Time Preposition - um (at)

German grammar can sometimes feel like a complex puzzle. Luckily, um is one of the easiest pieces to place. When you talk about time on a clock, um is the only preposition you need. It functions as a fixed marker. You place it right before the number of the hour. You do not need to worry about the four German cases here. Time expressions with um are technically in the accusative case, but since numbers do not change, you can relax. You just say um, add the number, and usually add the word Uhr. It is like a verbal bullseye. You are telling your listener exactly when the action starts. It is the difference between "sometime today" and "exactly at 2 PM." Even native speakers appreciate the clarity that um provides. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. It tells the sentence exactly when to go.

1. 1Building a sentence with um is as easy as 1-2-3. Follow these steps to sound like a local:
2. 2Start with your subject and verb (e.g., Ich komme).
3. 3Add the preposition um.
4. 4Add the specific time (e.g., acht).
5. 5Finish with the word Uhr (optional but very common).
6. 6Example: Der Film beginnt um zwanzig Uhr. (The movie starts at 8 PM.)
7. 7In casual conversation, you can often drop the word Uhr. If you are at a cafe and say um drei, everyone knows you mean 3 o'clock. However, in formal settings or when using the 24-hour clock, keep Uhr in there. It adds a nice layer of polish to your German. If you want to be extra precise, you can add minutes: um acht Uhr dreißig (at 8:30).

You should use um whenever the clock is involved. Here are the most common scenarios:

• Appointments: Ich habe um zehn Uhr einen Termin. (I have an appointment at 10.)
• Public Transport: Der Bus fährt um neun Uhr ab. (The bus leaves at 9.)
• Socializing: Treffen wir uns um halb sieben? (Shall we meet at 6:30?)
• Daily Routines: Ich stehe um sechs Uhr auf. (I get up at 6.)
• Deadlines: Das Projekt muss um Mitternacht fertig sein. (The project must be finished at midnight.)

Notice that um also works with specific time-words like Mitternacht (midnight). It does not work with Mittag (noon) quite the same way; usually, we say am Mittag, but um zwölf (at twelve) covers that perfectly. If you are ordering food and the waiter asks when you want it, um sieben is your best answer.

This is where many people trip up. um is ONLY for clock time. Do not use it for larger chunks of time.

• Days of the week: Use am (e.g., am Montag).
• Months: Use im (e.g., im Juli).
• Seasons: Use im (e.g., im Sommer).
• Years: Use nothing or im Jahr (e.g., 2024 or im Jahr 2024).
• Parts of the day: Use am (e.g., am Morgen, am Abend).

If you say um Montag, a German person might look at you like you just tried to eat soup with a fork. It just doesn't fit! Use um for the "small" time (minutes and hours) and am/im for the "big" time (days and months).

Even the best learners make these mistakes. Let's make sure you don't!

• The "At" Trap: English speakers often want to translate "at night" as um Nacht. Wrong! It is in der Nacht.
• Mixing up um and am: This is the classic A2 blunder. Remember: um is a circle (like a clock face). am is for days.
• Forgetting the 24-hour clock: In Germany, 3 PM is often 15 Uhr. If you say um drei for a business meeting, make sure they know you don't mean 3 AM!
• Using um for duration: If you want to say "I worked for five hours," do not use um. Use für or just the time (e.g., Ich habe fünf Stunden gearbeitet). um is a point, not a line.

It helps to see um next to its cousins.

• um vs. gegen: um is exact (8:00). gegen is approximate (around 8:00). If you are always late, gegen might be your favorite word.
• um vs. ab: um is the start time. ab means "starting from." Ab acht Uhr means it starts at eight and continues.
• um vs. bis: bis means "until." Ich bleibe bis um zehn (I am staying until ten).

Think of um as a snapshot. It is one single moment captured in time. The other prepositions describe movement or vague areas. um is the boss of precision.