Numbers & Time (Junior Cert German): Revision Notes
Numbers & Time
This guide covers essential German vocabulary for numbers and telling time. These are fundamental skills you'll use daily in German-speaking countries, from shopping to making appointments.
Basic Numbers (0-20)
Learning numbers from zero to twenty forms the foundation for all German counting. These numbers have unique forms that you must memorise individually.
| Number | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | null | zero |
| 1 | eins | one |
| 2 | zwei | two |
| 3 | drei | three |
| 4 | vier | four |
| 5 | fünf | five |
| Number | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | sechs | six |
| 7 | sieben | seven |
| 8 | acht | eight |
| 9 | neun | nine |
| 10 | zehn | ten |
| Number | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | elf | eleven |
| 12 | zwölf | twelve |
| 13 | dreizehn | thirteen |
| 14 | vierzehn | fourteen |
| 15 | fünfzehn | fifteen |
| Number | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | sechzehn | sixteen |
| 17 | siebzehn | seventeen |
| 18 | achtzehn | eighteen |
| 19 | neunzehn | nineteen |
| 20 | zwanzig | twenty |
Notice the patterns in numbers 13-19: they follow the pattern of units digit + zehn, similar to English "-teen" numbers.
Practice Examples: Using Basic Numbers
Step 1: Simple counting
- Ich habe drei Katzen. (I have three cats.)
- Sie ist siebzehn Jahre alt. (She is seventeen years old.)
Step 2: In shopping contexts
- Wir kaufen acht Äpfel. (We're buying eight apples.)
- Das kostet fünfzehn Euro. (That costs fifteen euros.)
Tens and Compound Numbers (20-99)
German creates numbers from twenty to ninety-nine using a specific pattern. The decades follow their own forms, while compound numbers combine the units with und (and).
| Number | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | zwanzig | twenty |
| 30 | dreißig | thirty |
| 40 | vierzig | forty |
| 50 | fünfzig | fifty |
| 60 | sechzig | sixty |
| Number | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | siebzig | seventy |
| 80 | achtzig | eighty |
| 90 | neunzig | ninety |
| 100 | einhundert | one hundred |
For numbers between the decades, German reverses the English pattern. Where English says "twenty-four," German says the equivalent of "four-and-twenty" (vierundzwanzig).
Formation Rule: units digit + und + tens digit
Critical Exception: When the units digit is "1," use ein instead of eins.
Worked Example: Building Compound Numbers
Step 1: Start with basic pattern
- 24: vier + und + zwanzig = vierundzwanzig (twenty-four)
Step 2: Apply the "ein" exception
- 61: ein + und + sechzig = einundsechzig (sixty-one)
Step 3: Practice with different tens
- 33: drei + und + dreißig = dreiunddreißig (thirty-three)
- 87: sieben + und + achtzig = siebenundachtzig (eighty-seven)
Example sentences:
- Das kostet fünfundvierzig Euro. (That costs forty-five euros.)
- Mein Opa ist zweiundsechzig Jahre alt. (My grandpa is sixty-two years old.)
Large Numbers (100+)
German builds larger numbers systematically. Understanding this pattern helps you express any number confidently.
| Number | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | einhundert | one hundred |
| 101 | einhunderteins | one hundred and one |
| 324 | dreihundertvierundzwanzig | three hundred and twenty-four |
| 999 | neunhundertneunundneunzig | nine hundred and ninety-nine |
For hundreds, combine the hundreds digit with hundert, then add the remaining numbers without spaces.
German writes large numbers as one continuous word, unlike English which uses spaces or hyphens.
Worked Example: Constructing Large Numbers
Building the number 457:
Step 1: Start with hundreds
- vier + hundert = vierhundert
Step 2: Add the compound number (57)
- fünf + und + fünfzig = fünfundfünfzig
Step 3: Combine without spaces
- vierhundertfünfundfünfzig (four hundred and fifty-seven)
Example sentences:
- Diese Stadt hat zweihunderttausend Einwohner. (This city has two hundred thousand inhabitants.)
- Das Buch hat dreihundertfünfzig Seiten. (The book has three hundred and fifty pages.)
Very Large Numbers
German handles very large numbers with specific terms that differ slightly from English usage.
| Number | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1.000 | tausend | thousand |
| 10.000 | zehntausend | ten thousand |
| 100.000 | einhunderttausend | one hundred thousand |
| 1.000.000 | eine Million | one million |
| 1.000.000.000 | eine Milliarde | one billion |
German uses Milliarde for what Americans call "billion," while the German Billion equals the American "trillion."
Example sentences:
- Deutschland hat über achtzig Millionen Einwohner. (Germany has over eighty million inhabitants.)
- Diese Firma macht fünf Milliarden Euro Umsatz. (This company makes five billion euros in revenue.)
Telling Time - The 24-Hour System
German primarily uses the 24-hour system, similar to military time. This eliminates confusion between morning and evening hours, as there's no equivalent to "am" and "pm."
The word Uhr means both "clock" and "o'clock." Use it when stating full hours.
In German, we don't have the expressions "am" and "pm". We use the 24-hour system exclusively in formal contexts.
Full hours:
- 2:00 (2am): zwei Uhr (two o'clock)
- 18:00 (6pm): achtzehn Uhr (eighteen o'clock)
- 12:00 (12pm): zwölf Uhr (twelve o'clock)
- 0:00 (midnight): null Uhr (zero o'clock)
Midnight is expressed as null Uhr, not vierundzwanzig Uhr. This is the only exception where we use "null" instead of "vierundzwanzig."
Example sentences:
- Der Zug fährt um vierzehn Uhr ab. (The train departs at fourteen o'clock/2pm.)
- Ich stehe jeden Tag um sechs Uhr auf. (I get up at six o'clock every day.)
Official Time Format
The formal way to express time in German involves stating the hour followed by Uhr, then adding the minutes.
Pattern: hour + Uhr + minutes
Worked Example: Official Time Format
Step 1: State the hour with "Uhr"
- 3:20am: drei Uhr + zwanzig = drei Uhr zwanzig
Step 2: Use 24-hour format for clarity
- 18:10: achtzehn Uhr + zehn = achtzehn Uhr zehn
Step 3: Handle midnight correctly
- 0:45: null Uhr + fünfundvierzig = null Uhr fünfundvierzig
Example sentences:
- Mein Flug geht um sieben Uhr fünfunddreißig. (My flight goes at seven thirty-five.)
- Die Besprechung beginnt um neun Uhr fünfzehn. (The meeting begins at nine fifteen.)
Informal Time Expressions
In daily conversation, Germans often use nach (past/after) and vor (to/before) to express time more naturally.
Usage Rules:
- nach (past): for minutes 1-30 after the hour
- vor (to): for minutes 31-59 before the next hour
Pattern for "nach": minutes + nach + hour Pattern for "vor": (60 - minutes) + vor + (next hour)
Worked Example: Informal Time Expressions
Using "nach" (past):
- 3:20: zwanzig + nach + drei = zwanzig nach drei (twenty past three)
Using "vor" (to):
- 1:45: Convert to 15 minutes before 2 = fünfzehn vor zwei (fifteen to two)
Note: In informal time, use 12-hour reference:
- 18:10: zehn + nach + sechs = zehn nach sechs (ten past six)
Example sentences:
- Wir treffen uns um zehn nach fünf. (We're meeting at ten past five.)
- Der Bus kommt fünf vor acht. (The bus comes at five to eight.)
Quarter Time Expressions
German has special expressions for quarter-hour intervals that are commonly used in everyday speech.
| Time | German | English | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| :15 | Viertel nach | quarter past | 15 minutes after the hour |
| :30 | halb | half to | 30 minutes to the next hour |
| :45 | Viertel vor | quarter to | 15 minutes before the next hour |
Critical Concept: halb means "half TO" the next hour, not "half past" the current hour. This is a common source of confusion for English speakers!
Worked Example: Quarter Time Expressions
Step 1: Quarter past
- 3:15 = Viertel nach drei (quarter past three)
Step 2: Half past (the tricky one!)
- 6:30 = halb sieben (half to seven / six-thirty)
- Think: halfway to seven o'clock
Step 3: Quarter to
- 8:45 = Viertel vor neun (quarter to nine)
Example sentences:
- Ich komme um halb acht. (I'm coming at half past seven.)
- Die Vorlesung endet um Viertel vor zwölf. (The lecture ends at quarter to twelve.)
Translation Exercise
- Es ist zwanzig nach vier.
- Wir haben um halb neun einen Termin.
- It's quarter to six.
- The shop closes at seven thirty-five.
Exercise Answers:
- It's twenty past four.
- We have an appointment at half past eight.
- Es ist Viertel vor sechs.
- Der Laden schließt um sieben Uhr fünfunddreißig.
Common Mistakes & Tips
Understanding these common errors will help you avoid typical pitfalls when learning German numbers and time expressions.
Number Formation Errors:
- Don't forget to drop the "s" from eins in compound numbers (einundzwanzig, not einsundzwanzig)
- Remember the reversed order: say the units before the tens (vierundzwanzig, not zwanzigvier)
- Large numbers are written as one word in German
Time Expression Mistakes:
- halb sieben means 6:30, not 7:30 - it's "half to seven," not "half past seven"
- Don't mix formal and informal time expressions in the same sentence
- In informal time, use the 12-hour reference even when thinking in 24-hour format
Pronunciation Tips:
- zwei is often pronounced "zwo" in spoken German to avoid confusion with drei
- The "ei" in eins, zwei, drei sounds like "eye" in English
- Uhr is pronounced like "oor" with a rolled R
Summary
Key Points to Remember:
Numbers:
- German numbers 21-99 reverse the English pattern: units + und + tens
- Drop the "s" from eins when forming compound numbers (use ein)
- Large numbers are written as one continuous word in German
Time:
- German uses 24-hour time system instead of am/pm in formal contexts
- halb means "half TO" the next hour, not "half past" the current hour
- Use nach for minutes 1-30 and vor for minutes 31-59 in informal time
- The word Uhr means both "clock" and "o'clock"
Special Expressions:
- Viertel nach = quarter past
- halb = half to (the next hour)
- Viertel vor = quarter to