Today's words · ⏰ Time & appointments
Never be late again: 10 German time words
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If you turned up at 3:30 for ‘halb drei’, you're already an hour late.
A German friend asks, ‘Treffen wir uns um halb drei?’ So you stroll into the café at half past three — and your friend has already finished their coffee. Yes: halb drei means 2:30.
Today's ten words help you tell the time and handle appointments. Ask what time it is, set a meeting, move it and cancel it — all in German. In a country that takes time seriously, these are worth knowing! ⏰
📋 The ten words at a glance
- die Uhr — clock, watch; o'clock
- die Uhrzeit — time (of day)
- halb — half; half past (halb drei = 2:30)
- das Viertel — quarter, district; quarter (¼)
- früh — early
- spät — late
- pünktlich — punctual, on time
- der Termin — appointment; date, deadline
- verschieben — to postpone, to put off; to move
- absagen — to cancel, call off
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Uhr
[OOR]clock, watch; o'clock(Pl. die Uhren)
📌 Es ist jetzt drei Uhr.
→ It's three o'clock now.
💡 Same root as English hour ⌚ drei Uhr = three o'clock, and the Uhr on your wrist is your watch.
⚠ ‘An hour’ (60 minutes) is eine Stunde. Uhr is only for clocks and clock times.
die Uhrzeit
[OOR-tsite]time (of day)(Pl. die Uhrzeiten)
📌 Um welche Uhrzeit beginnt der Film?
→ What time does the film start?
💡 Uhr (clock) + Zeit (time) = the time the clock shows 🕒
Bonus What time is it? = Wie viel Uhr ist es?
halb
[HALP]half; half past (halb drei = 2:30)(= ein halb)
📌 Es ist halb drei.
→ It's half past two.
💡 English half 🍕 halb drei = halfway to three = 2:30!
⚠ Take one off the number: halb acht = 7:30, not 8:30.
das Viertel
[FEER-tel]quarter, district; quarter (¼)(Pl. die Viertel · Austrian: dreiviertel)
📌 Wir wohnen in einem ruhigen Viertel.
→ We live in a quiet neighbourhood.
💡 vier (four) is inside — a fourth, a quarter 🕞 A quarter of an hour is 15 minutes.
Bonus Viertel nach drei = 3:15 · Viertel vor vier = 3:45
früh
[FRÜ]early(früh – früher – am frühesten)
📌 Ich stehe jeden Tag früh auf.
→ I get up early every day.
💡 Frühstück (breakfast) is the ‘early piece’ 🌅 You eat it früh!
Bonus morgen früh = tomorrow morning
spät
[SHPAYT]late(spät – später – am spätesten)
📌 Wie spät ist es?
→ What time is it?
💡 Say it slowly, ‘shpaaayt’ — sounds like someone who overslept 😴
Bonus Wie spät ist es? = What time is it? (literally ‘How late is it?’)
pünktlich
[PÜNKT-likh]punctual, on time(pünktlicher – am pünktlichsten)
📌 Der Zug ist heute pünktlich.
→ The train is on time today.
💡 Punkt = point: right on the point 🎯 Same idea as English punctual.
Bonus The noun: die Pünktlichkeit = punctuality
der Termin
[tair-MEEN]appointment; date, deadline(Pl. die Termine)
📌 Ich habe einen Termin beim Bürgeramt.
→ I have an appointment at the citizens' office.
💡 Life in Germany runs on Termine 📅 Doctor, town hall, hairdresser — you need a Termin for all of them.
⚠ False friend: a Termin is an appointment, not a school term (das Semester).
verschieben
[fair-SHEE-ben]to postpone, to put off; to move(verschiebt – hat verschoben)
📌 Können wir das Treffen auf Freitag verschieben?
→ Can we postpone the meeting to Friday?
💡 schieben = to push (like English shove) — you push the meeting to another day 👉
Bonus to move it to Friday = auf Freitag verschieben
absagen
[AP-zah-gen]to cancel, call off(sagt ab – hat abgesagt)
📌 Ich muss den Termin leider absagen.
→ Unfortunately I have to cancel the appointment.
💡 ab (off) + sagen (say) = say it's off 🙅 Saying yes to an invite is zusagen.
⚠ Separable verb: Ich sage ab. · Ich habe abgesagt.
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
In Germany, on time really means on time. A few minutes late for friends is usually fine, but for work meetings or doctor's appointments it's polite to arrive a little early. If you're running late, a quick message or call is expected.
Universities have a fun rule: if a lecture time says c.t. (cum tempore), it starts fifteen minutes later; s.t. (sine tempore) means it starts sharp. Those fifteen minutes are called the akademisches Viertel.
And if you can't make an appointment, don't just stay away — absagen! Doctor's and office appointments are often hard to get, so cancelling early lets someone else take your slot. 📅
✅ Quick quiz
Q. A friend asks the time. Your watch says 2:30. What do you say?
- ① Es ist halb zwei.
- ② Es ist Viertel nach zwei.
- ③ Es ist halb drei.
Show the answer
③ Es ist halb drei.
halb drei means ‘half an hour before three’, so 2:30.
Each time you check the clock today, say the time in German. Once halb and Viertel feel natural, you'll never be late for a German friend again! ⌚
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 📅 Days, months & dates