01
das Jahr
year
A period of 12 months or approximately 365 days.
example
Das nächste Jahr wird hoffentlich besser als dieses.
Next year will hopefully be better than this one.
das Jahr
year
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Part of time expressions
The word 'Jahr' (year) is a basic building block for many other time expressions. You find it in words such as 'Jahrzehnt' (decade, 10 years), 'Jahrhundert' (century, 100 years), and 'Jahreszeit' (season).
EXAMPLE
Die Mode der 80er Jahre ist wieder populär.
The fashion of the 80s is popular again.
Typical time expressions
For time expressions, 'Jahr' (year) is often used with prepositions or in the genitive. Typical expressions are 'im Jahr' (in the year), 'Anfang/Mitte/Ende des Jahres' (at the beginning/middle/end of the year), or 'jedes Jahr' (every year).
EXAMPLE
Jedes Jahr im Winter besuchen wir unsere Großeltern.
Every year in winter we visit our grandparents.
Stating age
To state age, you use the fixed structure '... Jahre alt sein' (to be ... years old). Here, 'Jahre' is always in the plural, except with 'ein Jahr alt' (one year old).
EXAMPLE
Der Hund ist schon 10 Jahre alt.
The dog is already 10 years old.
Specific periods
To describe a specific type of year, 'Jahr' (year) is often used as the second part of a compound noun. Examples are 'das Schuljahr' (school year), 'das Geschäftsjahr' (fiscal year), or 'das Kalenderjahr' (calendar year).
EXAMPLE
Das neue Schuljahr bringt einige Änderungen mit sich.
The new school year brings some changes with it.
Compare with
Jahr vs Alter
age
'das Jahr' and 'das Alter' are connected when you say how old someone or something is. 'Jahr' is the unit: you count in years. 'Alter' is the information, or the question, about how many years someone or something has existed. Learners may confuse the words because when talking about age, you often mention 'Jahre'. But you say: 'Sie ist zehn Jahre alt' (She is ten years old) and 'Ihr Alter ist zehn Jahre' (Her age is ten years). So 'Jahr' by itself is not the same as 'Alter'.
Jahr
Meine Tochter ist seit der Feier fünf Jahre alt.
Since the celebration, my daughter has been five years old.
Alter
Dein Alter steht auf dem Formular neben deinem Namen.
Your age is on the form next to your name.
In real life
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