Prepositions of time in German are used to specify when something happens. They help us talk about days, dates, times of day, durations, and more. The main prepositions of time are an, in, um, vor, seit, bis, während,, and nach. Each one has specific rules and usage.
- an — used with days and parts of days (e.g., am Montag, am Abend)
- in — used with months, years, future time periods, and parts of the day (e.g., im August, in einer Stunde)
- um — used with specific clock times (e.g., um 8 Uhr)
- vor — means “before” or “ago” when used with time (e.g., vor einer Stunde)
- seit — means “since” or “for” continuing from a point in the past (e.g., seit gestern)
- bis — means “until” (e.g., bis nächsten Montag)
- während — means “during” (e.g., während des Konzerts)
- nach — means “after” (e.g., nach der Arbeit)
Cases with Prepositions
- an, in, vor, bis, während, nach + dative case
- Example: am Montag (an + dem Montag), im Januar* (in + dem Januar)
- um + accusative case
- Example: um 5 Uhr*
- seit + dative case
- Example: seit einer Woche*
Contractions with Definite Articles
| Preposition | Definite Article | Contraction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| an + dem | dem | am | am Montag (on Monday) |
| in + dem | dem | im | im Januar (in January) |
| vor + dem | dem | vor dem | vor dem Mittagessen (before lunch) |
| zu + der | der | zur | zur Nacht (at night) |
| zu + dem | dem | zum | zum Geburtstag (for the birthday) |
What is the full form of the contraction 'vor dem' in a time expression?
vor + dem
The phrase 'vor dem' is a contraction of 'vor + dem' (e.g., vor dem Mittagessen).
Using “auf” with Time
- auf is used for waiting or expecting something to happen at a certain time.
- Example: Ich warte auf den Bus um 8 Uhr. (I wait for the bus at 8 o’clock.)
- When used this way, the noun following auf is in the accusative case.
What is the best English translation of the German sentence: 'Ich warte auf den Bus um 8 Uhr'?
I wait for the bus at 8 o’clock.
The sentence means "I wait for the bus at 8 o’clock," with 'auf den Bus' indicating waiting for the bus and 'um 8 Uhr' specifying the time.
Summary Table
| Preposition | Meaning | Typical Use | Example | Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| an | on/at | days, parts of days | am Montag, am Morgen | dative |
| in | in | months, years, future times | im April, in zwei Stunden | dative |
| um | at | specific clock times | um 7 Uhr | accusative |
| vor | before/ago | before a time, “... ago” | vor einer Stunde | dative |
| seit | since/for | from a past point continuing | seit gestern | dative |
| bis | until | up to a point in time | bis morgen | accusative |
| während | during | simultaneous time | während des Spiels | genitive |
| nach | after | after a point in time | nach der Schule | dative |
| auf | waiting for | waiting/expecting at a time | auf den Feierabend warten | accusative |
In the next section, we'll look at detailed usage examples and how to choose the correct preposition in context.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
