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Tag Archives: Telling time

Time in Germany: How Did We Get Here? Posted by on May 21, 2020

We’ve written many posts on how to tell time in German. However, we’ve never discussed how we got there! How is it that in the United States, you say 4 pm, and in Germany, you’d say sechzehn Uhr (sixteen hours)? Why is this referred to as military time in the US and just… time in German? It…

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Telling time in German: the quarters of an hour Posted by on Aug 15, 2012

Telling the quarters of an hour in German is basically similar to English. There are the phrases “viertel vor” (quarter to) and “viertel nach” (quarter past), which need to be inserted between “Es is …” and a number between 1 and 12. The only difference between German and English exists when it come to tell…

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Telling time in German: Full hours with the phrase “Es ist … Uhr.” Posted by on Aug 13, 2012

Telling the time in German can be a challenge when it comes to using the 24-hour-system, especially for those learners who are not familiar with that system. In the following video I explain how to use the 24-hour-system and I cite all possible full hours of the clock, so that you can also hear how…

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YouTube video: How to tell full hours with the phrase “Es ist um …” Posted by on Aug 9, 2012

I have written very often about how to tell the time in German. And while I was working on that topic and thinking about it, I recognized that there are various ways how to tell the time in German and that there are even several exception depending on the phrase you use in your statement…

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Telling the time in German: Full hours Posted by on Jul 11, 2012

One stereotype of Germans is that we are punctual. Indeed, it is considered to be impolite in German culture to be late when you have an appointment with somebody. So whenever you are late it is always advisable to call or text the person you will meet and let him or her know that you…

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