die Mitternacht
midnight
The point in time at 24:00 or 0:00; the middle of the night.
EXAMPLE
An Silvester stoßen die meisten Menschen um Mitternacht mit Sekt an.
On New Year's Eve, most people toast with sparkling wine at midnight.
die Mitternacht
midnight
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word composition
The word 'Mitternacht' (midnight) is built simply: it consists of 'Mitte' (middle) and 'Nacht' (night). So it literally refers to the middle of the night.
EXAMPLE
Um Mitternacht schlagen die Kirchenglocken zwölfmal.
At midnight, the church bells strike twelve times.
Correct preposition
To express the exact time, you use the preposition 'um': 'um Mitternacht' (at midnight). For an approximate time, you can say 'gegen Mitternacht' (around midnight / shortly before) or 'nach Mitternacht' (after midnight / shortly after).
EXAMPLE
Der letzte Zug fährt pünktlich um Mitternacht.
The last train leaves exactly at midnight.
Adverbial use
The related adverb 'mitternachts' means 'at night, around midnight'. It describes when something typically happens.
EXAMPLE
Mitternachts ist die Stadt vollkommen still.
Around midnight, the city is completely quiet.
In real life
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