die Uhr
clock
Die Uhr is feminine and takes die. The plural is die Uhren, formed by adding -en. One German word covers what English splits into "clock" and "watch": a wall clock is die Wanduhr and a wristwatch is die Armbanduhr, but both are simply eine Uhr in normal speech.
Uhr is also how German tells the time. Es ist drei Uhr means "it is three o'clock", and um wie viel Uhr? means "at what time?". Notice that Uhr stays singular and takes no ending in these expressions, so es ist zwei Uhr, never zwei Uhren.
The distinction between Uhr and Stunde matters and catches many learners out. Die Stunde is a duration of sixty minutes: ich habe zwei Stunden gewartet (I waited for two hours). Die Uhr is the device and the clock reading. You would never say es ist drei Stunden to mean it is three o'clock.
Related words include der Wecker (alarm clock), das Zifferblatt (clock face), and der Uhrmacher (watchmaker). Rund um die Uhr means "around the clock", and gegen den Uhrzeigersinn means counterclockwise.
Pronunciation: Uhr is one syllable, [uːɐ̯]. The h is silent and only marks the u as long, a rule that also applies in Sohn and Jahr. The final r softens into a vowel sound, so the word comes out close to "oor" with a very light ending.
Article / Gender
English
clock
Singular
die Uhr
Plural
die Uhren
die Uhr appears in the following vocabulary collections:
Die Uhr hängt an der Wand.
The clock hangs on the wall.
Simple main clause with subject first.
Ich kaufe die Uhr heute.
I buy the clock today.
Akkusativ object after the verb.
Wo steht die Uhr?
Where is the clock?
W-question with the verb in position 2.
- What does Uhr mean in German?
- Uhr means both "clock" and "watch". It is a feminine noun and takes die. It is also the word used for telling clock time.
- What is the plural of Uhr?
- The plural is die Uhren, formed by adding -en. When telling the time, though, Uhr stays singular: es ist fünf Uhr (it is five o'clock).
- What is the difference between Uhr and Stunde?
- Die Uhr is the device and the clock reading, as in es ist neun Uhr (it is nine o'clock). Die Stunde is a length of time, as in drei Stunden (three hours).
- How do you ask what time it is in German?
- Ask wie spät ist es? or wie viel Uhr ist es?. Both are common, and the first is slightly more frequent in everyday speech.
- How do you pronounce Uhr?
- Uhr is one syllable, pronounced [uːɐ̯]. The h is silent and marks the u as long, and the final r is soft rather than rolled.