German word

um

Pronunciation

IPA/ʊm/

Meaning

  • prepositionat

Example

Wir treffen uns um sieben Uhr.

We're meeting at seven.

Illustration for um (at)

More examples

Die Katze läuft um den Tisch.

The cat runs around the table.

Core concept

A point sits inside a surrounding ring, while a line reaches toward a chosen goal.

Common phrases

  • um sieben Uhr

    at seven o'clock

  • um den Tisch

    around the table

  • um die Ecke

    around the corner

Similar words

am: On a particular day, date, or part of the day.
gegen: Around a stated time.
ab: Starting from a stated time.
vor: Earlier than a specified time.

Definition in German

Teil der festen Konstruktion 'um ... zu', mit der man Zweck oder Absicht ausdrückt; als Präposition kann 'um' außerdem Zeit oder Raum um einen Mittelpunkt beschreiben

Word origin

German um comes from Old High German umb, meaning around, and later developed the purpose construction um ... zu.

Usage tips

  • As a preposition, um takes the accusative, as in um sieben Uhr and um den Tisch, although the case is often not visible.

Other meanings

  • aroundpreposition
  • in order toconjunction

Related words

Word lists with this word