vormittags
AM, before noon
German does not use AM and PM in everyday speech. People say the time with Uhr and add morgens, vormittags, nachmittags or abends, or they use the 24-hour clock. So 9 AM is neun Uhr morgens and 3 PM is fünfzehn Uhr.
Meaning: morning and afternoon time markers (phrase)
Ways to say it
| German | Note |
|---|---|
| vormittags | AM, before noon |
| nachmittags | PM, after noon |
| abends | PM, evening |
Timetables, tickets and opening hours use the 24-hour clock, written like 15 Uhr or 15.30 Uhr. In conversation the 12-hour clock is common, with a word for the part of the day when it is not clear.
Which one should you use?
Morgens covers the early hours, vormittags the time until noon, nachmittags the time from noon to about six and abends the evening. Nachts is used for the dark hours.
How does it change in a sentence?
These words end in -s and are written in lower case. They follow the time, as in sieben Uhr abends.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Writing a.m. or p.m. in a German text looks odd to most readers. Use Uhr with 24-hour numbers or a word for the part of the day.
Did you know?
- Germans say halb drei for 2:30, meaning "half toward three", so the half hour points to the next hour.
Examples in context
- Der Zug fährt um 14.30 Uhr.The train leaves at 2:30 PM.
- Ich stehe um sieben Uhr morgens auf.I get up at 7 AM.
- Der Termin ist um zehn Uhr vormittags.The appointment is at 10 AM.
Example conversation
Anna and Tim plan a language course by phone.
- AnnaWann beginnt der Kurs?When does the course start?
- TimUm 18 Uhr.At 6 PM.
- AnnaAlso sechs Uhr abends?So six in the evening?
- TimJa, genau.Yes, exactly.
