Hello students! Today we'll discover how to tell time in German using halb and Viertel. This system is different but very practical!
Halb means "half." When Germans use halb, they mean half an hour before the next full hour. For example, 7:30 is not "half past seven," but rather "half to eight," expressed as halb acht. This is a key distinction.
Viertel means "quarter." We use Viertel nach for "quarter past," so 7:15 is Viertel nach sieben. For "quarter to," we say Viertel vor, like 7:45 which is Viertel vor acht. Practice these patterns to master them!