dreimal
three times
Indicates the number of three repetitions or occurrences.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe dreimal geklopft, aber niemand hat die Tür geöffnet.
I knocked three times, but no one opened the door.
dreimal
three times
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
Usage tips
Word formation
Number adverbs like 'dreimal' (three times) are formed by adding the ending '-mal' to a cardinal number. This pattern works for almost all numbers (e.g., 'einmal' (once), 'zweimal' (twice), 'zehnmal' (ten times)).
EXAMPLE
Ich habe dieses Lied heute schon fünfmal gehört.
I have already listened to this song five times today.
Sentence position
'Dreimal' (three times) can stand in position 1 to emphasize the frequency. Then the verb follows directly after it. It can also appear unstressed in the middle of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Dreimal hat er die Prüfung versucht.
Three times he attempted the exam.
Indicating frequency
To express frequency, 'dreimal' (three times) is often combined with 'pro' (per) or a time expression in the accusative, for example 'dreimal pro Woche' (three times per week) or 'dreimal am Tag' (three times a day).
EXAMPLE
Man sollte dreimal am Tag die Zähne putzen.
You should brush your teeth three times a day.
In comparisons
The word is often used in comparisons to express a multiple. The structure is often 'dreimal so + adjective' (three times as + adjective).
EXAMPLE
Dieses Haus ist dreimal so teuer wie unsere Wohnung.
This house is three times as expensive as our apartment.
Compare with
dreimal vs dreifach
triple
When printing, dreimal and dreifach can produce the same result of three copies. Dreimal counts how many times the printing is repeated; dreifach refers more to the threefold quantity of the result. Use dreimal for the repeated action and dreifach for the desired number of copies.
dreimal
Bitte drucke den Vertrag dreimal aus.
Please print out the contract three times.
dreifach
Bitte drucke den Vertrag dreifach aus.
Please print out the contract in triplicate.
In real life
Loading video examples...