Questions & Answers about Wir essen um Viertel nach sieben.
Why do we use um for "at" in this sentence?
In German, the preposition um is always used to say "at" a specific time on the clock. Whenever you talk about what time something happens, you will use um.
Why is Viertel capitalized?
In German, all nouns (people, places, things, or concepts) must be capitalized. Viertel is a noun that means "a quarter" or "a fourth", so it always gets a capital letter.
How exactly does nach work when telling time?
nach literally translates to "after" or "past". So Viertel nach sieben means "a quarter after seven" (7:15). If it were 6:45, you would use vor (before/to) and say Viertel vor sieben (a quarter to seven).
Do I need to add the word Uhr at the end, like Viertel nach sieben Uhr?
No, you actually drop the word Uhr here! When you use conversational time words like Viertel (quarter) or halb (half), you don't say Uhr. You only use Uhr for an exact hour (like um sieben Uhr) or for the formal digital style (like sieben Uhr fünfzehn).
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