Saying your age
Sein Alter sagen
- Asking somebody's age
- Say how old you are and when your birthday is
- Position of the verb in the sentence
Learn to ask and tell your age and birthday in German with key phrases like "Wie alt bist du?" (How old are you?) and "Ich bin 30 Jahre alt." (I am 30 years old), plus vocabulary on celebrations such as "der Geburtstag" (birthday) and "die Party" (party).
Vocabulary (16) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Assign the following words to the two appropriate categories.
Alter und Angaben zum Alter
Geburtstag und Feiern
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Jung
Young
2
Der Kuchen
The cake
3
Alt
Old
4
Feiern
To celebrate
5
Ich bin ... Jahre alt.
I am ... years old.
Übung 5: Conversation exercise
Anleitung:
- Say the name and age of each person in the image. (Say the name and age of each person in the image.)
- Say your own age. (Say your own age.)
- Ask the others about their age. (Ask the others about their age.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Die Frau heißt Hannah und sie ist zweiunddreißig Jahre alt. The woman's name is Hannah and she is thirtytwo years old. |
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Das Mädchen ist siebzehn Jahre alt. The girl is seventeen years old. |
|
Das Kind ist sechs Jahre alt. The child is six years old. |
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Die Großmutter ist neunundachtzig Jahre alt. The grandmother is eightynine years old. |
|
Ich bin dreißig Jahre alt. I am thirty years old. |
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Wie alt bist du? How old are you? |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. ___ alt bist du?
(___ old are you?)2. Ich ___ 30 Jahre alt.
(I ___ 30 years old.)3. Wir ___ deinen Geburtstag im Juli.
(We ___ your birthday in July.)4. Ich ___ das Geschenk vor.
(I ___ the gift.)Exercise 8: My Birthday Is Celebrated
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Werden - to become
Präsens
- ich werde
- du wirst
- er/sie/es wird
- wir werden
- ihr werdet
- sie/Sie werden
Vorbereiten - to prepare
Präsens
- ich bereite
- du bereitest
- er/sie/es bereitet
- wir bereiten
- ihr bereitet
- sie/Sie bereiten
Feiern - to celebrate
Präsens
- ich feiere
- du feierst
- er/sie/es feiert
- wir feiern
- ihr feiert
- sie/Sie feiern
Sein - to be
Präteritum
- ich war
- du warst
- er/sie/es war
- wir waren
- ihr wart
- sie/Sie waren
Sein - to be
Präsens
- ich bin
- du bist
- er/sie/es ist
- wir sind
- ihr seid
- sie/Sie sind
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Werden to become Share Copied!
prasens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) werde | I become |
| (du) wirst | you become |
| (er/sie/es) wird | he/she/it becomes |
| (wir) werden | we become |
| (ihr) werdet | you become |
| (sie) werden | they become |
Feiern to celebrate Share Copied!
prasens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) feiere | I celebrate |
| (du) feierst | You celebrate |
| (er/sie/es) feiert | he/she/it celebrates |
| (wir) feiern | we celebrate |
| (ihr) feiert | you celebrate |
| (sie) feiern | they celebrate |
Vorbereiten to prepare Share Copied!
prasens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) bereite vor | I prepare |
| (du) bereitest vor | You prepare |
| (er/sie/es) bereitet vor | he/she/it prepares |
| (wir) bereiten vor | we prepare |
| (ihr) bereitet vor | you prepare |
| (sie) bereiten vor | they prepare |
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Introduction to Saying Your Age and Talking About Birthdays in German
This lesson covers how to talk about your age and birthdays, including asking about and stating these details. It's designed for beginners at the A1 level and focuses on simple sentence construction with verbs in their correct positions.
Key Grammar Focus: Verb Position in Sentences
German sentence structure places the verb in the second position in main clauses. For example:
- Wie alt bist du? (How old are you?)
- Ich bin 25 Jahre alt. (I am 25 years old.)
Notice how the verb bist comes right after the question word Wie alt, and in the answer, bin follows the subject Ich.
Useful Vocabulary
- das Alter – the age
- alt – old
- jung – young
- Ich bin ... Jahre alt. – I am ... years old.
- Wie alt bist du? – How old are you?
- der Geburtstag – the birthday
- die Party – the party
- der Kuchen – the cake
- Herzlichen Glückwunsch! – Congratulations! (commonly used for happy birthdays)
Common Phrases and Dialogues
You'll find useful phrases for different situations such as in the office, at a party, or meeting someone in a café. Sample questions:
- Hallo! Wie alt bist du? – Hello! How old are you?
- Wann hast du Geburtstag? – When is your birthday?
- Ich bin 30 Jahre alt. – I am 30 years old.
- Mein Geburtstag ist im Mai. – My birthday is in May.
Verb Conjugation Practice
The lesson includes exercises focusing on conjugating common verbs such as sein (to be), feiern (to celebrate), and vorbereiten (to prepare). Understanding verb forms in context is essential.
Short Story for Practice
The mini story "Mein Geburtstag wird gefeiert" uses present and past tenses to describe a birthday celebration, reinforcing vocabulary and verb conjugations in a natural context.
Notes on Language Differences
Unlike English, which usually structures questions with auxiliary verbs (e.g., "How old are you?"), German often places the verb directly after the question word without auxiliary verbs. Also, to say "I am 25 years old," German uses "Ich bin 25 Jahre alt." literally "I am 25 years old," adding the adjective alt for "old." One useful phrase is Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag! which means "Happy Birthday!" but directly translates as "Heartfelt congratulations on the birthday!"
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