German Time Prepositions: am, um, im
After this lesson you can say when something happens without guessing the preposition.
Do this first: Telling time
Übungen
Eight exercises on what you just watched. Get 80% and the lesson is marked done and added to your A1 progress.
1 / 8 · Type the missing word
2 / 8 · Type the missing word
3 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
I work on Monday.
4 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
We have breakfast in the morning.
5 / 8 · Choose
Which preposition goes with days?
6 / 8 · Choose
Which preposition goes with clock times?
7 / 8 · Choose
Which preposition goes with months?
8 / 8 · Choose
Which is correct?
In short
German has three time prepositions and they never overlap: am for days and parts of the day (am Montag, am Abend), um for exact clock times (um acht Uhr), and im for months and seasons (im Januar, im Sommer).
How it works
This is one of the few corners of German grammar with a rule that has almost no exceptions, and it is worth over-learning because it comes up in every conversation about plans. Three words, three jobs.
Am covers days and parts of the day: am Montag, am Wochenende, am Morgen, am Abend. Um covers exact clock times and nothing else: um acht Uhr, um halb neun, um Mitternacht. Im covers months and seasons: im Januar, im Juli, im Sommer, im Winter.
The mnemonic from the video is the fastest way in: day means am, clock means um, month means im. The classic error is reaching for in because English says "in January" and "on Monday" — but in Montag is wrong and in Januar is wrong. There is one thing to watch: some very common time expressions take no preposition at all. Heute, morgen, gestern and nächste Woche stand alone — never am heute.
| Use | For | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| am | days, parts of the day | am Montag, am Wochenende, am Abend |
| um | exact clock times | um acht Uhr, um halb neun, um Mitternacht |
| im | months, seasons | im Januar, im Sommer, im Winter |
| (none) | heute, morgen, gestern, nächste Woche | Heute arbeite ich. |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| am Morgen | in the morning |
| am Vormittag | in the late morning |
| am Mittag | at midday |
| am Nachmittag | in the afternoon |
| am Abend | in the evening |
| in der Nacht | at night ← the exception |
Examples
- Ich arbeite am Montag.I work on Monday.
- Wir frühstücken am Morgen.We have breakfast in the morning.
- Der Zug fährt um acht Uhr.The train leaves at eight o'clock.
- Sie kommt um Mitternacht.She arrives at midnight.
- Es schneit im Januar.It snows in January.
- Wir schwimmen im Sommer.We swim in summer.
- Am Wochenende fahre ich nach Berlin.At the weekend I go to Berlin.
- Der Kurs beginnt um halb zehn.The course starts at half past nine.
- Im Herbst regnet es viel.In autumn it rains a lot.
- Heute habe ich Zeit.Today I have time.
Mistakes to avoid
✗ in Montag
✓ am Montag
English "on Monday" tempts you toward in or auf. Days always take am.
✗ in Januar
✓ im Januar
Months take im — a contraction of in + dem. The bare in is never right here.
✗ am acht Uhr
✓ um acht Uhr
Clock times take um. This is the mix-up that gets people to the station an hour early.
✗ am heute
✓ heute
Heute, morgen and gestern take no preposition at all. Adding one is a classic over-correction.
Wortschatz
The words from this lesson.
| am | on (days), in (parts of the day) | |
| um | at (clock times) | |
| im | in (months, seasons) | |
| der Morgen | morning | |
| der Abend | evening | |
| die Nacht | night | takes in der Nacht |
| die Mitternacht | midnight | |
| frühstücken | to have breakfast | |
| schneien | to snow | |
| nächste Woche | next week | no preposition |
Kulturnotiz
Getting um right matters practically, because German appointments are made to the minute and kept to it. Um 8 Uhr means 8:00, not "around eight" — there is no cultural buffer built in. If you mean approximately, you have to say so: gegen acht (around eight) or so gegen acht (roughly around eight). Saying um when you mean gegen will have someone waiting for you.
Common questions
+What is the quickest way to remember these?
Day → am. Clock → um. Month → im. Three pairings, no overlap, and they cover almost every time expression you will need at A1.
+Why is it im and not in for months?
im is a contraction of in + dem. German contracts this pair automatically, so in dem Januar becomes im Januar and the bare in never appears.
+Are there time words that take no preposition?
Yes — heute, morgen, gestern, übermorgen, nächste Woche, letztes Jahr. These stand alone: Heute arbeite ich, never am heute.
+What about "at night"?
The one exception to the am pattern for parts of the day: it is in der Nacht, not am Nacht. Every other part of the day takes am.