Learn how to ask about someone's age
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| Eric: Welcome to 3-Minute German Season 1, Lesson 8 - Talking about your age. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask somebody’s age and to say yours in German. |
| Body |
| Eric: Here's the informal way to ask 'How old are you?' in German. |
| Albert: [Normal] Wie alt bist du? |
| Eric: First is a word meaning 'how' |
| Albert: [Normal] wie [Slow] wie |
| Eric: Next is the word meaning 'old' |
| Albert: [Normal] alt [Slow] alt |
| Eric: Next is the word meaning 'are' |
| Albert: [Normal] bist [Slow] bist |
| Eric: Last is the word meaning 'you’ (informal) |
| Albert: [Normal] du [Slow] du |
| Eric: Note the rising intonation. Listen again to the informal question meaning 'How old are you?' |
| Albert: [Slow] Wie alt bist du? [Normal] Wie alt bist du? |
| Eric: Now, imagine you're speaking to a stranger. Here's the formal way to ask, 'How old are you?' |
| Albert: [Normal] Wie alt sind Sie? |
| Eric: First is a word 'how' |
| Albert: [Normal] wie [Slow] wie |
| Eric: Next is the word meaning 'old' |
| Albert: [Normal] alt [Slow] alt |
| Eric: Next is the word meaning 'are' |
| Albert: [Normal] sind [Slow] sind |
| Eric: Last is the word meaning 'you’ (formal) |
| Albert: [Normal] Sie [Slow] Sie |
| Eric: Note again the rising intonation. Listen again to the formal question meaning 'How old are you?' |
| Albert: [Slow] Wie alt sind Sie? [Normal] Wie alt sind Sie? |
| Eric: Here's a response meaning 'I am 18.' |
| Albert: [Normal] Ich bin achtzehn. |
| Eric: First is a word meaning 'I' |
| Albert: [Normal] ich [Slow] ich |
| Eric: Next is the word meaning 'am' |
| Albert: [Normal] bin [Slow] bin |
| Eric: Last is the word meaning 'eighteen' |
| Albert: [Normal] achtzehn [Slow] achtzehn |
| Eric: Listen again to the response meaning 'I am 18.' |
| Albert: [Slow] Ich bin achtzehn. [Normal] Ich bin achtzehn. |
| Eric: Here's a response meaning, 'I am 25.' |
| Albert: [Normal] Ich bin fünfundzwanzig. |
| Eric: First is a word meaning 'I' |
| Albert: [Normal] Ich [Slow] Ich |
| Eric: Next is the word meaning 'am' |
| Albert: [Normal] bin [Slow] bin |
| Eric: Last is the word meaning 'twenty-five' |
| Albert: [Normal] fünfundzwanzig [Slow] fünfundzwanzig |
| Eric: Listen again to the response meaning 'I am 25.' |
| Albert: [Slow] Ich bin fünfundzwanzig. [Normal] Ich bin fünfundzwanzig. |
| Cultural Insight |
| Eric: Now it's time for a quick cultural insight. |
| Albert: If you are estimating somebody’s age, you say: |
| “Du bist um die dreißig. “You‘re around 30“. |
| “Du bist um die fünfundzwanzig“, You’re around 25 and so on. |
| It’s okay if you overestimate the other person’s age, but try to get as close as you can! |
Outro |
|---|
| Eric: And that’s all for this lesson. Don’t forget to check out the lesson notes, and we’ll see you in the next lesson! |
Comments
Hide