Learn German: Der Bus kommt kurz nach sechs. - The bus comes shortly after six.

When using words like vor (before) or nach (after) to tell time in everyday German, we usually drop the word Uhr. Saying kurz nach sechs is much more common and natural than kurz nach sechs Uhr.

What exactly does kurz mean in this sentence?

The word kurz literally means "short." When telling time, kurz nach means "shortly after" or "just past." It is used when you don't need to give the exact number of minutes, usually for anything between one to five minutes past the hour.

I remember learning that nach means "to" a place. Why does it mean "after" here?

Prepositions often have different meanings depending on the context. When talking about travel to cities or countries, nach means "to" (like nach Berlin). But when talking about time, nach always means "after" or "past."

If the bus was arriving just before six, how would I say that?

You would use the word vor, which means "before" or "to" the hour. You would say Der Bus kommt kurz vor sechs to mean "The bus comes just before six."