Breakdown of Wir treffen uns um halb sieben im Park.
wir
we
der Park
the park
im
in the; (masculine or neuter)
um
at
Questions & Answers about Wir treffen uns um halb sieben im Park.
What time exactly does halb sieben mean?
It means 6:30. In German, halb sieben is the half-hour before seven. Note: in some English varieties, “half seven” means 7:30—German is different.
Why is it treffen uns and not just treffen?
Because sich treffen is a reflexive verb when people meet each other by arrangement. You need the reflexive pronoun:
- Wir treffen uns. = We meet (each other).
- Without uns, treffen needs an object: Wir treffen Peter. = We meet Peter.
What case is uns here?
Accusative reflexive. The forms are: mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich. In Wir treffen uns, there’s no other object, so the reflexive is accusative.
What does im in im Park stand for?
It’s the contraction of in dem (“in the”). In takes the dative for location (where?): im Park. With motion into, use accusative: in den Park (“into the park”).
Why is the time introduced with um and not am?