Telling Time - Quarter Hours

Think of a clock face as a delicious pizza. If you cut it into four slices, each slice is a Viertel. When the big hand is on the 3, fifteen minutes have passed. When the big hand is on the 9, there are fifteen minutes left. In German, we describe the position of the minute hand relative to the hour. We use nach for "after" or "past." We use vor for "before" or "to." Unlike the tricky halb (half) rule, quarter hours are quite logical. You look at the current hour and decide if you are moving away from it or toward the next one. It is like a grammar traffic light. Green means go past the hour (nach). Red means you are almost at the next hour (vor). Even native speakers sometimes pause for a microsecond to get this right. So, do not worry if you have to think for a moment. You are in good company.

1. 1Building these sentences is like playing with Lego bricks. You follow a very specific order every time.
2. 2Start with the phrase Es ist. This means "It is."
3. 3Add the word Viertel. This is your "quarter" slice.
4. 4Choose your direction: nach (past) or vor (to).
5. 5Add the hour number. Use the numbers 1 through 12.
6. 6For 15 minutes past the hour, use: Es ist + Viertel + nach + [Hour].
7. 7Example: 4:15 is Es ist Viertel nach vier.
8. 8For 15 minutes before the hour, use: Es ist + Viertel + vor + [Hour].
9. 9Example: 4:45 is Es ist Viertel vor fünf.
10. 10Note that for 4:45, we look forward to the next hour (five). It is just like English! You are 15 minutes away from the upcoming hour.

You should use this pattern in almost all spoken situations. Use it when you are meeting a friend at a café. Use it when you are asking a stranger for the time on the street. It is perfect for telling your boss when you will finish a task. You will hear it in casual office chats and family dinners. If you are ordering food and the waiter says the pizza takes fifteen minutes, they might say it will be ready at Viertel nach sieben. It is the standard way to communicate time socially. It feels warm and conversational. Using digital time (like "seven fifteen") in these moments feels a bit stiff. It is like wearing a tuxedo to a backyard barbecue. Possible, but a little weird.

Avoid this pattern when you need extreme precision. Do not use it for train schedules or flight departures. The Deutsche Bahn always uses the 24-hour digital format. If your train leaves at 15:45, the announcer will say fünfzehn Uhr fünfundvierzig. They will not say Viertel vor vier. Also, avoid this in very formal written reports or legal documents. If you are in a military briefing or a scientific seminar, stick to the digital numbers. Basically, if there is a digital screen involved (like at a gate or a cinema listing), use the digital format. If you are talking to a person face-to-face, use Viertel.

The biggest mistake is using the 24-hour clock with Viertel. Never say Viertel nach dreizehn. That sounds like a glitch in the matrix. If it is 1:15 PM, just say Viertel nach eins. Another common slip-up is forgetting the preposition. You cannot just say Viertel eins. That actually means something else in some parts of Germany (we will get to that later). Always include nach or vor. Also, watch out for the hour in the "quarter to" structure. At 8:45, some people accidentally say Viertel vor acht. But it is actually Viertel vor neun because you are approaching nine. It is a classic "oops" moment. Even Germans do this when they are tired or haven't had their coffee yet.

You might hear people in Berlin or Bavaria say Viertel drei to mean 2:15. This is a regional variation. It treats the hour like a glass of water. Viertel drei means the third hour is one-quarter full. This is very confusing for beginners! For now, stick to the standard Viertel nach and Viertel vor. Everyone in Germany understands the standard version. Another contrast is with the word halb. Remember, halb always looks forward. Halb drei is 2:30. Viertel nach zwei is 2:15. They are neighbors on the clock, but they use different logic. Viertel is your safe harbor because it works mostly like English. Halb is the one that likes to play tricks on your brain.