This deep dive covers 1. Units Before Tens — The Big Trap within Numbers, dates and times by ear for GCSE German. Revise Numbers, dates and times by ear in Listening Traps for GCSE German with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 2 of 4 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📋 1. Units Before Tens — The Big Trap
⭐ Units before tens
In German two-digit numbers, the units digit is said first, then und, then the tens digit. You hear the small number first — do NOT write it down straight away.
| German | Structure (what you hear) | Number |
|---|---|---|
| einundzwanzig | one-and-twenty | 21 |
| vierunddreißig | four-and-thirty | 34 |
| siebenundachtzig | seven-and-eighty | 87 |
| zweiundfünfzig | two-and-fifty | 52 |
📋 2. Teens vs Tens — Listen for -zehn vs -zig
| Teen (-zehn) | Number | Ten (-zig / -ßig) | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| dreizehn | 13 | dreißig | 30 |
| vierzehn | 14 | vierzig | 40 |
| sechzehn | 16 | sechzig | 60 |
| siebzehn | 17 | siebzig | 70 |
Listen for the ending: -zehn = teen (13, 14…); -zig or -ßig = the round ten (30, 40…). The vowel length and stress also differ — DREIzehn vs DREIßig.
📋 3. Telling the Time
| German expression | Meaning | Time |
|---|---|---|
| um drei Uhr | at three o'clock | 3:00 |
| halb vier | half to four (NOT half past four) | 3:30 |
| Viertel nach drei | quarter past three | 3:15 |
| Viertel vor vier | quarter to four | 3:45 |
| halb neun | half to nine (NOT half past nine) | 8:30 |
⭐ halb X = X minus 30 minutes
Halb vier = half to four = 3:30, NOT 4:30. Think: "half of the hour before four has passed." This is the most-tested time trap in AQA German Listening.
📋 4. Dates
| German | English |
|---|---|
| am Montag | on Monday |
| im Mai | in May |
| der erste Mai | the first of May |
| am dritten Juni | on the third of June |
Days: Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag, Sonntag. Months: Januar, Februar, März, April, Mai, Juni, Juli, August, September, Oktober, November, Dezember. Key nouns: die Zahl, die Zahlen (the number/numbers); die Uhrzeit, die Uhrzeiten (the time/times).
📋 5. Annotated Example
Der Bus kommt um halb neun.
The bus comes at 8:30.
- Trap: hearing neun and writing 9:30 — wrong. Halb neun = half to nine = 8:30. Always subtract 30 minutes from the number after halb.
Practice questions for Numbers, dates and times by ear
You hear 'einundzwanzig'. What number is this?
Which German word means 30?