Skip to content

Wartezeit

waiting time

noun VAR-te-tsait Less Common
Time Time Expressions

Also means

wait

Usage Note

Wartezeit is a transparent compound of warten ('to wait') and Zeit ('time'), so it literally names the period you spend waiting. It's the standard word for a waiting period at the doctor's, in a queue, or before a benefit kicks in.

Examples

"Die Wartezeit war sehr lang."

Natural Translation

The waiting time was very long.

Literal Translation

The waiting-time was very long.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore German by topic