German for English speakers School · Lesson 1

Asking age + where from

Ask age in German — Wie alt bist du? (How old are you?) — using sein for age, not haben.

Conversation

  1. Lindo Lindo

    Wie alt bist du?

    How old are you?

    Tip: <alt sein> lit. means ‘to be old’

  2. Pishi Pishi

    Ich bin drei Jahre alt.

    I'm 3 years old.

  3. Lindo Lindo

    Woher kommst du?

    Where are you from?

    Tip: You can also say <wo kommst du her>. Either version is okay.

  4. Pishi Pishi

    Ich bin Franzose und komme aus Paris.

    I'm French, from Paris.

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How do you ask 'how old are you?' in German?

Wie alt bist du? (informal) or Wie alt sind Sie? (formal). Literally 'how old are you?'.

How do you state your age?

Ich bin + age + Jahre alt: Ich bin 30 Jahre alt or just Ich bin 30. Different from Spanish/French (which use 'have').

How do you say where you're from?

Ich komme aus + place: Ich komme aus Deutschland (I'm from Germany). Woher kommst du? = 'where are you from?'.

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