German Grammar A–Z
Look up German grammar topics A–Z, organized by category and level — with clear explanations and examples.
Temporal Prepositions (2): Point in Time (Zeitpunkt)
In German, temporal prepositions (temporale Präpositionen) are divided into 2 types: those that express a period of time and those that express a point in time. In the previous article, Vogel introduced how to use the prepositions of duration, and in this article Vogel will explore the prepositions of a point in time with you.
Let's get started!
|
Preposition |
Function |
Example |
|
|
an |
+Dat |
Used for days, weekdays, parts of the day (morning/noon/afternoon) and holidays. |
Er besucht mich am Freitag. (He visits me on Friday) Bertolt Brecht wurde am 10.2.1898 geboren. (Bertolt Brecht was born on 10 February 1898) Ich möchte lieber am Vormittag einkaufen. (*) (I prefer to go shopping in the morning) Paula besucht mich an Ostern. Paula visits me at Easter) |
|
aus |
Used for the origin of a time. |
Dieser Tisch ist aus dem 15. Jahrhundert. (This table dates from the 15th century) |
|
|
in |
Used to indicate an indefinite point in time within a defined period (week, month, season, decade, century, future...) and for periods of time. |
Ich besuche dich in der nächsten Woche. (I will visit you next week) Richard verreist im August. (Richard will travel in August) Im Frühling ist Mallorca am schönsten. (Spring is when Mallorca is most beautiful) In den 50ern waren viele Studenten politisch aktiv. (In the 50s many students were politically active) Er ist 1898 geboren. (He was born in 1898) Im nächsten Jahr fliege ich nach Australien. (Next year I will fly to Australia) Ich habe ihn in letzter Zeit oft gesehen. (I have seen him quite often recently) |
|
|
nach |
Used for an event that happens after a certain event. |
Nach dem Kino gehen wir noch essen. (After the cinema we went out to eat) |
|
|
vor |
Used for an event that happens before another event. |
Ich war vor der Prüfung ziemlich nervös. (I was quite nervous before the exam) |
|
|
zu |
Used to indicate a point or period of time in the past. (**) |
Zu dieser Zeit war ich in New York. (At that time I was in New York) |
|
|
gegen |
+Akk |
Used for an indefinite, approximate point in time. |
Wir kommen erst gegen Abend. (We won't come until the evening) Die Party beginnt gegen 8. (The party starts at around 8) Dieses Gebäude entstand gegen Ende des 17. Jahrhunderts. (This building was built around the end of the 17th century) |
|
um |
Used to state a specific hour, or an approximate, vague year (around the year...) |
Dieses Gebäude ist um 1730 entstanden. (This building was built around 1730) Das Flugzeug startet um 22.30 Uhr. (The flight takes off at 22:30) |
Note: some words can also be used to indicate periods of time
(*) except Nacht, which is used with the preposition in : in der Nacht
(**) always combined with a noun denoting a time/point in time.
