Alter
/ˈaltər/neuter
The German word for age is Alter.
Alter is a neuter noun used to refer to the amount of time that has passed since the birth of a being or the beginning of a thing. While Alter describes the duration of time lived, the related verb altern refers to the biological process of growing old.
Meaning: amount of time since the birth of a being or the beginning of a thing (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Austria, you may hear the forms Wie alt bist'n? or Wie alt bist'n du? instead of the standard Wie alt bist du?
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As a neuter noun, Alter takes the genitive ending -s, appearing as des Alters (of the age). When used as a prefix in compound words, such as Altersklasse (age group), the connecting element is Alters-. To express how old you are, you use the verb sein, for example Ich bin 25 Jahre alt.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈaltər/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because Alter is a neuter noun, ensure you use the correct neuter articles rather than masculine or feminine ones.
Did you know?
- In youth slang, Alter is used as a versatile exclamation similar to 'dude' or 'mate' to address a friend or express disbelief.
- German uses the word Alter to describe both a person's chronological age and an entire geological or historical epoch.
- The German word Alter is a direct linguistic relative of the English word 'old'.
Examples in context
- Er hat mein Alter.He's my age.This sentence shows how to state someone is the same age as you using Alter.Tatoeba #899096 by Espi, translation #674278 by yessoos
- Ich habe dein Alter.I'm your age.Tatoeba #6404702 by Manfredo, translation #5829209 by CK
- Ich spüre mein Alter.I feel my age.This sentence shows how to express feeling the effects of your age using Alter.Tatoeba #1699044 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #31175 by CK
- Ich bin XX Jahre alt.I am XX years old.
- 409 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Felix are filling out a registration form for a club.
- SarahFelix, bitte schreib hier dein Alter ein.Felix, please write your age here.
- FelixSoll ich das Alter in Jahren angeben?Should I state the age in years?
- SarahJa, das ist für die Versicherung wichtig.Yes, that is important for the insurance.
- FelixAlles klar, ich trage es jetzt ein.All right, I'll enter it now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “age” translations and entries Alter, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Alter, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
