die Arbeitszeit
working hours
The period of time during which a person performs, or has to perform, their professional duties.
EXAMPLE
Meine Arbeitszeit beginnt um 9 Uhr und endet um 17 Uhr.
My working hours begin at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m.
die Arbeitszeit
working time
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
die Arbeitszeit
working time
The total duration of work set by law or contract, e.g. per week or month.
EXAMPLE
Das Unternehmen plant eine Verkürzung der wöchentlichen Arbeitszeit auf 35 Stunden.
The company is planning to reduce weekly working time to 35 hours.
Usage tips
Compound word
'Arbeitszeit' (working time) is a compound noun made up of 'die Arbeit' (work), the linking -s, and 'die Zeit' (time). The meaning is literally 'the time for work'.
EXAMPLE
Die gesetzliche Arbeitszeit darf nicht überschritten werden.
The legal working time may not be exceeded.
Typical collocations
Common verbs are 'die Arbeitszeit verkürzen' (to shorten working time), 'verlängern' (to extend it), 'erfassen' (to record it), or 'einhalten' (to comply with it). Typical adjectives are 'flexibel' (flexible), 'fest' (fixed), or 'reduziert' (reduced).
EXAMPLE
Viele Mitarbeiter wünschen sich eine flexiblere Arbeitszeit.
Many employees would like more flexible working hours.
Context clue
The exact meaning often becomes clear from context. A statement with 'von ... bis ...' (from ... to ...) usually describes the daily schedule. A statement with '... Stunden pro Woche' (... hours per week) describes the total contractual duration.
EXAMPLE
Meine Arbeitszeit ist von 8:30 Uhr bis 16:30 Uhr.
My working hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Compare with
Arbeitszeit vs Schicht
layer / shift
Schicht and Arbeitszeit can refer to the same hours of a working day. Schicht, however, refers to a specific, scheduled work period in an operation with several work periods. Arbeitszeit is more general and refers to the hours during which someone works or has to work.
Arbeitszeit
Meine Arbeitszeit beginnt heute um sechs, obwohl der Betrieb kein Schichtsystem hat.
My working hours start at six today, even though the business does not use a shift system.
Schicht
Meine Schicht beginnt heute um sechs, weil ich im Frühdienst eingeteilt bin.
My shift starts at six today because I am scheduled for the early shift.
In real life
Loading video examples...