ABSTRACT

Usage in time expressions is characteristically idiomatic in all languages, involving special uses and meanings. German usage can differ quite markedly from English in the way in which various aspects of time are referred to, and particular attention is paid to these differences in this chapter, where the following aspects of time expressions are treated in detail:

• clock times (section 11.1) • the days of the week, months and public holidays (section 11.2) • dates (section 11.3) • the use of cases (i.e. the accusative and the genitive) in time adverbials (section 11.4) • the use of prepositions in time adverbials (section 11.5) • simple time adverbs (section 11.6)

11.1 Times of the clock 11.1.1 In everyday speech the twelve-hour clock is the norm As in English, the twelve-hour clock is used in everyday conversation, when reference is not being made to public events, offi cial timetables and the like. The relevant forms are given in Table 11.1.