halb
In German, half is halb.
The word halb can be used as an adjective to describe something consisting of a half, or as an adverb to indicate something is done in two equal parts or to an equal degree.
Meaning: one of two roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided (noun)
Which one should you use?
While halb functions as an adjective or adverb, the actual noun for 'the half' is die Hälfte.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Use die Hälfte when you need the noun form for 'the half'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful when telling time: English speakers often mistakenly say halb vier to mean 4:30, but in German, halb vier actually means 3:30 (halfway to four).
Did you know?
- In German, the expression halbwegs literally means 'half-way' but is frequently used as an adverb meaning 'somewhat' or 'tolerably'.
- German uses Halbzeit to refer to both the 'half-time' break in a sports match and the halfway point of any long-term project or period of time.
- The term Halbmond describes a 'half moon' or crescent, though astronomically a half moon is a first or third quarter moon.
Examples in context
- Es ist halb vier.It's half past three.This example shows how to use halb to state that it is half past three.Tatoeba #1304700 by Manfredo, translation #4414120 by AlanF_US
- Es ist halb zwei.It's half past one.This example shows how to use halb to state that it is half past one.Tatoeba #3557521 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #3550808 by adamtrousers
- Es ist halb acht.It's half past seven.This example shows how to use halb to state that it is half past seven.Tatoeba #5331354 by Sudajaengi, translation #13385363 by glossboss
- Die Hälfte aller Studierenden kommt aus dem Ausland.Half of all students come from abroad.
- Die Prüfung zählt zur Hälfte der Gesamtnote.The exam counts for 50 percent of the final grade.
- Lass uns die Pizza teilen. Du kannst dir eine Hälfte aussuchen.Let's share the pizza. You can choose one half.
- Kannst du mir bitte eine halbe Tasse Zucker geben?Can you please give me half a cup of sugar?
- die erste HälfteThe first half
- 678 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maximilian and Julia are sharing a cake.
- MaximilianMöchtest du ein halb vom Kuchen?Would you like a half of the cake?
- JuliaJa, das ist sehr nett von dir.Yes, that is very kind of you.
- MaximilianIch esse nur ein halb.I am only eating a half.
- JuliaDann teilen wir uns den Kuchen genau.Then we will divide the cake exactly.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry halb, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
