alt
/alt/
The English word 'old' translates to German as alt.
The adjective alt is used to describe a living being that has lived for relatively many years.
Meaning: of a living being: having lived for relatively many years (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
While alt is the base form, it must take an inflectional ending such as alte, alten or alter when used as an attributive adjective placed directly before a noun. The specific ending depends on the gender, case and article of that noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/alt/
Did you know?
- In youth slang, the word Alter is used as a noun to mean 'dude' or 'mate' regardless of the person's actual age.
- The word alt appears in the term Altbau, which refers to a specific style of older apartment buildings with high ceilings and thick walls valued in German cities.
- The word alt is a distant relative of the English word 'old' through a shared ancestor meaning 'to grow' or 'to nourish'.
Examples in context
- Er ist zu alt.He's too old.This sentence shows how to use alt to express that someone is too old.Tatoeba #3109251 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1832735 by CH
- Er war zu alt.He was too old.This sentence demonstrates the past tense use of alt to say someone was too old.Tatoeba #9985563 by wolfgangth, translation #8478225 by CH
- Er ist so alt.He's so old.This sentence illustrates the use of alt to express that someone is so old.Tatoeba #11798652 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #8539406 by ET
- Sie ist eine alte Freundin von mir.She is an old friend of mine.
- Das ist ein altes Buch.That is an old book.
- Ich bin älter als meine Schwester.I am older than my sister.
- Er ist älter als du denkst.He is older than you think.
- Dein Auto ist echt altmodisch!Your car is really old-fashioned!
- Wir können uns nicht mehr so altmodisch kleiden.We can't dress so old-fashioned anymore.
- 3125 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Julia are talking about an elderly neighbor.
- LukasIst dein Nachbar sehr alt?Is your neighbor very old?
- JuliaJa, er ist schon sehr alt.Yes, he is already very old.
- LukasWie alt ist er?How old is he?
- JuliaIch glaube, er ist neunzig.I think he is ninety.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “old” translations and entries alt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alt, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
