German Time Prepositions: am, um, im, seit, vor, nach (+ Dative)
Learn which German preposition marks days, clock times, months and durations — am for days, um for the clock, im for months and seasons, plus seit, vor and nach with the dative.
German uses different prepositions to talk about time, and most of them take the dative case. The trick is picking the right one for each unit of time.
| Preposition | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| am (an + dem) | days, dates, parts of day | am Montag, am Abend |
| um | clock times | um acht Uhr |
| im (in + dem) | months, seasons | im Januar, im Sommer |
| seit | since / for (ongoing) | seit einem Jahr |
| vor | ago / before | vor einer Woche |
| nach | after | nach der Arbeit |
Think of it as a zoom level: um for the clock, am for a single day, im for a whole month or season.
Note that am and im already contain the dative article dem, so you never add another one. Seit describes something still going on, so German uses the present tense where English uses the perfect: Ich lerne seit einem Jahr Deutsch = "I have been learning German for a year."
Examples
Am Montag Grammatical analysisBase form fahrenPerson3rd person singular (er/sie/es)TensePräsens (present)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form derCaseNominativ (nominative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form VaterCaseNominativ (nominative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build mit Grammatical analysisBase form derCaseDativ (dative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form ZugCaseDativ (dative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build zur Arbeit.
On Monday the father takes the train to work.
Die Schule beginnt um acht Uhr.
School starts at eight o'clock.
Im Sommer spielt das Kind jeden Tag im Garten.
In summer the child plays in the garden every day.
Seit Grammatical analysisBase form einCaseDativ (dative)Genderneutrum (neuter)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form JahrCaseDativ (dative)Genderneutrum (neuter)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build wohnt die Familie in der Stadt.
The family has been living in the city for a year.
Nach der Arbeit trinkt die Mutter Grammatical analysisBase form einCaseAkkusativ (accusative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form KaffeeCaseAkkusativ (accusative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build.
After work the mother drinks a coffee.
Common mistakes
Days and dates take *an + dem = am*, not *in*. Use *im* only for months and seasons (*im Mai*).
For an action still going on, German uses *seit* + dative with the present tense, not *für* + accusative. *Für* is for planned future durations only.
*Um* is only for clock times (*um zehn Uhr*). Months need *in + dem = im*.
Related topics
Practice
___ Montag fährt der Vater mit dem Zug zur Arbeit.
Die Schule beginnt ___ acht Uhr.
___ Sommer spielt das Kind jeden Tag im Garten.