Telling the Time

Level 2

Wéi vill Auer ass et? means What time is it? The answer is Et ass dräi Auer. (It is three o’clock.)

How It Works

Asking the time
The usual question is Wéi vill Auer ass et? You will also hear Wéi spéit ass et? and Wéi vill Auer hu mer? (literally: how many o’clock do we have?). Add wannechgelift to ask a stranger politely.

Full hours
Answer with Et ass, the number and Auer:

  • Et ass véier Auer. (It is four o’clock.)
  • Et ass eng Auer. / Et ass zwou Auer. – Auer is feminine, so one and two take their feminine forms (see zwee/zwou).
  • Et ass zwielef Auer. Noon is also Mëtteg, and midnight is Hallefnuecht or Mëtternuecht.

Auer does not take a plural ending after a number: dräi Auer, not dräi Aueren (see measure nouns after numbers).

Quarters and halves

  • Véierel op dräi – a quarter past three (3:15)
  • Véierel vir dräi – a quarter to three (2:45). You may also hear e Véierel vir dräi.
  • hallwer dräi – half past two (2:30). The half hour is counted towards the next hour, as in German halb drei. It never means 3:30.

Minutes
Minutes use the same words op (past) and vir (to): fënnef op véier (4:05), zéng vir véier (3:50). Close to the half hour, count from hallwer: fënnef vir hallwer (twenty-five past) and fënnef op hallwer (twenty-five to).

At what time?
Use um or ëm with a clock time: Um wéi vill Auer fänkt de Film un? – Um aacht Auer. Both are correct; see time prepositions. Timetables and official notices use the 24-hour clock: um 20 Auer.

Morning or evening?
Add moies, mëttes, owes or nuets to make the time clear: um aacht Auer owes (at eight in the evening).

Auer or Stonn?
Auer names a point on the clock (and also means a clock or watch: meng Auer). For a length of time, use Stonn (hour): Ech hunn eng Stonn gewaart. (I waited an hour.)

Examples (6)

  1. Wéi vill Auer ass et? – Et ass dräi Auer.

    What time is it? – It is three o’clock.

    Word by Word: How many hour is it? – It is three hour.

    Auer stays singular after the number.

  2. Et ass zwou Auer.

    It is two o’clock.

    Word by Word: It is two hour.

    Auer is feminine, so two is zwou.

  3. Et ass Véierel op néng.

    It is a quarter past nine.

    Word by Word: It is quarter on nine.

    Véierel op names the hour that has just passed.

  4. Et ass Véierel vir zwielef.

    It is a quarter to twelve.

    Word by Word: It is quarter before twelve.

    Véierel vir names the hour that is coming.

  5. Et ass schonn hallwer eelef!

    It is already half past ten!

    Word by Word: It is already half eleven!

    Hallwer eelef means half an hour before eleven, so 10:30.

  6. Mir treffen eis um aacht Auer op der Gare.

    We are meeting at eight o’clock at the station.

    Word by Word: We meet ourselves at the eight hour on the station.

    Um (or ëm) gives the time when something happens.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the masculine form zwee with Auer.

    Et ass zwee Auer.
    Et ass zwou Auer.

    Auer is a feminine noun, so the number two must be zwou, and one o’clock is eng Auer.

  • Reading hallwer as half past the named hour.

    Et ass hallwer dräi. (meant: 3:30)
    Et ass hallwer véier.

    Hallwer counts towards the next hour. Hallwer dräi is 2:30, so 3:30 is hallwer véier.

  • Using Auer for a length of time.

    Ech hunn eng Auer gewaart.
    Ech hunn eng Stonn gewaart.

    Auer is a time on the clock. When you mean a period of sixty minutes, the word is Stonn.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Telling the TimeLevel 2

Learn This First

Before Telling the Time, learn Time Expressions: Um, Ëm, Am and E and Two: Zwee and Zwou.

Words in This Pattern

AuerVéierelwéihallef