Language/German/Grammar/Using-Time-Expressions

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German → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Using Time Expressions

Welcome to the lesson on using time expressions in German! Understanding how to express time is crucial for communicating effectively in any language, and German is no exception. Being able to discuss when events happen, their duration, and their frequency can significantly enhance your conversations.

In this lesson, we will explore how to use time expressions with verbs and other elements in a sentence. We’ll cover a variety of time-related vocabulary and structures, ensuring you have the tools to express yourself clearly about time-related matters in German.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this lesson:

• Understanding Time Expressions: What they are and why they matter

• Types of Time Expressions: Different categories and their uses

• Examples: Practical examples to illustrate the concepts

• Exercises: Opportunities for you to practice your new skills

Let’s dive into the fascinating world of time expressions in German!

Understanding Time Expressions

Time expressions are words or phrases that help us indicate when something happens, how long it lasts, or how often it occurs. In German, these expressions can be quite versatile, and mastering them will allow you to form more complex sentences.

Here are some common categories of time expressions:

• Specific Times: e.g., "um 8 Uhr" (at 8 o'clock)

• Days: e.g., "am Montag" (on Monday)

• Months/Seasons: e.g., "im Januar" (in January), "im Sommer" (in summer)

• Frequency: e.g., "jeden Tag" (every day), "manchmal" (sometimes)

Understanding these expressions is key to being able to communicate effectively in everyday conversations.

Types of Time Expressions

Let’s take a closer look at the different types of time expressions you will encounter:

Specific Times

Specific times indicate an exact moment when something occurs. Here are some examples:

German	Pronunciation	English
um 8 Uhr	um aʊχ uːɐ	at 8 o'clock
um 12 Uhr mittags	um tsvaɪlf uːɐ ˈmɪtaːks	at noon
um 6 Uhr abends	um zɛks uːɐ ˈaːbɛnts	at 6 p.m.
um Mitternacht	um ˈmɪtɐnaxt	at midnight

Days of the Week

Days of the week help us specify when an event occurs:

German	Pronunciation	English
am Montag	ʔam ˈmoːnˌtaːk	on Monday
am Dienstag	ʔam ˈdiːnˌstaːk	on Tuesday
am Mittwoch	ʔam ˈmɪtˌvɔχ	on Wednesday
am Freitag	ʔam ˈfraɪˌtaːk	on Friday

Months and Seasons

Months and seasons are also important for discussing time:

German	Pronunciation	English
im Januar	ɪm ˈjaːnuˌaʁ	in January
im Februar	ɪm ˈfeːbʁuˌaʁ	in February
im Sommer	ɪm ˈzɔmɐ	in summer
im Winter	ɪm ˈvɪntɐ	in winter

Frequency Expressions

These expressions indicate how often something happens:

German	Pronunciation	English
jeden Tag	ˈjeːdən taːk	every day
manchmal	ˈmançmal	sometimes
selten	ˈzɛltən	rarely
immer	ˈɪmɐ	always

Practical Examples

Now that we have covered the types of time expressions, let's look at some sentences that illustrate their use.

German	Pronunciation	English
Ich gehe um 8 Uhr zur Schule.	ɪç ˈɡeːə ʔum aʊχ uːɐ tsuːʁ ˈʃuːlə	I go to school at 8 o'clock.
Am Montag habe ich einen Termin.	ʔam ˈmoːnˌtaːk ˈhaːbə ɪç ˈaɪnən tɛʁˈmiːn	I have an appointment on Monday.
Im Sommer fahren wir oft ans Meer.	ɪm ˈzɔmɐ ˈfaːʁən viːɐ ɔft ans meːɐ	In summer, we often go to the sea.
Ich mache das manchmal.	ɪç ˈmaχə das ˈmançmal	I do that sometimes.
Um Mitternacht gehe ich schlafen.	ʔum ˈmɪtɐnaxt ˈɡeːə ɪç ˈʃlaːfən	At midnight, I go to sleep.

Exercises

Now it’s time for you to put your knowledge into practice! Below are some exercises designed to help you apply what you’ve learned about time expressions.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences with appropriate time expressions.

1. Ich gehe __________ zur Arbeit. (e.g., every day)

2. __________ habe ich einen Termin. (Monday)

3. Wir essen __________ zu Abend. (6 p.m.)

4. __________ ist mein Geburtstag. (in July)

5. Ich mache das __________. (sometimes)

Solutions for Exercise 1

1. Ich gehe jeden Tag zur Arbeit.

2. Am Montag habe ich einen Termin.

3. Wir essen um 18 Uhr zu Abend.

4. Im Juli ist mein Geburtstag.

5. Ich mache das manchmal.

Exercise 2: Matching Time Expressions

Match the German time expressions with their English translations.

1. um 10 Uhr

2. im Winter

3. jeden Freitag

4. manchmal

5. am Dienstag

| German Expression || English Translation

|-

| a) every Friday ||

| b) sometimes ||

| c) on Tuesday ||

| d) at 10 o'clock ||

| e) in winter ||

Solutions for Exercise 2

1. um 10 Uhr - d) at 10 o'clock

2. im Winter - e) in winter

3. jeden Freitag - a) every Friday

4. manchmal - b) sometimes

5. am Dienstag - c) on Tuesday

Exercise 3: Sentence Creation

Create sentences using the following time expressions:

1. um 7 Uhr

2. im Januar

3. am Sonntag

4. jeden Abend

5. manchmal

Solutions for Exercise 3

1. Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf. (I get up at 7 o'clock.)

2. Mein Urlaub ist im Januar. (My vacation is in January.)

3. Wir gehen am Sonntag ins Kino. (We go to the cinema on Sunday.)

4. Ich lese jeden Abend ein Buch. (I read a book every evening.)

5. Manchmal gehe ich früh schlafen. (Sometimes, I go to bed early.)

Exercise 4: Correct the Mistakes

Identify and correct the mistakes in the following sentences.

1. Ich gehe um 6 Uhr morgens zur Schule.

2. Am Freitag ich habe einen Termin.

3. Wir gehen im Sommer oft ins Schwimmbad.

4. Ich mache das immer.

5. Um 9 Uhr abends ich gehe schlafen.

Solutions for Exercise 4

1. Correct: Ich gehe um 6 Uhr morgens zur Schule. (No correction needed)

2. Correct: Am Freitag habe ich einen Termin.

3. Correct: Wir gehen im Sommer oft ins Schwimmbad. (No correction needed)

4. Correct: Ich mache das manchmal. (Change "immer" to "manchmal")

5. Correct: Um 9 Uhr abends gehe ich schlafen.

Exercise 5: Translation Challenge

Translate the following sentences into German.

1. I will visit my friend on Saturday.

2. We always eat dinner at 7 p.m.

3. My birthday is in December.

4. Sometimes I go for a walk in the park.

5. I have a meeting at 3 o'clock.

Solutions for Exercise 5

1. Ich besuche meinen Freund am Samstag.

2. Wir essen immer zu Abend um 19 Uhr.

3. Mein Geburtstag ist im Dezember.

4. Manchmal gehe ich spazieren im Park.

5. Ich habe ein Meeting um 15 Uhr.

Exercise 6: True or False

Decide if the following statements are true or false according to the time expressions learned.

1. "im Sommer" means "in summer". (True)

2. "jeden Tag" means "every week". (False)

3. "um Mitternacht" means "at midnight". (True)

4. "am Montag" means "on Sunday". (False)

5. "manchmal" means "often". (False)

Solutions for Exercise 6

1. True

2. False

3. True

4. False

5. False

Exercise 7: Create a Dialogue

Write a short dialogue using at least three different time expressions.

Solutions for Exercise 7

A: Wann gehst du zur Schule? (When do you go to school?)

B: Ich gehe um 8 Uhr. (I go at 8 o'clock.)

A: Und wann hast du Ferien? (And when do you have vacation?)

B: Im Sommer habe ich Ferien. (I have vacation in summer.)

A: Gehst du manchmal ins Kino? (Do you sometimes go to the cinema?)

B: Ja, manchmal am Freitag. (Yes, sometimes on Friday.)

Exercise 8: Fill in the Table

Fill in the table with the correct time expressions.

| Time Expression || German || English

|-

| Specific Time || __________ || __________

| Days of the Week || __________ || __________

| Frequency || __________ || __________

| Month || __________ || __________

Solutions for Exercise 8

| Time Expression || German || English

|-

| Specific Time || um 5 Uhr || at 5 o'clock

|-

| Days of the Week || am Mittwoch || on Wednesday

|-

| Frequency || jeden Samstag || every Saturday

|-

| Month || im April || in April

Exercise 9: Choose the Correct Expression

Choose the correct time expression to complete the sentence.

1. Ich mache das __________. (a) jeden Tag (b) manchmal

2. __________ ist mein Geburtstag. (a) Am Freitag (b) Im Mai

3. Wir treffen uns __________. (a) um 3 Uhr (b) jeden Montag

Solutions for Exercise 9

1. Ich mache das (b) manchmal.

2. (b) Im Mai ist mein Geburtstag.

3. Wir treffen uns (a) um 3 Uhr.

Exercise 10: Writing Practice

Write a short paragraph about your daily routine, including at least three time expressions.

Solutions for Exercise 10

Example paragraph:

Ich stehe jeden Morgen um 7 Uhr auf. Um 8 Uhr gehe ich zur Arbeit. Am Freitag habe ich immer einen Termin. Manchmal gehe ich nach der Arbeit ins Kino.

(I get up every morning at 7 o'clock. At 8 o'clock, I go to work. On Friday, I always have an appointment. Sometimes, I go to the cinema after work.)

Congratulations on completing this lesson on time expressions in German! By now, you should feel more comfortable using various time-related vocabulary and structures in your conversations. Keep practicing, and soon it will become second nature to you!

Table of Contents - German Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Basic Sentence Structures

• Subject and Verb
• Noun and Gender

  ---

Greetings and Introduction

• Greetings and Goodbyes
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Definite and Indefinite Articles

• Gender and Articles
• Plural Forms
• Cases: Nominative and Accusative

  ---

Numbers, Dates and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Days of the Week and Months
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Conjugation

• Verb Forms
• Present Tense
• Separable Verbs

  ---

Family and Friends

• Family Members
• Talking About Your Friends

  ---

Prepositions

• Using Prepositions
• Two-Way Prepositions

  ---

Food and Drinks

• Food and Meals
• Drinks and Beverages

  ---

Germany and German-Speaking Countries

• Geography and Landmarks
• Cuisine and Traditions

  ---

Pronouns and Possessives

• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Booking a Trip
• Public Transportation

  ---

Modal Verbs

• Expressing Abilities
• Talking About Obligations

  ---

Shopping and Clothes

• Shopping for Clothes
• Buying Groceries

  ---

Music and Entertainment

• Popular Musicians and Genres
• Movies, TV and Literature

  ---

Adjectives

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Comparative and Superlative Forms

  ---

Health and Body

• Talking About Health
• Body Parts

  ---

Time and Temporal Prepositions

• Using Time Expressions
• Temporal Prepositions

Sources

• Time Expressions in German
• 36 Essential German Time Phrases and Expressions for Beginners ...
• German Time Expressions with Pronunciation - ielanguages.com

Other Lessons

• Future Tense
• Present Tense
• Descriptive Adjectives
• Subject and Verb
• Possessive Case in German
• Prepositions
• Imperative Tense
• Pronouns in German
• 0 to A1 Course
• Adjectives

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