Exact Times with "um"
To say that something happens at a specific clock time, use the preposition um.
| The invitation is here, and the party is taking place at eight o'clock. | Die Einladung ist hier, und die Party findet um acht Uhr statt. |
| The concert takes place at ten o'clock and the atmosphere is perfect. | Das Konzert findet um zehn Uhr statt und die Stimmung ist perfekt. |
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns allow you to talk about unspecified people or amounts. You will frequently use words like etwas (something) and nichts (nothing), or describe quantities using alle (all), viele (many), einige (some), and mehrere (several).
These can act like adjectives before a noun or stand entirely on their own to replace a noun.
| Many people drink something, but several guests eat nothing. | Viele Leute trinken etwas, aber mehrere Gäste essen nichts. |
| Some bring something for dinner, but many are not hungry. | Einige bringen etwas zum Abendessen mit, aber viele haben keinen Hunger. |
Parts of the Day: "am" vs. "in der"
To express that something happens during a specific part of the day, German uses two different prepositions depending on the noun's gender.
Most parts of the day are masculine. For these, use am (a contraction of the preposition an and the dative article dem). This applies to phrases like am Nachmittag (in the afternoon) and am Abend (in the evening).
| In the afternoon we are buying a few more drinks. | Am Nachmittag kaufen wir noch einige Getränke. |
| All the guests are arriving in the evening. | Am Abend kommen alle Gäste an. |
There is one major exception: the word for "night" (die Nacht) is feminine. Because of this, you must use the preposition in followed by the feminine dative article der (in der Nacht).
| At night, the atmosphere is really great. | In der Nacht ist die Stimmung wirklich toll. |
Just like with seasons, starting a sentence with a time phrase pushes the verb into the second position, and the subject immediately follows the verb.
| At night, several people are bringing more drinks. | In der Nacht bringen mehrere Leute noch Getränke mit. |
| At night, a guest sleeps on the sofa. | In der Nacht schläft ein Gast auf dem Sofa. |