🔢 First Steps: Numbers and Time in German

Imagine you’re a time traveler who just landed in Germany. The first things you need to understand? Numbers and time! Let’s unlock these secrets together.

🎯 The Magic Key: A Clock Analogy

Think of German numbers and time like a magical clock. The clock has numbers on its face, and it tells us when things happen. Just like you already know clocks, you’ll learn German numbers the same way — step by step, number by number!

📚 Cardinal Numbers (Die Kardinalzahlen)

What are they? Cardinal numbers are the counting numbers — like counting your toys or candies!

The Foundation: 0-12

These are the building blocks. Memorize these, and everything else becomes easy!

🌟 Fun Fact: “Elf” (11) sounds like the magical elves! Imagine 11 little elves helping you count.

Teen Numbers: 13-19

Here’s the magic pattern: small number + zehn (but spoken backwards!)

⚠️ Watch Out: 16 is “sechzehn” (not “sechszehn”) and 17 is “siebzehn” (not “siebenzehn”)!

Tens: 20-90

The German Twist: Compound Numbers (21-99)

This is the FUN part! Germans say numbers backwards!

Instead of “twenty-one,” Germans say “one-and-twenty”!

Pattern: small number + und + tens

🎵 Remember: Think of the famous song “99 Luftballons” = “neunundneunzig Luftballons”!

Big Numbers: 100 and Beyond

Example:

• 365 = dreihundertfünfundsechzig (three-hundred-five-and-sixty)
• 2,024 = zweitausendvierundzwanzig

🥇 Ordinal Numbers (Die Ordinalzahlen)

What are they? Ordinal numbers tell us the ORDER — first, second, third!

The Simple Rule

For numbers 1-19: Add -te to the cardinal number For numbers 20+: Add -ste to the cardinal number

Special Forms (Memorize These!)

Regular Pattern

20 and Beyond (Add -ste)

Example Sentences:

• “Das ist mein erstes Auto.” (This is my first car.)
• “Sie wohnt im dritten Stock.” (She lives on the third floor.)
• “Am fünfzehnten Mai…” (On the fifteenth of May…)

📅 Days, Months, and Seasons (Tage, Monate und Jahreszeiten)

Days of the Week (Die Wochentage)

Fun story: German weekdays are named after gods and celestial bodies — just like English!

🌟 Notice: All days end in -tag (day)!

Using Days:

• “am Montag” = on Monday
• “jeden Freitag” = every Friday
• “letzten Sonntag” = last Sunday

Months of the Year (Die Monate)

Great news — they’re almost the same as English!

Using Months:

• “im Januar” = in January
• “seit März” = since March

The Four Seasons (Die Jahreszeiten)

Using Seasons:

• “im Frühling” = in spring
• “im Sommer” = in summer

🌸 Tip: Frühling comes from “früh” (early) — it’s the early blooming time!

⏰ Telling Time (Die Uhrzeit)

Asking for the Time

• “Wie spät ist es?” = What time is it? (How late is it?)
• “Wie viel Uhr ist es?” = What time is it? (How many clock is it?)

Simple Hours

Pattern: Es ist + [number] + Uhr

⚠️ Note: For 1 o’clock, we say “ein” (not “eins”) before “Uhr”!

Adding Minutes

Formal (24-hour clock):

• 14:30 = “Es ist vierzehn Uhr dreißig”
• 9:15 = “Es ist neun Uhr fünfzehn”

Casual (12-hour style):

⚠️ The German “Half” Trap!

SUPER IMPORTANT: German “half” looks FORWARD, not backward!

• English: 3:30 = “half past three” (looking at the hour that passed)
• German: 3:30 = “halb vier” (looking at the hour coming!)

Think of it like: “We’re halfway TO four o’clock!”

Midnight and Noon

• Midnight = Mitternacht
• Noon = Mittag

🗓️ Time Expressions (Zeitausdrücke)

When Did It Happen?

Parts of the Day

Combining Day + Time:

• “heute Morgen” = this morning
• “gestern Abend” = yesterday evening
• “morgen Nachmittag” = tomorrow afternoon

Frequency Words

Duration & Points in Time

Common Time Phrases

• “Ich komme um halb acht.” = I’m coming at 7:30.
• “Wir treffen uns morgen um zehn.” = We’re meeting tomorrow at ten.
• “Das Geschäft öffnet um neun Uhr.” = The store opens at 9 o’clock.
• “Ich arbeite von Montag bis Freitag.” = I work from Monday to Friday.

🎯 Quick Summary

graph TD
    A[German Numbers & Time] --> B[Cardinal Numbers]
    A --> C[Ordinal Numbers]
    A --> D[Days/Months/Seasons]
    A --> E[Telling Time]
    A --> F[Time Expressions]

    B --> B1[0-12: Memorize]
    B --> B2[13-19: X + zehn]
    B --> B3[21-99: ones + und + tens]

    C --> C1[1-19: + te]
    C --> C2[20+: + ste]

    E --> E1[Formal: 24-hour]
    E --> E2[Casual: nach/vor/halb]

💪 You’ve Got This!

Remember:

1. Numbers 0-12 are your foundation — memorize them!
2. Say compound numbers backwards (einundzwanzig = 21)
3. “Halb” looks forward, not backward! (halb vier = 3:30)
4. Days end in -tag, months are similar to English
5. Practice daily — say the time out loud whenever you check your watch!

🌟 Pro Tip: Set your phone’s language to German. Every time you check the time, you’ll learn!

You’re now ready to count in German and never miss an appointment. Viel Erfolg! (Good luck!)