Time: um, am, im
Translating at, on and in word by word does not work. German picks the preposition by the size of the time: um for the clock, am for days and parts of the day, im for months and seasons.
Which preposition for which time
| Time | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| acht Uhr, halb drei | um acht Uhr | at eight |
| Montag, Freitag | am Montag | on Monday |
| 3. Mai | am 3. Mai | on 3 May |
| Morgen, Nachmittag, Abend | am Abend | in the evening |
| Wochenende | am Wochenende | at the weekend |
| Mai, Dezember | im Mai | in May |
| Sommer, Winter | im Sommer | in summer |
| Nacht | in der Nacht | at night |
| 2020 | im Jahr 2020 | in 2020 |
Only die Nacht breaks the pattern: in der Nacht, not am Nacht.
Time in sentences
Der Kurs beginnt um neun Uhr.
The course starts at nine o'clock.
Ich arbeite nicht am Sonntag.
I don't work on Sunday.
Was machst du am Wochenende?
What are you doing at the weekend?
Wir fahren im Juli nach Italien.
We're going to Italy in July.
Im Winter ist es hier sehr kalt.
In winter it's very cold here.
In der Nacht schlafe ich schlecht.
At night I sleep badly.
am and im are fused forms, and Germans use them as single words: am = an dem, im = in dem. The same goes for zum = zu dem, zur = zu der and beim = bei dem.
Place: where and where to
Place needs two questions. Wo? asks where something is, wohin? asks where it is going. English uses to for every destination; German picks the preposition by the kind of place.
The everyday place prepositions
| Preposition | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| in | inside a town, country or building | in Berlin, in der Schule |
| an | at an edge, a border or water | am Fenster, am Bahnhof, am Meer |
| auf | on a surface, at a market | auf dem Tisch, auf dem Markt |
| bei | at a person's place or a firm | bei Anna, bei Siemens |
| nach | to a town or country without an article | nach Berlin, nach Hause |
| zu | to a person, a doctor, a shop, an event | zu Anna, zum Arzt, zur Arbeit |
| in | into a building or a city | ins Kino, in die Stadt |
Being somewhere
Meine Schwester wohnt in Berlin.
My sister lives in Berlin.
Die Kinder sind in der Schule.
The children are at school.
Wir treffen uns am Bahnhof.
We're meeting at the station.
Heute schlafe ich bei meinem Bruder.
Tonight I'm sleeping at my brother's.
Going somewhere
Wir fliegen nach Wien.
We're flying to Vienna.
Ich muss zum Arzt.
I have to go to the doctor.
Heute Abend gehe ich zu Anna.
This evening I'm going to Anna's.
Wir gehen ins Kino.
We're going to the cinema.
Home splits in two: Ich bin zu Hause (I'm at home) and Ich gehe nach Hause (I'm going home).
Time before place
When a sentence has both, German puts the time before the place. English usually says it the other way round.
Ich fahre um acht ins Büro.
I go to the office at eight.
time first, place second
Am Freitag fahren wir nach Berlin.
On Friday we're going to Berlin.
Am Sonntag bleibe ich zu Hause.
On Sunday I'm staying at home.
