wie viel Uhr
/viː fiːl uːr/word by word
The English phrase "what time" is translated into German as wie viel Uhr.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase wie viel Uhr literally translates to "how much clock".
Which one should you use?
While wie viel Uhr ist es? is common, Wie spät ist es? (How late is it?) is a very frequent alternative used to ask for the current time.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the preposition Um to the phrase changes the meaning from asking for the current time to asking for a specific point in time (Um wie viel Uhr means "At what time").
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may mistakenly say Wie viel Zeit ist es? when asking for the time. Instead, use wie viel Uhr to ask for the time of day.
Did you know?
- The phrase wie viel Uhr traces its root for 'clock' back to the Ancient Greek word ὥρα, which referred to a season or a specific time of day.
Examples in context
- Wie viel Uhr ist es jetzt?What time is it?Tatoeba #1198468 by Esperantostern, translation #428402 by laofmoonster
- Wie viel Uhr ist es, bitte?What time is it, please?Tatoeba #10925980 by toivo, translation #12883067 by sundown
- Um wie viel Uhr badest du dich?What time do you take a bath?Tatoeba #12906660 by papago, translation #1696843 by Amastan
- Entschuldigung, können Sie mir bitte sagen, wie spät es ist?Excuse me, could you please tell me what time it is?
- Können Sie mir bitte sagen, wie viel Uhr es ist?Could you please tell me what time it is?
- Weißt du, wie spät es ist?Do you know what time it is?
- Hast du eine Ahnung, wie viel Uhr es ist?Do you have any idea what time it is?
- Es ist fünf Minuten vor zwölfIt is five minutes to twelve.
- Es ist neun Uhr fünfzehnIt is fifteen past nine.
- Es ist Viertel nach siebenIt is a quarter past seven.
- Es ist halb sechsIt is half past five.
- Es ist zwanzig vor zehnIt is twenty to ten.
- 148 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Lukas are planning a meeting.
- SarahWie viel Uhr passt dir morgen?What time works for you tomorrow?
- LukasMorgen um zehn Uhr ist gut.Tomorrow at ten o'clock is good.
- SarahAlles klar, bis morgen um zehn.All right, see you tomorrow at ten.
- LukasBis morgen, Sarah!See you tomorrow, Sarah!
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (wie, viel, Uhr) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Uhr, viel, wie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
