Breakdown of Er kommt spät, das heißt gegen acht.
kommen
to come
acht
eight
spät
late
gegen
against
das heißt
that is (to say)
Questions & Answers about Er kommt spät, das heißt gegen acht.
Why does it say 'das heißt' when the English translation says 'that is'?
In German, das heißt (literally: 'that means') is the standard way to say 'that is' or 'i.e.' when clarifying or rephrasing something. If you tried to translate 'that is' word-for-word as das ist, it would sound unnatural here.
I thought 'gegen' meant 'against'. Why is it used for time here?
While gegen does mean 'against' in physical contexts, when used with a specific time, it means 'around' or 'towards'. So gegen acht means 'around eight o'clock'.
Could I use 'um' instead of 'gegen' in this sentence?
You could, but it changes the meaning. um acht means exactly 'at eight'. gegen acht means 'around eight', which fits perfectly with the speaker arriving late and not giving an exact time.
Is it normal to see a comma before 'das heißt'?
Yes. Because das heißt introduces a clarification added to the main clause, German rules require a comma here. You will also often see this phrase abbreviated in writing as d. h. (like 'i.e.' in English).
Learn Er kommt spät, das heißt gegen acht and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free