Questions & Answers about Es ist Viertel nach zehn.
Could I just say Es ist fünfzehn nach zehn?
You will sometimes hear people use numbers and say fünfzehn nach zehn, but Viertel nach (quarter past) is the standard and most natural way to say this in conversational German, just like in English.
Why is Viertel capitalized here?
In German, all nouns are capitalized. Viertel acts as a noun here meaning a quarter (one fourth of an hour).
Does nach always mean past when talking about time?
Yes! While nach can mean to when talking about travel (like going nach Berlin), on a clock it is the standard preposition used for past or after.
Should I add Uhr at the end, like Es ist Viertel nach zehn Uhr?
No, you should leave it off. When using relative time words like Viertel (quarter) or halb (half), Germans almost always drop the word Uhr. Adding it here sounds unnatural.
How would I change this sentence to say quarter to ten?
You just replace nach with vor (before or to). Quarter to ten is Es ist Viertel vor zehn.
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