It’s what happens in schools, lessons, and training rooms—the transfer of knowledge from one person to another. In German, it’s der Unterricht. This is your German word of the day, and it’s your go-to word for class time, formal lessons, and structured learning.

The noun Unterricht means class, lesson, or instruction, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. You’ll see it in school schedules, language courses, and professional training settings.

It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Unterricht (still figuring out gender? Our video lesson makes it finally click).

Pronunciation

Unterricht is pronounced [OON-ter-rikht].

• Un like “oon,”

• ter like “ter” in teacher,

• richt ends with a sharp “kht,” as in icht,

• Stress is on the first syllable: UN-ter-richt

It sounds structured and formal—just like a school day.

Example sentences:

Der Unterricht beginnt um acht Uhr.
Class starts at eight o’clock.

Wir hatten heute keinen Unterricht.
We didn’t have any class today.

Nuance and usage tips

Unterricht refers to any structured, formal teaching session. It can apply to:

• School –
  Matheunterricht, Deutschunterricht

• Private lessons –
  Gitarrenunterricht – guitar lessons

• Professional training –
  Erste-Hilfe-Unterricht – first aid instruction

Important note: Unterricht is an uncountable noun. You don’t say “ein Unterricht” or “drei Unterrichte.” Instead, you’d say:

• eine Unterrichtsstunde – one class hour

• zwei Stunden Unterricht – two hours of class

Other phrases:

• am Unterricht teilnehmen – to attend class

• Unterricht geben – to teach

• Unterricht haben – to have class

How does this word come up in real conversations?

You’ll hear Unterricht all the time in schools, language programs, and job training:

“Wann hast du wieder Unterricht?” – When do you have class again?
“Der Unterricht fällt heute aus.” – Class is canceled today.
“Ich gebe Nachhilfeunterricht in Englisch.” – I give English tutoring.

Even outside of education, it’s used metaphorically for learning processes.

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Nina: Wie war dein Unterricht heute?
Elias: Ganz okay. Wir haben Grammatik gemacht.
Nina: Schon wieder?
Elias: Ja. Aber diesmal hab ich’s verstanden!

Nina: How was your class today?
Elias: Pretty good. We did grammar.
Nina: Again?
Elias: Yeah. But this time I understood it!

Grammatical case examples:

Nominative:
Der Unterricht dauert 90 Minuten.
The class lasts 90 minutes.

Accusative:
Ich liebe den Unterricht bei Frau Klein.
I love class with Mrs. Klein.

Dative:
Im Unterricht darf man nicht essen.
You’re not allowed to eat during class.

Genitive:
Der Inhalt des Unterrichts war anspruchsvoll.
The content of the class was challenging.

Masculine case pattern: der, den, dem, des

Word variations and language tidbits

Useful compounds and expressions:

• Unterrichtsstunde – class period

• Schulunterricht – school instruction

• Fernunterricht – remote learning

• Einzelunterricht – one-on-one lessons

• Nachhilfeunterricht – tutoring

• Unterrichtsmaterialien – teaching materials

Cultural note: In Germany, der Unterricht is typically divided into 45-minute segments called Unterrichtsstunden. School kids usually have 5–7 per day.

📘 Duden entry
🎥 Want to learn German the smart way? Our free video course teaches you the top 1000 German nouns—with visuals, grammar tips, and real-world examples to make them stick.

Ready for more German Words of the Day?
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What about Unterschied? That one’s what makes two things not quite the same.