halb sechs
In German, half past five is expressed as halb sechs.
The phrase is used to indicate the time of day that is thirty minutes after five o'clock.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'half six', meaning half of the way to the sixth hour.
Which one should you use?
While English speakers say 'half past five' to indicate 30 minutes after 5:00, German speakers use the next hour to indicate the midpoint, saying halb sechs.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say halb fünf (half five) thinking it means half past five, but in German, halb refers to the upcoming hour, so halb fünf actually means 4:30.
Did you know?
- If a German says it is kurz vor halb sechs, they mean it is nearly 5:30, usually around 5:25 or 5:28.
- While halb sechs is the standard way to say 5:30, in formal contexts like train stations or news broadcasts, Germans use the 24-hour clock and say fünf Uhr dreißig.
- The word halb is a direct linguistic relative of the English word 'half', both descending from the Proto-Germanic root *halbaz.
Examples in context
- Es schließt um halb sechs.It shuts at half past five.This sentence is useful for showing how to use halb sechs when talking about a closing time.Tatoeba #11502822 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #9509815 by sundown
- Wir treffen uns um halb sechs.We are meeting at half past five.
- Der Zug kommt schon um halb sechs an.The train arrives as early as half past five.
Example conversation
Sarah and Lukas are discussing when to leave for a dinner reservation.
- SarahWann wollen wir losfahren?When do we want to leave?
- LukasVielleicht um halb sechs?Maybe at half past five?
- SarahJa, das passt gut.Yes, that works well.
- LukasAlles klar, ich bin dann bereit.All right, I will be ready then.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries halb, sechs, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
