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
das Jahr
year
Used to indicate the age of a person or the age of something.
EXAMPLE
Mein Sohn ist jetzt vier Jahre alt.
My son is now four years old.
das Jahr
year
A period of 12 months that relates to a particular activity, such as a school year or fiscal year.
EXAMPLE
Das akademische Jahr beginnt im Oktober.
The academic year begins in October.
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 Kalenderjahr
calendar year
Ein Jahr is generally a period of twelve months and can begin on any date. Ein Kalenderjahr is exactly the period from January 1 to December 31. For a duration beginning in April, Jahr is appropriate; for a fixed calendar period, Kalenderjahr is appropriate.
Jahr
Die Aktion läuft ab April ein Jahr.
The promotion runs for a year starting in April.
Kalenderjahr
Die Aktion läuft über das gesamte Kalenderjahr 2025.
The promotion runs throughout the entire 2025 calendar year.
In real life
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