Free timeTime phrases

Time phrases help to explain how often, and when, you do your hobbies.

Using 'when' correctly in German

In German there are three different ways to express the English word 'when'.

• wann – a question, eg Wann spielst du am Computer? - When do you play on the computer?
• wenn – a conjunction in the present or future tense, or a repeated event, eg Ich kaufe neue Computerspiele, wenn ich genug Geld habe. - I buy new computer games when I have enough money.
• als – conjunction in the past tense, eg Als ich jünger war, hatte ich keine Spielkonsole. - When I was younger I did not have a games console.

Regular events

A variety of other time phrases can be used to explain how often something happens or happened.

Hilfsvokabeln– Helpful vocabulary

Here are some useful adverbs to learn.

• immer – always
• manchmal – sometimes
• nie – never
• selten – rarely

And here are some useful phrases.

• ab und zu – now and then
• am Abend – in the evening
• am Morgen – in the morning
• am Nachmittag – in the afternoon
• am Wochenende – at the weekend
• an Wochentagen – on weekdays
• die ganze Zeit – all the time
• im Frühling – in spring
• im Herbst – in autumn
• im Sommer – in summer
• im Winter – in winter
• jeden Tag – every day
• nach der Schule – after school
• während der Woche – during the week

Did you know?

You might have heard of the Berlin Film Festival – der Berlinale - but did you know that every year in Berlin there is also an International Football Film festival – das Internationale Fußballfilmfestival – which combines the popular hobbies of watching films – Filme ansehen and playing sport – Sport treiben.

The festival includes a short-film competition – Kurzfilmwettbewerb – called Shortkicks as well as a variety of installations, displays and readings all about football films.