a few minutes early for appointments and interviews, and if you're running late, it's polite to send a message.
The biggest time trap: halb acht is half past seven, not half past eight. It means ‘half way to eight’.
At many universities, c.t. next to a class time means it starts fifteen minutes later — the akademisches Viertel. It can differ between universities and courses, though. 🎓
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You've lived in Berlin for two years. Which sentence is right?
- ① Ich wohne seit zwei Jahren in Berlin.
- ② Ich wohne vor zwei Jahren in Berlin.
- ③ Ich wohne bis zwei Jahren in Berlin.
Show the answer
① Ich wohne seit zwei Jahren in Berlin.
For something that started in the past and is still true, use seit + dative + present tense.
Say your plan for today out loud: “Um 9 Uhr…, ab 12 Uhr…, bis 18 Uhr…” ⏰
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🔗 Conjunctions