of legal age
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of legal age
Having reached the legally defined age at which one is considered an adult and has all civil rights and obligations (18 years old in Germany).
Sobald du volljährig bist, darfst du den Mietvertrag selbst unterschreiben.
As soon as you are of legal age, you may sign the rental contract yourself.
The adjective is composed of 'voll' (full) and 'jährig' (derived from 'das Jahr', year). It literally means that someone has reached the 'full years' required by law for legal adulthood.
Mit 18 Jahren wird man in Deutschland volljährig.
At 18, you become of legal age in Germany.
'Volljährig' (of legal age) is almost always used in connection with the verbs 'sein' (to be, state) or 'werden' (to become, process). It describes a characteristic of a person.
Mein Bruder ist schon volljährig, ich noch nicht.
My brother is already of legal age; I am not yet.
This word is a legal term. It is inseparably connected with the rights and obligations one has as an adult, such as voting, driving a car, or entering into contracts.
Als volljährige Person sind Sie für Ihre Handlungen selbst verantwortlich.
As a person of legal age, you are responsible for your own actions.
adult
'der Erwachsene' and 'volljährig' both have to do with a person's age. 'der Erwachsene' is a noun and refers to a person who is no longer a child or teenager. 'volljährig' is an adjective and mainly refers to the legal status someone has from a certain age, usually from age 18 in Germany. The words can be confused because people who are 'volljährig' are often considered adults. A practical rule is: for the person, say 'ein Erwachsener' (an adult); for the legal status, say 'volljährig' (of legal age).
Nach ihrem Geburtstag ist Lena volljährig und darf den Vertrag selbst unterschreiben.
After her birthday, Lena is of legal age and may sign the contract herself.
Bei dem Kurs muss jedes Kind von einem Erwachsenen begleitet werden.
In the course, every child must be accompanied by an adult.