German · Time, Numbers & Colors

"Ten" in German: zehn

zehn

Say it: tsaynnumber/tsɛːn/

Ten in German is zehn. Clock time is um zehn. The ordinal is zehnte (tenth).

Meeting

Der Termin ist um zehn.
The appointment is at ten.
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How to pronounce zehn

Say it

tsayn

/tsɛːn/

tsayn. Soft z as ts. Soft ei as “eye.” Soft final n.

"Ten" in German: quick reference

GermanEnglish
zehnten

Cardinal.

um zehnat ten

Clock time.

zehn Uhrten o’clock

Full phrase.

zehntetenth

Ordinal.

How to use zehn in real life

  1. 1Meeting

    Der Termin ist um zehn.

    The appointment is at ten.

    Um zehn.

  2. 2Shopping

    Zehn Eier reichen für das Rezept.

    Ten eggs are enough for the recipe.

    Zehn + noun.

  3. 3Countdown

    Noch zehn Minuten bis zum Start.

    Ten more minutes until the start.

    Zehn Minuten.

Mistakes English speakers make with zehn

Incorrect: um zehnen

Correct: um zehn / um zehn Uhr

Say um zehn.

Incorrect: dieci

Correct: zehn

German is zehn, not Italian dieci.

Good to know

Zehn is also the base for teens: elf, zwölf, then dreizehn. Um zehn Uhr sharp is pünktlich.

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Catching a train

  1. ChatPal

    Fährt der Zug um zehn?

    Does the train leave at ten?

  2. You

    Ja, um zehn genau.

    Yes, at ten exactly.

  3. ChatPal

    Dann brauchen wir zehn Minuten Puffer.

    Then we need ten minutes of buffer.

  4. You

    Okay. Zehn reicht, wenn wir jetzt gehen.

    Okay. Ten is enough if we leave now.

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"Ten" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Ten" in German

How do you say ten?

Zehn.

At ten?

Um zehn / um zehn Uhr.

Tenth?

Zehnte / der zehnte.

Ten minutes?

Zehn Minuten.

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