On time means a few minutes early
Pünktlichkeit
For work, appointments and official meetings, Germans arrive on time or a little early. "Indian Standard Time" does not work here.
If an interview, a doctor's appointment or a meeting starts at 10:00, people arrive at 9:55. Arriving at 10:10 without a message is seen as rude.
If you will be late, send a short message before the start time: „Ich bin leider zehn Minuten später da.“
Private invitations are softer. For dinner at a friend's home, 5 to 15 minutes late is fine. Very early is not: your host may still be cooking.
Trains are the big exception to German punctuality. Deutsche Bahn is often late, and Germans complain about it all the time.
You may hear
Entschuldigung, ich bin leider etwas spät.Sorry, I am a bit late.
India and Germany
In India a time is often a rough idea, especially for social events. In Germany, for anything official, the time on the paper is the time.
German words for this
- pünktlich · on time
- die Verspätung · delay
- der Termin · appointment
- zu spät · too late
This is a custom, not a rule: families and regions differ.
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