German Phrase
Meine Mittagspause ist um 12:30.
Meaning
The sentence tells the listener the exact time of the speaker’s lunch break. It uses the preposition ‘um’ to pinpoint a specific hour and minute.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need to share your daily schedule – e.g., at work, in a classroom, or when arranging a meeting that must fit around your lunch break.
✦Grammar Breakdown
MeineMittagspauseistum12:30.
Possessive adjective (Meine)
‘Meine’ is the feminine nominative form of the possessive adjective, matching the noun ‘Mittagspause’.
Noun gender (Mittagspause)
‘Mittagspause’ is a feminine noun (die Mittagspause) meaning ‘lunch break’.
Verb ‘sein’ (ist)
‘ist’ is the 3rd‑person singular present of ‘sein’ and links the subject to its complement.
Preposition ‘um’ for time
‘um’ introduces an exact time and governs the accusative; the time expression itself does not need an article.
Time expression (12:30)
When spoken, ‘12:30’ is said as ‘zwölf Uhr dreißig’, which follows the same ‘um + time’ pattern.
🗨In Conversation
Wann hast du Mittagspause?
When do you have lunch break?
Meine Mittagspause ist um 12:30.
My lunch break is at 12:30.
✕Common Mistakes
Meine Mittagspause ist bei 12:30.
‘bei’ means ‘by/at’ in a location sense, not for exact clock times.
Meine Mittagspause haben um 12:30.
The verb ‘haben’ does not agree with ‘Mittagspause’; you need ‘ist’ (to be).
Meine Mittagspause ist um 12:30 Uhr.
Adding ‘Uhr’ after a numeric time is redundant when ‘um’ is already used; it’s acceptable but not necessary.
↔Alternatives
Ich habe Mittagspause um 12:30.
I have lunch break at 12:30.
Meine Pause zum Mittagessen ist um halb eins.
My lunch break is at half past twelve.
Ich mache Mittagspause um 12:30 Uhr.
I take my lunch break at 12:30 o’clock.
Cultural Tip
In most German workplaces the lunch break (Mittagspause) falls between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., but the exact time can vary. Using ‘um’ + time is the standard way to state a precise moment. Remember that the preposition ‘um’ always takes the accusative case, even though the time expression itself has no article.