Questions & Answers about Es ist kurz vor eins.
Why does the sentence use eins instead of ein or eine?
When stating a standalone number, like the hour in this sentence, German uses eins. You only use ein or eine when the number comes directly before a noun. If you included the word Uhr (o'clock), you would drop the 's' and say ein Uhr, but without it, it stays eins.
What exactly does kurz vor mean when telling time?
kurz vor translates to "shortly before." Germans use this phrase for the few minutes just before the next hour, such as 12:57 or 12:58. If it were a few minutes after the hour, you would use kurz nach.
Is it wrong to add the word Uhr at the end of this sentence?
It is much more natural to leave it out here. When using conversational time phrases with words like vor, nach, halb, or kurz, Germans usually drop the word Uhr.
Is Es ist always used to state the time?
Yes! Just like in English where we say "It is..." to introduce the time, German uses Es ist... as the standard starting phrase.