year-old / year-long
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year-old
Used almost exclusively together with a number to indicate the age of a person or thing in years.
Für die Teilnahme an dem Kurs muss man mindestens 18-jährig sein.
To participate in the course, you must be at least 18 years old.
year-long
Used together with a number to indicate the duration of something in years.
Nach einer dreijährigen Ausbildung hat sie endlich ihren Abschluss gemacht.
After three years of training, she finally graduated.
The adjective 'jährig' is almost never used on its own. It always combines with a number to form a new adjective indicating age or duration, for example 'zehnjährig' or '10-jährig' (ten-year-old / ten-year).
Sein zehnjähriger Sohn spielt gerne Fußball.
His ten-year-old son likes playing soccer.
'Jährig' comes from the noun 'das Jahr' (the year). The ending '-ig' is a typical German ending used to turn a noun into an adjective.
Nach einer zweijährigen Weltreise kam sie wieder nach Hause.
After a two-year trip around the world, she came back home.
Whether '-jährig' describes an age or a duration can be recognized from the noun. If it refers to a person or living being, it is about age. If it refers to a process, a contract, or a thing, it is about duration.
Meine dreijährige Tochter geht jetzt in den Kindergarten.
My three-year-old daughter now goes to kindergarten.
When the number is written as a digit, you use a hyphen: 'der 5-jährige Junge' (the 5-year-old boy). When the number is written as a word, everything is written together: 'der fünfjährige Junge' (the five-year-old boy).
Das 100-jährige Jubiläum der Stadt wird groß gefeiert.
The city's 100-year anniversary is being celebrated in a big way.
old
For a precise statement of age, “jährig” is typically used with a number directly before a noun. “Alt,” by contrast, is used in the fixed predicative form “Jahre alt.” So you say “ein zehnjähriger Hund” (a ten-year-old dog), but “der Hund ist zehn Jahre alt” (the dog is ten years old).
Meine Nachbarin hat einen zehnjährigen Hund.
My neighbor has a ten-year-old dog.
Der Hund meiner Nachbarin ist zehn Jahre alt.
My neighbor’s dog is ten years old.
