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German grammar · A1

German Time Prepositions: Am, Um, Im, Ab and Seit

Saying when in German means choosing between a handful of small words, and the choice depends on what kind of time you are naming — a clock time, a day, a month or a period. The groupings are consistent enough to learn as a set.

Am, um, im — which goes with what

um for clock times: um acht Uhr, um halb drei.

am for days, dates and parts of the day: am Montag, am 3. Mai, am Morgen, am Abend. The one exception is in der Nacht, which does not follow the pattern.

im for months and seasons: im Januar, im Sommer.

Years take no preposition at all. Ich bin 1998 geboren — not in 1998, which is an English import you will hear learners produce constantly.

Seit, ab, vor and von…bis

seit looks back from now over something still going on, and takes the present tense: Ich lerne seit einem Jahr Deutsch.

ab looks forward from a starting point: Ab Montag arbeite ich in Berlin.

vor means ago: vor zwei Jahren. And von … bis gives a span: von acht bis sechzehn Uhr.

All of these take the dative, which is why it is vor zwei Jahren with the dative plural -n.

Saying a date out loud

Dates use an ordinal number, and the ending changes with the case. After am the ordinal takes -en: am ersten Mai, am dritten Juni, am zwanzigsten September.

Ordinals are formed with -te up to nineteen and -ste from twenty: der vierte, but der zwanzigste. Three are irregular and very common: der erste, der dritte, der siebte.

To ask, use Der wievielte ist heute? — what is the date today. In writing, the ordinal is marked with a full stop: am 3. Mai.

Examples

• Der Sprachkurs beginnt pünktlich um 9:00 Uhr.The language course begins punctually at 9:00 am.
• Am Samstag mache ich den Wocheneinkauf.On Saturday I do the weekly grocery shopping.
• Im August fahren viele Familien in den Urlaub.In August many families go on vacation.

Mistakes to avoid

The errors are mixing up am, um and im, and adding a preposition in front of a year because English does.

• ✗ Ich habe seit drei Monaten Deutsch gelernt.✓ Ich lerne seit drei Monaten Deutsch.
• ✗ Ich lerne ab drei Monaten Deutsch.✓ Ich lerne seit drei Monaten Deutsch.
• ✗ seit ein Monat / ab die nächste Woche✓ seit einem Monat / ab nächster Woche

How this is tested in the exam

Time expressions are the most frequently tested single thing in Hören at A1: when a train leaves, when a shop opens, when an appointment is. In Schreiben Teil 1 you fill in a form that asks for dates, and in Teil 2 you usually have to propose or change a time.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use am, um and im in German?

Um for clock times, am for days, dates and parts of the day, im for months and seasons. In der Nacht is the one exception to the am pattern.

What is the difference between seit and ab?

Seit looks back from now at something still continuing and uses the present tense. Ab looks forward from a starting point: ab Montag.

How do you say a year in German?

With no preposition at all: Ich bin 1998 geboren. Adding in before the year is an English pattern that does not transfer.

How do you say ago in German?

With vor plus the dative: vor zwei Jahren, vor einer Woche. Note the dative plural -n on Jahren.