01
zweijährig
two-year-old
Having an age of two years.
example
Unser Sohn ist jetzt zweijährig und kommt bald in die Kita.
Our son is now two years old and will soon start daycare.
zweijährig
two-year-old / two-year
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word structure
The adjective is formed from the number ('zwei' — two) and the noun ('Jahr' — year) with the ending '-ig.' This structure is very productive and works with many other numbers, e.g. 'dreijährig' (three-year-old/three-year), 'zehnjährig' (ten-year-old/ten-year), or 'einjährig' (one-year-old/one-year).
EXAMPLE
Das Projekt ist auf eine fünfjährige Laufzeit ausgelegt.
The project is designed for a five-year duration.
Context clue
The meaning depends on the context. If the adjective refers to a living being (person, animal), it usually means 'two years old.' If it refers to a process, contract, or thing, it means 'lasting two years.'
EXAMPLE
Mein zweijähriger Hund ist sehr verspielt.
My two-year-old dog is very playful.
Use for age
In the meaning 'two years old,' the adjective is very often used attributively, that is, before a noun. It then describes a characteristic of the person or animal.
EXAMPLE
In der Spielgruppe sind nur zweijährige Kinder.
There are only two-year-old children in the playgroup.
Use for duration
When it describes a duration, the adjective can stand both before a noun (attributively) and after 'sein' (to be, predicatively). It describes the length of a period of time.
EXAMPLE
Nach einer zweijährigen Pause kehrte sie in ihren Beruf zurück.
After a two-year break, she returned to her profession.
Compare with
zweijährig vs einjährig
one-year-old / one-year
'einjährig' and 'zweijährig' look very similar, but they do not mean the same thing. 'einjährig' refers to an age or duration of one year. 'zweijährig' refers to an age of two years or a duration of two years. The words are especially easy to confuse because only the first part is different. So pay attention to the number: 'ein-' stands for one, and 'zwei-' stands for two.
zweijährig
Für das Projekt ist eine zweijährige Ausbildung geplant.
A two-year training program is planned for the project.
einjährig
Das einjährige Kind läuft schon ein paar Schritte allein.
The one-year-old child can already walk a few steps alone.
In real life
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