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Telling Time by Jeffery Donley, Ph.D.

In German, you state time in progression from one hour to the next and expect the succeeding hour when the time has advanced to the first quarter. For example, you say the equivalents of “it is a quarter past” and “it is half past,” but Germans can also say drei viertel elf for 10:45. You also state time on the principle of a twenty-four hour day, like military time.

Exercise 29

TRACK 20

Listen and translate the following.

<tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" align="left" rowsep="0" colsep="0"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" align="left" rowsep="0" colsep="0"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. <emphasis>um ein Uhr</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. <emphasis>um sechs Uhr</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. <emphasis>Es ist eins</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. <emphasis>Es ist zwölf</emphasis>.</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. <emphasis>(ein) viertel fünf</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. <emphasis>halb fünf</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. <emphasis>drei viertel fünf</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. <emphasis>(ein) viertel nach fünf</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. <emphasis>(ein) viertel vor fünf</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>10.<emphasis>zehn Minuten nach zehn</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>11.<emphasis>fünf Minuten vor elf</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>12.<emphasis>(ein) viertel nach fünf</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>13.<emphasis>18.20 (achtzehn zwanzig)</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>14.<emphasis>24 (vierundzwanzig)</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 30</h2> <p>Use masculine and neuter nouns in the singular after numerals in statements of measure. After a singular number and in the plural after a plural number, you use a feminine noun of measure in the singular.</p> <p>Translate the following.</p> <table frame="none" width="100%"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" align="left" rowsep="0" colsep="0"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" align="left" rowsep="0" colsep="0"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. <emphasis>fünf Kilometer</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. <emphasis>zwei Kannen Kaffee</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. <emphasis>zwei Tassen Milch</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. <emphasis>eine Meile</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. <emphasis>eine Kanne Kaffee</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. <emphasis>vier Meter</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. <emphasis>zwei Liter Bier</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. <emphasis>ein Liter Bier</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. <emphasis>ein Glas Milch</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>10.<emphasis>ein Meter</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>11.<emphasis>eine Tasse Milch</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>12.<emphasis>zwei Gläser Milch</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 31</h2> <p>Use nouns describing monetary items (whether masculine, feminine, or neuter) in the singular (even with amounts of more than one). Match the following German words with their correct English translations.</p> <table frame="none" width="100%"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" align="left" rowsep="0" colsep="0"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" align="left" rowsep="0" colsep="0"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. <emphasis>ein Pfennig</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>three pounds</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. <emphasis>zehn Pfennig</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>twenty euros</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. <emphasis>drei Pfund</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>one penny</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. <emphasis>zwanzig Euro</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>one pound</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. <emphasis>ein Euro</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>ten pennies</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. <emphasis>ein Pfund</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>one euro</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <!--/gc--> <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/cardinal-numbers.htm" title="Cardinal Numbers">Cardinal Numbers</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/verbs-section-a/" title="Verbs: Section A">Verbs: Section A</a> </li></ul></div></div> <div id="coda"> <div id="rel"><div class="n5">Related Articles</div><ul> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/telling-time.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Telling Time - German Practice </a></li> <li><a href="http://german.about.com/library/blht_telltime.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> How to Tell Time in German - Die Uhrzeit </a></li> <li><a href="http://esl.about.com/od/teachingbeginners/a/ab_19beg.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Absolute Beginner English Telling Time </a></li> <li><a href="http://german.about.com/library/bltimegloss.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Dates and Time in German - English-German Glossary </a></li> <li><a href="http://german.about.com/cs/onlinecourses/ht/httelltimeger.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Tell Time in German </a></li> </ul></div> <div id="sec"><div class="n5">Read More The Adjective</div><ul><ul class="col1"><li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/adjectives-with-and-without-endings.htm">Adjectives With and Without Endings</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/unpreceded-adjectives.htm">Unpreceded Adjectives</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/declining-weak-adjectives-adjectives-preceded-by-der-words.htm">Declining Weak Adjectives: Adjectives Preceded by der-words</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/mixed-adjectives-adjectives-preceded-by-ein-words.htm">Mixed Adjectives: Adjectives Preceded by ein-words</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/adjectives-as-nouns.htm">Adjectives as Nouns</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/adjectives-vs-adverbs.htm">Adjectives vs. Adverbs</a></li> </ul><ul class="col2"><li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/comparative-phrases.htm">Comparative Phrases</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/adjectives-vs-adverbs-irregularity.htm">Adjectives vs. Adverbs: Irregularity</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/the-comparative-and-the-superlative.htm">The Comparative and the Superlative</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/cardinal-numbers.htm">Cardinal Numbers</a></li> <li class="btO">Telling Time</li> </ul></ul></div> </div> <script>if(zSbL<1)zSbL=3;zSB(2);zSbL=0</script> </div> <div id="widgets"><script type="text/javascript">if(z336>0){w('<div id="adB">'+ap[0]+at[4]+as[0]);adunit('','','about.com',ch,gs,336,280,'1','bb',3);w('</div>')}if(z155>0){w('<div 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