The preposition um
die Präposition um
um is a German preposition that always takes the Akkusativ: um acht Uhr (at eight o’clock), um den Tisch (around the table).
um always takes the Akkusativ, and one table sums up the time prepositions (clock time, day, month, season) that English speakers mix up most often.
um always takes the Akkusativ
As a preposition, um only ever appears with the Akkusativ; that means the article after it has to be in its Akkusativ form.
For example um den Tisch (around the table) – den is the masculine Akkusativ article.
Clock times and a table of time prepositions
For clock times you use um + Akkusativ: um acht Uhr, um halb neun.
Days, months and seasons need different prepositions; all of them take the Dativ.
| Type of time | Preposition + case | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Clock time | um + Akkusativ | um acht Uhr |
| Day | an + Dativ (am) | am Montag |
| Month | in + Dativ (im) | im Januar |
| Season | in + Dativ (im) | im Sommer |
You don’t have to memorise the table; just remember um for clock time and an/in + Dativ for the rest.
- um acht Uhr at eight o’clock clock time
- um halb neun at half past eight (literally “half to nine”) half past
- um den Tisch around the table around a place
- um die Ecke around the corner / to turn the corner around a place
- um Hilfe bitten to ask for help verb + um
- sich um die Kinder kümmern to take care of the children reflexive verb + um
Time prepositions – all in one table
In German the preposition changes depending on what you are naming: a clock time, a day or a month. English does the same (“at eight, on Monday, in January”), and the German set lines up with it nicely, but the words are different, so you need the table before you can build a time sentence.
The three don’t get mixed up and there are almost no exceptions: clock time um · day am · month im.
| What you are naming | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Clock time | um | um 8 Uhr · um halb neun · um Mitternacht |
| Part of the day | am | am Morgen · am Nachmittag · am Abend |
| Day | am | am Montag · am Wochenende |
| Date | am | am 3. Mai · am ersten Januar |
| Month | im | im Januar · im Dezember |
| Season | im | im Sommer · im Winter |
| … from now (duration) | in | in einer Woche · in zwei Stunden |
| Year | no preposition | 2026 or im Jahr 2026 |
The meaning “around”
um is also used to describe the area around an object or place; it takes the Akkusativ here as well.
Examples: um den Tisch (around the table), um die Ecke (around the corner / to turn the corner).
Verbs that require um, and the purpose construction
Some verbs require the preposition um: bitten um (to ask for), sich kümmern um (to take care of).
There is also the infinitive construction um ... zu that expresses purpose (e.g. Ich lerne, um die Prüfung zu bestehen), but that is a separate topic.
Traps
Wrong preposition for clock time
If you use an or in for clock times, the sentence is wrong.
Wir treffen uns an acht Uhr.
an is not used for clock time; you need um + Akkusativ.
Wir treffen uns um acht Uhr.
We’re meeting at eight.
Wrong preposition for a day
Using um or in for a day is a mistake.
Ich komme um Montag.
um is not used with days; an + Dativ (am) is the correct form.
Ich komme am Montag.
I’m coming on Monday.
Wrong preposition for a season
For seasons you use in + Dativ (im) instead of um.
Wir fahren um Sommer.
um doesn’t work with seasons; im Sommer is correct.
Wir fahren im Sommer.
We’re going in the summer.
What you just learned
Wir saßen ___ den Tisch.
Show the answer
um. To express “around something”, you use um + Akkusativ.
The sentence “Wir treffen uns an acht Uhr.” is grammatically correct.
Show the answer
False. For clock times you use um, not an: um acht Uhr.
“I asked for help.” In German:
Show the answer
Ich bat um Hilfe. The verb bitten requires um + Akkusativ.
The other Akkusativ prepositions
Build the sentence yourself
Tap the words and put them in order. This is the hardest part of German — and there are no options to pick from, you build it.
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tap the words
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Know this before the test
The core of the topic in three lines, then the mistakes people make most often.
- Exact clock time takes um
um acht Uhr · um 14:30. If it is approximate, use gegen; for a day, am; for a month, im.
Wir treffen uns um acht Uhr.
- Around: um + Akkusativ
um den Tisch sitzen · um die Ecke biegen · sich um die Sonne drehen.
Wir saßen um den Tisch.
- Asking for, and being about
bitten um (to ask for) · es geht um (it is about). Fixed verb patterns carry um.
Ich bat um Hilfe.
- um … zu = “in order to”
The purpose infinitive: Ich kam, um Deutsch zu lernen. Don’t confuse it with the preposition um — here it works as a conjunction.
um Deutsch zu lernen
Ich komme am acht Uhr.
Ich komme um acht Uhr.
Clock time takes um; am belongs to days.
Ich bat für Hilfe.
Ich bat um Hilfe.
The preposition of bitten is um.
um dem Tisch
um den Tisch
um always takes the Akkusativ.
Es geht über deine Zukunft.
Es geht um deine Zukunft.
The pattern for “it is about” is fixed with um.
Test yourself
Tap an answer — we will look at why together.
“Let’s meet at eight.” In German:
“I’ll come on Monday.” In German:
“We’ll take a vacation in January.” In German:
“We sat around the table.” In German:
“He turned the corner.” In German:
“I asked for help.” In German:
Practice done — –
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um pocket card
This whole page — tables, traps, examples — as one PDF. Download it, print it, run through it before the exam.
Related topics
Prepositions and cases
für dich, mit dir
German prepositions are small words that come before a noun, link it to the sentence and decide its case: für dich, mit dir.
Time conjunctions
als · wenn · wann
Time conjunctions say when something happens: als, wenn and wann all mean “when”, but each one is used differently.
Verb + preposition
Ich warte auf dich
warten auf, denken an — the preposition a verb demands, plus wo(r)-/da(r)-.