wie alt du bist
The German phrase for "how old you are" is wie alt du bist.
This phrase is used to refer to a person's age within an indirect question or a statement. When you want to say someone is a certain number of years old, you can use the phrase Jahre alt.
Which one should you use?
The phrase wie alt du bist is used for statements and indirect questions, whereas Wie alt bist du? is the correct word order used when asking a direct question.
How does it change in a sentence?
In German, when using this phrase in indirect questions or subordinate clauses, the verb bist moves to the end of the phrase. Depending on who you are addressing, the form changes: use wie alt Sie sind for formal situations and wie alt ihr seid when addressing a group of people informally.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the construction Ich habe … Jahre to express your age, as it is not a natural way to speak in German.
Did you know?
- The word du is a direct cognate of the archaic English word 'thou'.
Examples in context
- Sag mir, wie alt du bist!Tell me how old you are.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase in an imperative context.Tatoeba #11712762 by Yorwba, translation #6403827 by CK
- Ich weiß, wie alt du bist.I know how old you are.This sentence shows how the phrase works within a statement.Tatoeba #7917155 by Luiaard, translation #252682 by CK
- Es ist egal, wie alt du bist.It doesn't matter how old you are.This sentence demonstrates the use of the phrase in a subordinate clause.Tatoeba #8210496 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #3390831 by Hybrid
- Ich bin 30 Jahre alt.I am 30 years old.
- Ich habe mein 40. Lebensjahr vollendet.I have completed my 40th year of life.
- Wie alt bist du?How old are you?
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Lukas are filling out a registration form for a sports club.
- SarahLukas, ich weiß nicht, wie alt du bist.Lukas, I don't know how old you are.
- LukasIch bin zweiundzwanzig Jahre alt.I am twenty-two years old.
- SarahDanke, jetzt kann ich es eintragen.Thanks, now I can enter it.
- LukasKein Problem, Sarah.No problem, Sarah.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alt, bist, du, wie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
