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Lesson 27 of 69 · A2, Unit 1: Daily life

Telling the time properly

The trap in German time: halb looks ahead to the next hour. halb drei means 2:30 — half way to three — not 3:30. Say it out loud until it feels natural.

Official times (trains, TV, shops) use the 24-hour clock and are read with Uhr in the middle: 18:45 = achtzehn Uhr fünfundvierzig. Day to day, people use the 12-hour clock with Viertel and halb.

By the end you can:

  • say and understand halb, Viertel nach, and Viertel vor
  • read 24-hour times
  • say how long something lasts and from when to when

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