German · Time, Numbers & Colors

"Hour" in German: Stunde

die Stunde

Say it: SHTOON-duhfeminine · die Stundenoun/ˈʃtʊndə/

Hour in German is die Stunde. Durations use eine Stunde, zwei Stunden. Clock time more often uses Uhr: um drei Uhr, not Stunde.

Meeting length

Das Meeting dauert eine Stunde.
The meeting lasts an hour.
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How to pronounce Stunde

Say it

SHTOON-duh

/ˈʃtʊndə/

SHTOON-duh. St at the start sounds like sht. Long u, soft final e.

"Hour" in German: quick reference

GermanEnglish
die Stundethe hour

Feminine noun for a 60-minute span.

eine Stundeone hour / an hour

Duration.

die Stundenthe hours

Plural.

Stundenlangfor hours

Duration adverb.

How to use Stunde in real life

  1. 1Meeting length

    Das Meeting dauert eine Stunde.

    The meeting lasts an hour.

    Eine Stunde for duration.

  2. 2Travel time

    Wir brauchen zwei Stunden bis München.

    We need two hours to Munich.

    Plural Stunden after zwei.

  3. 3Study plan

    Ich lerne noch eine halbe Stunde.

    I'm studying another half hour.

    Eine halbe Stunde is a fixed duration phrase.

Mistakes English speakers make with Stunde

Incorrect: Es ist drei Stunde.

Correct: Es ist drei Uhr.

Clock time uses Uhr. Stunde is for duration.

Incorrect: ein Stunde

Correct: eine Stunde

Stunde is feminine: eine Stunde.

Good to know

Germans separate duration (Stunde) from clock reading (Uhr). Class periods at school are also Stunden. Being eine Stunde zu spät is noticed; punctuality culture is real for appointments.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Estimating a museum visit

  1. ChatPal

    Reicht eine Stunde für die Ausstellung?

    Is one hour enough for the exhibition?

  2. You

    Knapp. Ich plane eher zwei Stunden.

    Tight. I'm planning more like two hours.

  3. ChatPal

    Okay. Nach einer Stunde machen wir Pause.

    Okay. After one hour we'll take a break.

  4. You

    Gut. Eine Stunde Fokus, dann Kaffee.

    Good. One hour of focus, then coffee.

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"Hour" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Hour" in German

When do I use Stunde vs Uhr?

Stunde for how long. Uhr for clock time: um fünf Uhr.

How do you say an hour?

Eine Stunde.

What is the plural?

Die Stunden.

How do you say for hours?

Stundenlang or stundenlang.

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