der Jahrgang
year group
All people who were born in the same year.
EXAMPLE
Mein Großvater und sein bester Freund waren derselbe Jahrgang.
My grandfather and his best friend were from the same year group.
der Jahrgang
vintage / cohort
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Meanings
der Jahrgang
vintage
All the wine made from the grapes of a particular year.
EXAMPLE
Dieser Rotwein ist ein besonders guter Jahrgang und hat mehrere Preise gewonnen.
This red wine is a particularly good vintage and has won several awards.
der Jahrgang
cohort
All pupils or students who began their education at a school or university in the same year.
EXAMPLE
Der gesamte Jahrgang 2024 feiert heute seinen Abschluss.
The entire 2024 cohort is celebrating its graduation today.
der Jahrgang
annual volume
All issues of a magazine or newspaper that were published within one year.
EXAMPLE
Im Archiv fehlt leider der komplette Jahrgang 1955 dieser Zeitung.
Unfortunately, the complete 1955 annual volume of this newspaper is missing from the archive.
Usage tips
Compound word
The word is made up of 'Jahr' (year) and 'Gang' (course/group). It describes a group or set that belongs to a particular year, like a 'course' of people or products from one year.
EXAMPLE
Der Jahrgang 2020 gilt als exzellent für diesen Winzer.
The 2020 vintage is considered excellent for this winemaker.
Use with a year
Very often, 'Jahrgang' is combined directly with a year to define the group precisely. The year then usually comes directly after the word.
EXAMPLE
Mein Vater ist Jahrgang 1965.
My father was born in 1965.
Context clues
You can always recognize the exact meaning of 'Jahrgang' from the context. Words like 'Wein' (wine), 'Flasche' (bottle), or 'Winzer' (winemaker) point to wine, while 'Schule' (school), 'Klasse' (class), or 'Abschluss' (graduation) refer to students.
EXAMPLE
Der ganze Jahrgang fährt auf Klassenfahrt.
The whole year group is going on a class trip.
Typical adjectives
When referring to people, 'Jahrgang' is often combined with adjectives like 'stark' (strong) or 'schwach' (weak) to describe the size or abilities of the group.
EXAMPLE
In diesem Sport gilt der Jahrgang 2005 als besonders stark.
In this sport, the 2005 year group is considered especially strong.
Typical collocations
In connection with wine, you often hear about a 'guter Jahrgang' (good vintage), 'schlechter Jahrgang' (bad vintage), or 'Spitzenjahrgang' (top vintage). These describe the quality of the wine from a particular harvest year.
EXAMPLE
2018 war in dieser Region ein Spitzenjahrgang für Weißwein.
2018 was a top vintage for white wine in this region.
Compare with
Jahrgang vs Klasse
class
A „Klasse“ is usually a specific group of students who are taught together. A „Jahrgang“ includes all learners who started in the same year and can consist of several classes. „Klasse“ is used for the individual learning group, while „Jahrgang“ refers to the larger group.
Jahrgang
Unser Jahrgang besteht aus drei Klassen mit insgesamt 72 Schülern.
Our cohort consists of three classes with a total of 72 students.
Klasse
In unserer Klasse lernen 24 Schüler gemeinsam.
There are 24 students in our class.
In real life
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