Stunde
/ˈʃtʊndə/feminine
The English word "hour" is translated into German as Stunde.
Stunde is a noun used to describe a time period of sixty minutes. To express that something has been happening "for an hour," use the preposition seit.
Meaning: time period of sixty minutes (noun)
Which one should you use?
Use Stunde when referring to a duration of sixty minutes. Do not use it to refer to a specific point in time on a clock. For example, to say "It is two o'clock," you should use Uhr instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
Stunde is a feminine noun. The plural form is Stunden. When using the preposition in to mean "in an hour", the form changes to einer Stunde because it enters the dative case.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʃtʊndə/
Did you know?
- The Finnish word for hour, tunti, is actually a cognate of Stunde. This is surprising because Finnish is not a Germanic language, but it borrowed the term from early Germanic speakers.
- In German schools, a Unterrichtsstunde or 'lesson hour' is rarely 60 minutes long. These academic hours are typically 45 minutes to allow for breaks between classes.
- In German, the word Stunde can be used in the phrase die letzte Stunde to refer to the 'final hour' or the moment of death. This gives the word a poetic and solemn connotation beyond simple timekeeping.
Examples in context
- Du hast eine Stunde.You've got an hour.This sentence shows how to use Stunde to indicate a possessed duration.Tatoeba #8257982 by driini, translation #2548436 by CK
- Tom schlief eine Stunde.Tom slept an hour.This sentence demonstrates the use of Stunde to describe a length of sleep.Tatoeba #7635996 by wolfgangth, translation #5498829 by CK
- Ich gehe in einer Stunde.I leave in an hour.This sentence illustrates the dative form einer Stunde used after the preposition in.Tatoeba #2056232 by Zaghawa, translation #665649 by bluepie88
- Es dauert mehrere StundenIt takes several hours
- Um welche Uhrzeit treffen wir uns?At what time do we meet?
- Die letzte Stunde war langThe last hour was long
- Wir haben die Präsentation vor einer Stunde beendet.We finished the presentation an hour ago.
- 15:00 Uhr3:00 PM
- Der Zug fährt um 9 Uhr ab.The train departs at 9 o'clock.
- Ich warte schon seit einer StundeI've been waiting for an hour
- Wir treffen uns in einer StundeWe're meeting in an hour
- Der Film dauert zwei Stunden.The movie lasts two hours.
- 718 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Hannah are discussing their schedule for the afternoon.
- FelixWie lange dauert das Meeting?How long does the meeting last?
- HannahEs dauert genau eine Stunde.It lasts exactly one hour.
- FelixDann können wir danach essen gehen.Then we can go eat afterwards.
- HannahDas ist eine gute Idee, Felix.That is a good idea, Felix.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hour” translations and entries Stunde, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Stunde, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
