Zeit vs. mal
While the German words Zeit and Mal can both be translated as "time", they describe fundamentally different concepts and are not interchangeable. Zeit refers to time as a continuous concept or duration, whereas Mal refers to a specific, countable instance or occasion.
Zeit
A1Zeit is used to talk about time as a general, uncountable concept, a specific point in time, or a duration. It often answers the questions "When?" or "For how long?".
Ich habe leider keine Zeit.
(Unfortunately, I don't have any time.)
Es ist Zeit für das Abendessen.
(It is time for dinner.)
Die Zeit vergeht so schnell.
(Time passes so quickly.)
In der heutigen Zeit ist alles digital.
(In modern times, everything is digital.)
Wie viel Zeit brauchen wir für die Fahrt?
(How much time do we need for the drive?)
Das war eine wirklich schöne Zeit.
(That was a really wonderful time.)
Mal
A1Mal is used to denote a specific instance, occurrence, or repetition. It is countable and often answers the question "How many times?".
Das ist das erste Mal, dass ich hier bin.
(This is the first time that I am here.)
Ich habe dich gestern drei Mal angerufen.
(I called you three times yesterday.)
Nächstes Mal bringe ich einen Kuchen mit.
(Next time I will bring a cake.)
Kannst du das bitte noch ein Mal wiederholen?
(Can you please repeat that one more time?)
Manchmal muss man einfach geduldig sein.
(Sometimes you just have to be patient.)
Summary
In essence, use Zeit when you are talking about the uncountable flow or amount of time, like a duration or the abstract concept. Use Mal when you are referring to a countable, specific occasion or a repetition. If you can replace "time" with "occasion" or put a number in front of it (like one time, two times), you almost always need to use Mal.