Methods and devices for locating partial discharges in electric cables with a high-voltage source coupled to the cable to be tested, a decoupling unit connected to an end of the cable and a data-processing system that is connected via a sensor unit to the decoupling unit and that detects a partial discharge or partial discharges when they exist from the sensor signals. The methods and devices particularly distinguish themselves by a short evaluation duration for the locating process. This is done by detecting events, parameterizing the events identified as pulses, formation of pairs of the events identified as pulses and parameterized, classification of the event pairs, assignment of a partial discharge from the classification and determination of the location of the partial discharge(s) from the different in transit times between the respective partial discharge and its accompanying reflection.