die Zeit
time (general concept, passing of time) · time, period, era · available time, free time
Zeit means 'time' in the general sense: the passing of minutes and hours, a period or era, or available time. It is one of the most common German nouns and appears in many fixed expressions.
What Zeit means
- time (general concept, passing of time) — when talking about time as an abstract idea or duration
- time, period, era — when referring to a specific historical period or phase
- available time, free time — when saying you have or don't have time to do something
Heard in real German videos
Lines where Zeit was actually spoken, from German videos watched with DeutschChat.
- Genießt eure Zeit in Hollywood.Enjoy your time in Hollywood.
- Komm bald wieder, wenn du Zeit hast.Come back soon when you have time.
- Das verschafft mir Zeit, um Opa zu warnen.That buys me time to warn Grandpa.
Example sentences
- Ich habe heute keine Zeit.I have no time today.
- Die Zeit vergeht schnell.Time passes quickly.
- In der Zeit von Goethe war vieles anders.In Goethe's time, many things were different.
- Wir haben noch genug Zeit.We still have enough time.
Grammar
| Gender | feminine |
|---|---|
| Plural | die Zeiten |
| Genitive | der Zeit |
| Full declension | Singular: die Zeit (nom), die Zeit (acc), der Zeit (gen), der Zeit (dat); Plural: die Zeiten (nom/acc), der Zeiten (gen), den Zeiten (dat) |
Zeit is a regular feminine noun. In the singular: nominative and accusative are 'die Zeit', genitive is 'der Zeit', dative is 'der Zeit'. The plural is 'die Zeiten'.
Common phrases
- die ganze Zeitthe whole time, all the time
- Zeit habento have time
- sich Zeit nehmento take one's time
- mit der Zeitwith time, gradually
- zur Zeitat the moment, currently
The mistake English speakers make
English speakers often confuse 'Zeit' with 'Mal' when talking about occurrences. 'Zeit' refers to time as a continuous concept, while 'Mal' refers to a specific instance or time (e.g., 'das erste Mal' = the first time). Use 'Mal' for counting occurrences.
Don’t confuse it with
- das Mal — Mal refers to a specific occasion or instance, while Zeit refers to time in general or a period.
Questions learners ask
What is the difference between 'Zeit' and 'Uhrzeit'?
'Zeit' is the general word for time, while 'Uhrzeit' specifically means the time of day as shown on a clock (e.g., 3:00 PM).
How do you say 'I have no time' in German?
You say 'Ich habe keine Zeit.' The word 'keine' is used because Zeit is feminine and in the accusative case.
What does 'die ganze Zeit' mean?
It means 'the whole time' or 'all the time', indicating continuous duration.