Numbers and Time in German

In Brief

German number words are mostly built by combining smaller numbers, but from 21 onward German puts the unit before the ten: einundzwanzig (“one-and-twenty”). In everyday time, halb drei means 2:30, because German counts halfway toward the next hour. Days and dates commonly use am, while months and years use im: am dritten Mai, im Mai, im Jahr 2026.

Overview

Numbers and time expressions are among the first essentials at A1. You need them to understand prices, phone numbers, appointments, opening hours, travel information, birthdays, and deadlines. The individual pieces are manageable, but English-speaking learners must adjust to two especially important German habits: reversing the order in numbers such as 21 and naming the upcoming hour in expressions such as halb drei.

This topic brings together cardinal numbers (numbers used for quantity, such as one, two, and twenty), clock time, weekdays, months, and calendar dates. Dates also require ordinal numbers (forms that show position in a sequence, such as first or third). This article introduces the date forms needed for practical A1 communication; the wider system of ordinal endings belongs to the related A2 topic.

German normally writes compound numbers below one million as one word: neununddreißig, zweihundertfünf. Long forms can look intimidating, but they become predictable once you learn to read them in blocks.

How It Works

The basic cardinal numbers

Learn 0–20 as a core set. Several forms are irregular enough that guessing is unreliable.

Number	German	Number	German
0	null	10	zehn
1	eins	11	elf
2	zwei	12	zwölf
3	drei	13	dreizehn
4	vier	14	vierzehn
5	fünf	15	fünfzehn
6	sechs	16	sechzehn
7	sieben	17	siebzehn
8	acht	18	achtzehn
9	neun	19	neunzehn
		20	zwanzig

Notice the shortened stems in sechzehn and siebzehn. The regular tens are dreißig, vierzig, fünfzig, sechzig, siebzig, achtzig, and neunzig. The spelling dreißig is exceptional: it ends in -ßig, not -zig.

Numbers from 21 to 99

German says the unit first, then und (“and”), then the ten:

unit + und + ten

• 21: ein-und-zwanzig → written einundzwanzig
• 34: vier-und-dreißig → written vierunddreißig
• 58: acht-und-fünfzig → written achtundfünfzig
• 99: neun-und-neunzig → written neunundneunzig

Unlike English, German uses this reversed order consistently. In the compound, 1 is ein, not eins: einundvierzig.

Hundreds, thousands, and larger numbers

Hundert and tausend attach directly to the rest of the number. A leading ein is possible, but it is often omitted in simple numbers such as hundert and tausend.

Number	German
100	(ein)hundert
105	einhundertfünf
248	zweihundertachtundvierzig
1,000	(ein)tausend
2,026	zweitausendsechsundzwanzig
1,000,000	eine Million

Million behaves as a separate noun (a naming word for a person, thing, or idea), so it is capitalized and written separately: zwei Millionen. In German formatting, a comma marks decimals and a point or space may group thousands: 3,50 Euro and 10.000 Einwohner.

When counting, use eins: null, eins, zwei. Before a noun, use the article-like form ein/eine: ein Euro, eine Minute. In prices, speakers usually say ein Euro, not eins Euro.

Phone numbers, prices, and years

Phone numbers are usually read digit by digit or in small groups. The digit 0 is null. There is no single mandatory grouping, so listen for pauses and confirm important numbers.

Prices use Euro and Cent: drei Euro fünfzig normally means €3.50. In ordinary speech, Euro is often omitted when the context is obvious: Das kostet zwölf fünfzig.

Years from 1100 through 1999 are often read in a “hundreds” pattern: 1989 is neunzehnhundertneunundachtzig. Years from 2000 are normally read as full thousands: 2026 is zweitausendsechsundzwanzig.

Asking and telling the time

Ask Wie spät ist es? or Wie viel Uhr ist es? The neutral answer begins Es ist …

For an exact hour, use Uhr:

• Es ist zwei Uhr. — It is two o’clock.
• Es ist vierzehn Uhr. — It is 14:00 / 2 p.m.

German uses both a conversational 12-hour system and an official 24-hour system. Timetables, announcements, appointments, and written schedules strongly favor 24-hour time.

Clock time	Conversational German	Official or schedule style
2:00	zwei Uhr	zwei Uhr / vierzehn Uhr
2:05	fünf nach zwei	zwei Uhr fünf
2:15	Viertel nach zwei	zwei Uhr fünfzehn
2:30	halb drei	zwei Uhr dreißig
2:45	Viertel vor drei	zwei Uhr fünfundvierzig
2:55	fünf vor drei	zwei Uhr fünfundfünfzig

Nach means “past” and vor means “to/before.” The crucial expression halb drei is understood as halfway to three, so it means 2:30—not 3:30. In conversational expressions with nach, vor, and halb, Uhr is normally omitted.

To remove ambiguity, add a part of the day: morgens (in the morning), vormittags (before noon), mittags (at noon), nachmittags (in the afternoon), abends (in the evening), or nachts (at night). For “at” a clock time, use um: Der Kurs beginnt um neun Uhr.

Weekdays and recurring days

German weekdays are capitalized because they are nouns.

English	German
Monday	Montag
Tuesday	Dienstag
Wednesday	Mittwoch
Thursday	Donnerstag
Friday	Freitag
Saturday	Samstag / Sonnabend
Sunday	Sonntag

Use am for one particular day: am Montag (“on Monday”). Add -s for a regular repeated time: montags (“on Mondays”). The adverb is lowercase: Montags arbeite ich zu Hause is also possible at the beginning of a sentence, where every first word is capitalized.

Samstag is widely used; Sonnabend is especially common in parts of northern and eastern Germany. Both mean Saturday.

Months and seasons

English	German	English	German
January	Januar	July	Juli
February	Februar	August	August
March	März	September	September
April	April	October	Oktober
May	Mai	November	November
June	Juni	December	Dezember

Use im with a month, season, or year: im Mai, im Winter, im Jahr 2026. German month names are capitalized. No capital letter is needed in heute, morgen, and gestern unless one begins the sentence.

Saying and writing dates

Dates use ordinal numbers. For 1–19, the basic ordinal usually adds -t-; from 20 onward it usually adds -st-. Important irregular stems include erste (first), dritte (third), siebte (seventh), and achte (eighth).

Date form	German	Use
May 1st	der erste Mai	naming the date
May 3rd	der dritte Mai	naming the date
on May 3rd	am dritten Mai	saying when something happens
May 20th	der zwanzigste Mai	naming the date
on May 20th	am zwanzigsten Mai	saying when something happens

To ask the date, say Der Wievielte ist heute? A natural answer is Heute ist der dritte Mai. To ask when something happens, use Wann …? and answer with am: Die Prüfung ist am dritten Mai. The ending changes from -e to -en after am.

Written dates use a full stop after the ordinal number: 3. Mai 2026 or the all-numeric 03.05.2026. German numeric dates normally follow day–month–year order, unlike the common U.S. month–day–year order.

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Ich habe zwanzig Euro.	I have twenty euros.	Basic quantity
Das Ticket kostet einunddreißig Euro.	The ticket costs thirty-one euros.	Unit comes before the ten
Meine Telefonnummer ist null eins sieben sechs …	My phone number is zero one seven six …	Digits read separately
Es ist halb drei.	It is half past two.	Halfway toward three
Treffen wir uns um Viertel nach sechs?	Shall we meet at quarter past six?	um introduces a clock time
Der Zug fährt um siebzehn Uhr vierzig ab.	The train leaves at 17:40.	Official 24-hour style
Der Laden ist montags geschlossen.	The shop is closed on Mondays.	Repeated weekday
Am Freitag arbeite ich bis vier Uhr.	On Friday I work until four o’clock.	Particular weekday
Mein Geburtstag ist im November.	My birthday is in November.	im with a month
Heute ist der dritte Mai.	Today is May 3rd.	Date as the subject description
Der Kurs beginnt am dritten Mai.	The course begins on May 3rd.	am plus -en ending
Wir fahren am einundzwanzigsten August nach Berlin.	We are traveling to Berlin on August 21st.	Ordinal above 20
Im Jahr 2026 wohne ich seit zehn Jahren hier.	In 2026, I have been living here for ten years.	Year and duration

Common Mistakes

Reading compound numbers in English order

• Wrong: zwanzigeins for 21
• Right: einundzwanzig
• Why: From 21 to 99, say the unit first, add und, and then say the ten. Write the whole number as one word.

Misunderstanding halb drei

• Wrong: interpreting halb drei as 3:30
• Right: halb drei means 2:30
• Why: German looks ahead to the next hour: the time is halfway toward three.

Adding Uhr to an informal time phrase

• Wrong: Es ist halb drei Uhr.
• Right: Es ist halb drei.
• Why: Use Uhr in exact forms such as drei Uhr or vierzehn Uhr dreißig, but normally not after halb or with vor/nach.

Using the wrong preposition

• Wrong: Der Termin ist im Montag um Mai.
• Right: Der Termin ist am Montag im Mai.
• Why: Use am with weekdays and dates, im with months and years, and um with clock times.

Keeping the date ending unchanged

• Wrong: am dritte Mai
• Right: am dritten Mai
• Why: When a date follows am, the ordinal takes the ending -en. Compare Heute ist der dritte Mai with am dritten Mai.

Reading a numeric date in U.S. order

• Wrong: reading 03.05.2026 as March 5
• Right: May 3, 2026
• Why: German dates are normally ordered day, month, year.

Usage Notes

In casual conversation, approximate time is common: gegen acht means “around eight,” kurz nach acht means “shortly after eight,” and kurz vor acht means “shortly before eight.” If punctuality matters, repeat the time in 24-hour form or include the part of the day.

Regional time expressions can differ. Alongside the widely understood Viertel nach zwei (2:15) and Viertel vor drei (2:45), some regions use Viertel drei for 2:15 and dreiviertel drei for 2:45. These forms count fractions toward the next hour, like halb drei. Beginners can safely produce Viertel nach and Viertel vor everywhere while learning to recognize regional alternatives.

In everyday speech, zwei Uhr dreißig and halb drei are both correct, but they serve slightly different contexts. The first sounds exact and suits schedules; the second is conversational. German usually relies on context rather than a.m. and p.m., though morgens or abends can clarify.

Beyond the Basics

You do not need to master all of these details at A1, but you will encounter them later.

The form of “one” changes according to its grammatical job. Standalone counting uses eins, while a following noun usually requires ein, eine, or another declined form: ein Tag, eine Woche, mit einem Euro. These changes belong to the German article and case system. A case is a change in a word that helps show its role in the sentence.

Ordinals behave much like adjectives (describing words) and therefore take different endings: der erste Tag, am ersten Tag, mein erstes Jahr. For basic dates, memorizing the contrast between der dritte Mai and am dritten Mai is enough. The full pattern is covered with ordinal numbers at A2.

Large-number spelling changes at one million: compounds through tausend are joined, but Million, Milliarde, and higher units are separate capitalized nouns. Also be careful when translating English “billion”: German eine Milliarde is 1,000,000,000, while German eine Billion is 1,000,000,000,000.

Time expressions also interact with duration. Seit zwei Stunden means “for two hours” when an action began in the past and is still continuing; zwei Stunden lang describes how long something lasts. These patterns go beyond simply telling the clock time but are frequent in real conversation.

Practice Tips

1. Build numbers aloud in two steps. For 47, first identify sieben and vierzig, then join them as siebenundvierzig. Practice with prices and room numbers rather than only counting in sequence.
2. Draw a clock and point toward the next hour. Label 2:30 as halb drei. Then move around the clock using fünf nach, Viertel nach, Viertel vor, and fünf vor.
3. Say one complete daily sentence. Combine a weekday, date, and time: Am Dienstag, dem dritten Mai, beginnt der Kurs um neun Uhr. Check separately whether you need am, im, or um.

Related Concepts

• Next step: Ordinal Numbers — learn the full system behind erste, dritte, and am zwanzigsten, including adjective endings and uses beyond dates.