1. Learning Objectives

• Describe daily routines in Luxembourgish
• Express time correctly
• Use different sentence structures
• Conjugate verbs in present and perfect tense

2. Daily Activities Vocabulary

3. Time Expressions

Parts of Day

• moies - in the morning
• mëttes - at noon
• nomëttes - in the afternoon
• owes - in the evening
• nuets - at night

Clock Time

• um … Auer - at … o’clock

  • Um 8 Auer fänkt d’Aarbecht un. (Work starts at 8 o’clock.)

• um halwer … - at half past …

  • Um halwer 8 fueren ech op d’Aarbecht. (I go to work at 7:30.)

• Véierel op … - quarter past …

  • Et ass Véierel op 3. (It’s quarter past 2 / 2:15)

• Véierel fir … - quarter to …

  • Et ass Véierel fir 3. (It’s quarter to 3 / 2:45)

• … Minutte vir - … minutes to

  • Et ass 5 Minutte vir 8. (It’s 5 minutes to 8 / 7:55)

• … Minutte no - … minutes past

  • Et ass 10 Minutte no 9. (It’s 10 minutes past 9 / 9:10)

Special Time Expressions

• fënnef op halwer sechs - 5:35 (five minutes after half past five)
• fënnef vir halwer sechs - 5:25 (five minutes before half past five)

4. Sentence Structures

Structure 1: Normal Statement

Subjekt + Verb + “Rest”

Ech drénken moies Kaffi.
(I drink coffee in the morning.)

Structure 2: Question

Verb + Subjekt + “Rest”?

Drénks du moies Kaffi?
(Do you drink coffee in the morning?)

Structure 3: Time First

Zäit/Plaz + Verb + Subjekt + “Rest”

Moies drénken ech Kaffi.
(In the morning I drink coffee.)

Important Rule:

The verb is always in the second position (except in questions).

5. Verb Conjugations

Regular Verbs (with “hunn” in perfect tense)

schaffen (to work)

• Ech schaffen - Ech hunn geschafft
• Du schaffs - Du hues geschafft
• Hien/Si/Et schafft - Hien/Si/Et huet geschafft
• Mir schaffen - Mir hunn geschafft
• Dir schafft - Dir hutt geschafft
• Si schaffen - Si hunn geschafft

Irregular Verbs

iessen (to eat) - with “hunn”

• Ech iessen - Ech hunn giess
• Du ëss - Du hues giess
• Hien/Si/Et ësst - Hien/Si/Et huet giess
• Mir iessen - Mir hunn giess
• Dir iesst - Dir hutt giess
• Si iessen - Si hunn giess

fueren (to go/drive) - with “sinn”

• Ech fueren - Ech sinn gefuer
• Du fiers - Du bass gefuer
• Hien/Si/Et fiert - Hien/Si/Et ass gefuer
• Mir fueren - Mir si gefuer
• Dir fuert - Dir sidd gefuer
• Si fueren - Si si gefuer

huelen (to take) - with “hunn”

• Ech huelen - Ech hunn geholl
• Du hëls - Du hues geholl
• Hien/Si/Et hëlt - Hien/Si/Et huet geholl
• Mir huelen - Mir hunn geholl
• Dir huelt - Dir hutt geholl
• Si huelen - Si hunn geholl

Auxiliary Verb Selection

• Use “hunn” for most verbs
• Use “sinn” for:
  • Movement verbs (goen, kommen, fueren)
  • Change of state verbs (erwächen, ginn)

6. Practical Dialogue

A: Moien! Wéi geet et?
B: Moien! Et geet gutt, merci. Wéini stees du normalerweis op?

A: Ech stinn all Dag um sechs Auer op. An du?
B: Ech stinn eréischt um siwen Auer op.

A: Wat méchs du dann moies virun der Aarbecht?
B: Moies drénken ech Kaffi a liesen d’Zeitung. Duerno fueren ech op d’Aarbecht. A wat méchs du?

A: Ech huelen eng Dusch, duerno drénken ech Kaffi a ginn op d’Aarbecht.
B: Um wéivill Auer fänks du un mat der Aarbecht?

A: Ech fänken um aacht Auer un. A wéini hues du Mëttespaus?
B: Ech hunn um zwielef Auer Mëttespaus. Ech iessen dacks an der Kantine.

A: Ech iessen och an der Kantine. A wat méchs du nomëttes no der Aarbecht?
B: Nomëttes ginn ech dacks spadséieren oder lafen. An du?

A: Owes kachen ech d’Iessen a kucken duerno bëssen Tëlee. Um wéivill Auer gees du schlofen?
B: Ech ginn normalerweis um eelef Auer schlofen.

Visual Guides and Memory Aids for Luxembourgish

14. Time Expression Visualization

                     12
                      |
                      |
  Quarter to → 9 ----- ----- 3 ← Quarter past
    (Véierel fir)     |     (Véierel op)
                      |
                      6
                   (Half)
                  (halwer)

Telling Time Examples:

• 3:00 - Et ass dräi Auer.
• 3:15 - Et ass Véierel op dräi.
• 3:30 - Et ass halwer véier.
• 3:45 - Et ass Véierel fir véier.
• 3:25 - Et ass fënnef vir halwer véier.
• 3:35 - Et ass fënnef op halwer véier.

15. Verb Conjugation Patterns

Regular Verb Pattern (-en verbs)

schaffen (to work)
┌──────────┬────────────┬───────────────┐
│ Person   │ Present    │ Perfect       │
├──────────┼────────────┼───────────────┤
│ ech      │ -en        │ hunn ge-t     │
│ du       │ -s         │ hues ge-t     │
│ hien/si  │ -t         │ huet ge-t     │
│ mir      │ -en        │ hunn ge-t     │
│ dir      │ -t         │ hutt ge-t     │
│ si       │ -en        │ hunn ge-t     │
└──────────┴────────────┴───────────────┘

Irregular Verb Vowel Change

iessen (to eat)
┌──────────┬────────────┬───────────────┐
│ Person   │ Present    │ Perfect       │
├──────────┼────────────┼───────────────┤
│ ech      │ ie-en      │ hunn gi-      │
│ du       │ ë-s        │ hues gi-      │
│ hien/si  │ ë-t        │ huet gi-      │
│ mir      │ ie-en      │ hunn gi-      │
│ dir      │ ie-t       │ hutt gi-      │
│ si       │ ie-en      │ hunn gi-      │
└──────────┴────────────┴───────────────┘

16. Sentence Structure Visualization

Structure 1: Normal Statement

┌──────────┬────────┬───────────┬─────────┐
│ Subjekt  │ Verb   │ Zäit      │ Objekt  │
├──────────┼────────┼───────────┼─────────┤
│ Ech      │ drénken│ moies     │ Kaffi   │
└──────────┴────────┴───────────┴─────────┘

Structure 2: Question

┌────────┬──────────┬───────────┬─────────┐
│ Verb   │ Subjekt  │ Zäit      │ Objekt  │
├────────┼──────────┼───────────┼─────────┤
│ Drénks │ du       │ moies     │ Kaffi?  │
└────────┴──────────┴───────────┴─────────┘

Structure 3: Time First

┌───────────┬────────┬──────────┬─────────┐
│ Zäit      │ Verb   │ Subjekt  │ Objekt  │
├───────────┼────────┼──────────┼─────────┤
│ Moies     │ drénken│ ech      │ Kaffi   │
└───────────┴────────┴──────────┴─────────┘

17. Daily Routine Memory Map

        ┌─────────────┐
        │  MOIES      │
        │  (Morning)  │
        └──────┬──────┘
               │
    ┌──────────┴─────────┐
    │                    │
┌───▼───┐           ┌────▼───┐
│erwächen│           │duschen │
│opstoen │           │        │
└───┬───┘           └────┬───┘
    │                    │
┌───▼───┐           ┌────▼────┐
│Kaffi  │           │fréistécken│
│drénken│           │          │
└───────┘           └─────┬────┘
                          │
               ┌──────────▼──────────┐
               │  op d'Aarbecht      │
               │  fueren             │
               └──────────┬──────────┘
                          │
                    ┌─────▼─────┐
                    │  MËTTES   │
                    │  (Noon)   │
                    └─────┬─────┘
                          │
                    ┌─────▼─────┐
                    │zu Mëtteg  │
                    │iessen     │
                    └─────┬─────┘
                          │
                    ┌─────▼─────┐
                    │  OWES     │
                    │ (Evening) │
                    └─────┬─────┘
                          │
          ┌───────────────┼───────────────┐
          │               │               │
    ┌─────▼────┐    ┌─────▼────┐    ┌─────▼────┐
    │heem fueren│    │de Stot    │    │zu Nuecht │
    │           │    │maachen    │    │iessen    │
    └─────┬─────┘    └───────────┘    └──────────┘
          │
    ┌─────▼────┐
    │Tëlee     │
    │kucken    │
    └─────┬────┘
          │
    ┌─────▼────┐
    │schlofen  │
    │goen      │
    └──────────┘

18. Preposition Memory Aids

Luxembourgish prepositions with places and buildings:

19. Visual Verb Types Guide

LËTZEBUERGESCH VERBEN
│
├── Mat "hunn" am Perfekt
│   ├── Aktiounsverben (Action verbs)
│   │   ├── schaffen (to work)
│   │   ├── iessen (to eat)
│   │   ├── drénken (to drink)
│   │   ├── kucken (to watch)
│   │   └── schlofen (to sleep)
│   │
│   └── Reflexiv Verben (Reflexive verbs)
│       ├── sech ameséieren (to have fun)
│       └── sech wäschen (to wash oneself)
│
└── Mat "sinn" am Perfekt
    ├── Bewegungsverben (Movement verbs)
    │   ├── goen (to go)
    │   ├── kommen (to come)
    │   ├── fueren (to drive)
    │   └── lafen (to run)
    │
    └── Zoustandsännerungsverben (Change of state)
        ├── erwächen (to wake up)
        ├── ginn (to become)
        └── stierwen (to die)

20. Quick Reference for Daily Activities

Practical Applications and Conversation Models

21. Workplace Conversation

Scenario: Meeting a colleague in the morning

Lisa: Moien Tom! Wéi geet et?
Tom: Moien Lisa! Et geet gutt, merci. An dir?
Lisa: Och gutt, merci. Um wéi vill Auer bass du haut komm?
Tom: Ech sinn um aacht Auer komm. Ech hu moies am Stau gestanen.
Lisa: Oh, dat ass net flott. Ech sinn um halwer aacht komm, well ech fréi erwächt sinn.
Tom: Hues du schon e Kaffi gedronk?
Lisa: Jo, ech hu schon dräi Kaffi gedronk! Ech sinn immens midd.
Tom: Ech och. Wëlls du mëttes mat mir an d’Kantin iesse goen?
Lisa: Jo, gären. Um zwielef Auer?
Tom: Perfekt. Bis dann!
Lisa: Bis dann!

22. Describing Your Daily Schedule

Example 1: Working Person

Moies stinn ech um sechs Auer op. Ech huelen eng Dusch an duerno drénken ech Kaffi. Um siwen Auer fueren ech op d’Aarbecht. Ech schaffen vun aacht bis zwielef Auer, dann hunn ech Mëttespaus. Um eng Auer fänken ech nees un ze schaffen bis fënnef Auer. Duerno fueren ech heem. Owes kachen ech eppes a kucken e bëssen Tëlee. Um zéng Auer ginn ech schlofen.

Example 2: Student

Moies erwächen ech um halwer siwen. Ech stinn op, duschen a fréistécken. Um aacht Auer ginn ech an d’Schoul. Mëttes iessen ech an der Schoulkantine. Um véier Auer kommen ech heem a maachen meng Hausaufgaben. Owes iessen ech mat menger Famill. Duerno liesen ech e Buch oder kucken Tëlee. Um halwer zéng ginn ech schlofen.

23. Time-Based Questions and Answers

24. Applying for a Job - Time Schedule Discussion

Interviewer: Gudde Moien, Här Müller. Loosst eis iwwert d’Aarbechtszäite schwätzen.
Applicant: Gären. Wat sinn déi normal Aarbechtszäiten?
Interviewer: Mir fänken um néng Auer un a schaffe bis halwer sechs.
Applicant: Wéi laang ass d’Mëttespaus?
Interviewer: D’Mëttespaus ass vun zwielef bis eng Auer.
Applicant: Muss een och samschdes schaffen?
Interviewer: Nee, nëmme méindes bis freides.
Applicant: A wéi vill Deeg Vakanz huet een?
Interviewer: 26 Deeg pro Joer, plus d’Feierdeeg.
Applicant: Dat kléngt gutt. Wéini kéint ech ufänken?
Interviewer: Dir kéint den éischte September ufänken.

25. Weekly Schedule Template

26. Common Time Expressions in Context

Morning routine:

• Moies fréi (early in the morning): Moies fréi huelen ech eng Dusch.
• Virun der Aarbecht (before work): Virun der Aarbecht drénken ech Kaffi.
• No der Dusch (after the shower): No der Dusch fréistécken ech.

During the day:

• Während der Aarbecht (during work): Während der Aarbecht telefonéieren ech mat Klienten.
• An der Mëttesstonn (during lunch hour): An der Mëttesstonn treffen ech meng Kollegen.
• No der Aarbecht (after work): No der Aarbecht ginn ech heem.

Evening activities:

• Virum Iessen (before dinner): Virum Iessen kucken ech d’Noriichten.
• No dem Iessen (after dinner): No dem Iessen liesen ech e Buch.
• Virum Schlofen goen (before going to sleep): Virum Schlofen goen drénken ech eng Taass Téi.

27. Expressing Duration

Common Errors and Self-Assessment Quiz

28. Avoiding Common Mistakes

Time Expression Errors

Sentence Structure Errors

Verb Conjugation Errors

29. Self-Assessment Quiz

Part 1: Verb Conjugations

Fill in the correct form of the verb:

1. Ech ________ (iessen) moies eng Schmier.
2. Du ________ (fueren) mat dem Bus.
3. Hien ________ (goen) all Dag schwammen.
4. Mir ________ (huelen) eng Dusch.
5. Dir ________ (schaffen) vill.
6. Si ________ (schlofen) gutt.

Part 2: Time Expressions

Write these times in Luxembourgish:

7. 6:15 = ______________________
8. 7:30 = ______________________
9. 8:45 = ______________________
10. 9:20 = ______________________
11. 10:40 = ______________________
12. 11:25 = ______________________

Part 3: Sentence Structures

Rewrite these sentences using the indicated structure:

13. Ech drénke moies Kaffi. (Question) ______________________
14. Si fiert op d’Aarbecht. (Time first: um 8 Auer) ______________________
15. Hien duscht. (Perfect tense) ______________________
16. Mir ginn akafen. (Question) ______________________
17. Dir schafft vill. (Time first: owes) ______________________

Part 4: Complete the Daily Routine Dialogue

Fill in the blanks with appropriate phrases:

A: Moien! Wéi geet et?
B: __________________ (Answer the greeting)

A: Wéini stees du normalerweis op?
B: __________________ (Say you wake up at 6:30)

A: __________________ (Ask what they do in the morning)
B: Moies drénken ech Kaffi a liesen d’Zeitung.

A: __________________ (Ask at what time they go to work)
B: Ech fueren um aacht Auer op d’Aarbecht.

A: Wéini hues du Mëttespaus?
B: __________________ (Say you have lunch break at 12:30)

30. Answer Key

Part 1:

1. iessen
2. fiers
3. geet
4. huelen
5. schafft
6. schlofen

Part 2:

7. Et ass Véierel op sechs. / Véierel op sechs.
8. Et ass halwer aacht. / Halwer aacht.
9. Et ass Véierel fir néng. / Véierel fir néng.
10. Et ass zwanzeg op néng. / Zwanzeg op néng.
11. Et ass zwanzeg vir eelef. / Zwanzeg vir eelef.
12. Et ass fënnef vir halwer zwielef. / Fënnef vir halwer zwielef.

Part 3:

13. Drénks du moies Kaffi?
14. Um 8 Auer fiert si op d’Aarbecht.
15. Hien huet geduscht.
16. Gitt dir akafen?
17. Owes schafft dir vill.

Part 4:

• Moien! Et geet gutt, merci. An dir?
• Ech stinn um halwer siwen op.
• Wat méchs du moies virun der Aarbecht?
• Um wéi vill Auer fiers du op d’Aarbecht?
• Ech hunn um halwer eng Mëttespaus.

Advanced Vocabulary and Cultural Context

31. Extended Vocabulary for Daily Routines

Morning Grooming and Preparation

Work-Related Activities

Household Tasks

Evening and Leisure Activities

32. Advanced Time Expressions

Frequency Expressions

Temporal Relationships

33. Luxembourg Cultural Context

The Luxembourg Workday

In Luxembourg, the typical workday follows a structured pattern that reflects both traditional European work habits and the country’s multicultural influences. The workday typically begins between 8:00 and 9:00 am and ends between 5:00 and 6:00 pm, with a lunch break that can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the workplace.

Luxembourg has a strong work-life balance culture. While many offices maintain the traditional 40-hour workweek, there is an increasing trend toward flexible working hours (Gleitzeit) and remote work options (Tele-Aarbecht).

Multilingual Daily Life

One of the most distinctive aspects of Luxembourg’s culture is its multilingualism. Throughout the day, Luxembourgers typically switch between:

• Luxembourgish (Lëtzebuergesch): Often used for informal conversations with colleagues, at shops, and with friends
• French: Commonly used in restaurants, many workplaces, and government services
• German: Used in some media, education, and certain business contexts
• English: Increasingly common in international businesses and the financial sector

A typical Luxembourger might order morning coffee in Luxembourgish, have a business meeting in French, read news in German, and watch evening entertainment in English.

Meal Patterns

Luxembourg’s daily meal schedule follows continental European patterns:

• Moiesiessen (Breakfast): Usually light, consisting of bread, cheese, cold cuts, or cereal
• Mëttegiessen (Lunch): The main meal of the day for many, can be substantial and is taken between 12:00 and 2:00 pm
• Kaffidrénken (Coffee break): Often around 4:00 pm, might include a small sweet
• Owesiessen (Dinner): Typically lighter than lunch, served between 6:30 and 8:00 pm

Lunch is considered an important meal and is rarely skipped. Many workers eat at company canteens, restaurants, or return home for lunch if they live nearby.

Transport Patterns

Luxembourg is known for being the first country to make all public transportation free nationwide. This influences daily commuting patterns:

• Ëffentlechen Transport (Public transport): Trains, buses, and the tram in Luxembourg City are heavily used for commuting
• Vëlo (Bicycle): Increasingly popular, with dedicated lanes in many areas
• Auto (Car): Still commonly used, though traffic congestion can be significant during rush hours
• Zu Fouss (Walking): Common for short distances, especially in town centers

Many cross-border workers (Grenzgänger) commute daily from France, Belgium, and Germany, significantly affecting morning and evening traffic patterns.

34. Pronunciation Guide for Time Expressions

Numbers and Hours

• eng (one): Pronounced like “eng” with a nasal ending
• zwou (two, feminine): Pronounced “tsvou” with a long ‘ou’ sound
• dräi (three): Pronounced “dry” (similar to English “dry”)
• véier (four): Pronounced “fay-er” with emphasis on first syllable
• fënnef (five): Pronounced “fun-ef” with a short ‘u’ sound
• sechs (six): Pronounced “zeks” with a hard ‘k’ sound at the end
• siwen (seven): Pronounced “zee-ven” with a soft ‘v’
• aacht (eight): Pronounced “aaht” with a long ‘a’ and silent ‘ch’
• néng (nine): Pronounced “neng” with a nasal ending
• zéng (ten): Pronounced “tseng” with a nasal ending
• eelef (eleven): Pronounced “ay-lef”
• zwielef (twelve): Pronounced “tsvee-lef”

Key Time Words

• Auer (hour/o’clock): Pronounced “ou-er” with a diphthong
• halwer (half): Pronounced “hal-ver” with a slight ‘v’ sound
• Véierel (quarter): Pronounced “fay-er-el” with emphasis on first syllable
• op (past): Pronounced like English “op”
• fir (to): Pronounced similar to English “fear”
• vir (before): Pronounced similar to English “fear”
• Minutten (minutes): Pronounced “mi-noo-ten”
• moies (morning): Pronounced “moy-es” with a diphthong
• mëttes (noon): Pronounced “mut-es” with a short ‘u’
• owes (evening): Pronounced “oh-ves” with a slight ‘v’ sound

35. Comparison with Neighboring Languages

Time Expressions

Daily Activities

Similarities and Differences

Luxembourgish is most closely related to German while incorporating some French influences:

• The “halwer” system for half hours is similar to German “halb” but different from French and English
• Many vocabulary words have Germanic origins but often with distinctive Luxembourgish pronunciation
• Word order follows German patterns more closely than French or English
• Some French loanwords appear, particularly in formal or professional contexts