Clarify the intended arrival time in a casual invitation in German

The idea

Punctuality is generally valued in Germany, but what it means depends on the occasion. For a dinner invitation with a set time, guests are usually expected roughly on time, and arriving a few minutes late is often fine; arriving early can catch hosts unprepared. A party “ab sieben” or a garden party is more flexible. At many universities, “c.t.” (cum tempore) means a lecture starts a quarter of an hour later. Grammar: “ab” marks a starting point; “um sieben” is an exact time; “gegen sieben” means around seven.

Other ways to say it

“Wann sollen wir ungefähr da sein?” – Casual and open; asks for a rough arrival time.

“Ist es schlimm, wenn wir erst gegen acht kommen?” – Polite check before arriving later than the stated time.

“Gibt es eine feste Zeit fürs Essen?” – Neutral; separates arrival from meal time.

Examples

• Meinst du mit ab sieben einen festen Beginn?By from seven, do you mean a fixed start?
• Nein, ihr könnt zwischen sieben und halb acht ankommen.No, you can arrive between seven and half past seven.
• Dann beginnen wir nicht genau um sieben mit dem Essen?Then we will not start eating at exactly seven?
• Das Essen planen wir erst später am Abend.We are planning the meal for later in the evening.
• Gut, so verstehe ich deine Einladung richtig.Good; that lets me understand your invitation correctly.
• Bei einem anderen Anlass könnte der Beginn strenger gemeint sein.On another occasion, the start might be meant more strictly.

Watch out

“Wir kommen bei sieben.” → “Wir kommen gegen sieben.”: English “at” or “by seven” tempts learners to use “bei”. German uses “um sieben” for an exact time, “gegen sieben” for around seven and “bis sieben” for at the latest by seven.

Try it yourself

1. Translate into German: By from seven, do you mean a fixed start?

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   Meinst du mit ab sieben einen festen Beginn?

   “Meinen mit” means “to mean by”. The quoted words “ab sieben” come after mit, and “einen festen Beginn” is accusative masculine with the strong adjective ending -en.

2. Put the words in order: beginnen / Dann / dem / Essen / genau / mit / nicht / sieben / um / wir

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   Dann beginnen wir nicht genau um sieben mit dem Essen?

   Statement word order with a question mark checks an assumption. “Beginnen mit” takes the dative (“mit dem Essen”), and “nicht genau” negates only the exactness of the time.

3. Write this sentence in German: On another occasion, the start might be meant more strictly.

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   Bei einem anderen Anlass könnte der Beginn strenger gemeint sein.

   “Könnte” (Konjunktiv II) marks a possibility. “Gemeint sein” is a state passive, and the comparative “strenger” means “more strictly”.

Use it today

A friend writes “Grillen bei uns, ab sechs!”. Write a reply asking whether six is a fixed start and saying roughly when you will arrive.