die  Nachspielzeit

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈnaːxˌʃpiːlˌtsaɪt/

⏳ What exactly is die Nachspielzeit?

Die Nachspielzeit (feminine, article: die) refers to the time added to the end of a half of a game (especially in football/soccer, but also in other sports like rugby or field hockey) beyond the regular playing time. It serves to compensate for interruptions during the game (e.g., due to injuries, substitutions, time-wasting).

So, it's the additional time played after the actual playing time has expired. Its duration is determined and indicated by the referee.

⚠️ Do not confuse it with die Verlängerung (extra time), which is played in knockout matches if the score is tied after the regular playing time (including Nachspielzeit).

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar: Die Nachspielzeit in Detail

The word "Nachspielzeit" is a feminine noun. The article is always die.

It is mostly used in the singular. The plural "die Nachspielzeiten" is grammatically correct but less common, referring to the stoppage times of several games or halves.

Example Sentences

• Der Schiedsrichter zeigte fünf Minuten Nachspielzeit an. (The referee indicated five minutes of stoppage time.)
• Das entscheidende Tor fiel erst in der Nachspielzeit. (The deciding goal was scored only in stoppage time.)
• Die vielen Unterbrechungen führten zu einer langen Nachspielzeit. (The many interruptions led to a long period of stoppage time.)
• Die Summe der Nachspielzeiten beider Hälften betrug acht Minuten. (The sum of the stoppage times for both halves was eight minutes.)

⚽ When and how to use "Nachspielzeit"?

The term die Nachspielzeit is almost exclusively found in the context of sports where the clock is not stopped for every interruption (unlike, for example, basketball or ice hockey).

• Main Context: Football (soccer) commentary and reporting (live commentary, match analysis, news).
• Other Sports: Rugby, field hockey, handball (less common).
• Figurative Meaning: Very rarely and rather colloquially, it might be used metaphorically for an unexpected extension of a deadline or situation, but this is uncommon.

One often talks about something happening in der Nachspielzeit (in stoppage time) or that the referee zeigt Nachspielzeit an (indicates stoppage time) or lässt nachspielen (lets play continue for stoppage time).

🧠 Mnemonics for Nachspielzeit

Article Mnemonic: Think of 'die Uhr' (the clock) 🕰️ which keeps running at the end. 'Die Uhr' determines 'die Zeit' (the time), and therefore also 'die Nachspielzeit'. (Feminine)

Meaning Mnemonic: It's the time that comes NACH (after) the main SPIEL (game) – so it's the Nach-Spiel-Zeit (after-game-time). Think of it as being tacked on at the end.

🔄 Similar and Opposite Terms

Beware of Similar Words

• Verlängerung: (Extra time) This is an additional period of play (e.g., 2x15 minutes) that only occurs in knockout competitions if the score is tied after regular time (including Nachspielzeit). 🚨 Not synonymous!
• Spielunterbrechung: (Interruption of play) This is the reason for Nachspielzeit, not the time itself.

😄 A Little Joke

Warum nehmen Fußballspieler einen Stift mit aufs Spielfeld?
Damit sie in der Nachspielzeit noch schnell ein Tor zeichnen können! ✏️🥅

(Why do football players take a pen onto the field?
So they can quickly draw a goal during stoppage time!)

📜 Poem about Nachspielzeit

Die Uhr ist abgelaufen, das Spiel fast aus,
Doch der Vierte Offizielle kommt heraus.
Die Tafel hoch, die Zahl erscheint,
Noch fünf Minuten, hoffnungsvoll man meint.
Die Nachspielzeit, ein letztes Bangen,
Kann das Blatt sich nochmals fangen?
Jeder Pass, ein Herzschlag schnell,
In dieser extra Zeit, so hell und grell.

(The clock has run down, the game almost over,
But the fourth official emerges now.
The board held high, the number shown,
Five more minutes, hope is sown.
Stoppage time, a final dread,
Can the tables still be spread?
Every pass, a heartbeat fast,
In this extra time, so bright and vast.)

❓ Little Riddle

Ich komme erst, wenn die Zeit vorbei ist,
doch gehöre zum Spiel, das ist gewiss.
Mal kurz, mal lang, vom Schiri bedacht,
hab schon manchen Sieg noch gebracht.

Was bin ich?

(I only come when time is over,
but I belong to the game, that's for sure.
Sometimes short, sometimes long, decided by the ref,
I've already brought many a victory left.)

(Solution: die Nachspielzeit / stoppage time)

🤓 Trivia & Origin

Word Composition: The word "Nachspielzeit" is a compound noun, composed of:

• Nach- (Prefix meaning 'after', 'later')
• Spiel (Noun, from 'spielen' - to play)
• Zeit (Noun, meaning 'time')

It literally describes the "time after the game" (meaning: after the regular playing time).

Trivia: The concept of Nachspielzeit originated after a match in England in 1891, where one team deliberately feigned injury to run down the remaining playing time. The rule introduced subsequently was intended to discourage such time-wasting tactics.