Breakdown of Tillykke! Hvor gammel er du nu?
være
to be
du
you
nu
now
gammel
old
tillykke
congratulations; happy birthday
hvor
how (+ adjective: how old, how far)
Questions & Answers about Tillykke! Hvor gammel er du nu?
I thought hvor meant "where". Why does it translate to "how" in this sentence?
You are right! By itself, hvor usually means "where". However, when you put it right in front of an adjective like gammel (old), it changes to mean "how". So hvor gammel translates perfectly to "how old".
Is Tillykke only used for birthdays?
Tillykke simply means "congratulations". Because Danes don't have a direct, common translation for the exact phrase "Happy Birthday", they just say congratulations! You will hear it at birthdays, but also at weddings, graduations, or any time you want to celebrate someone's good news.
Why is the word order er du (are you) instead of du er (you are)?
In Danish questions that start with a question word or phrase like Hvor gammel, the verb must come immediately after that question phrase. This swaps the normal order, giving us the verb er followed by the subject du.
Would gammel change if I were asking multiple people how old they are?
Yes! Danish adjectives need to match the number of people you are describing. If you were asking a group of people, you would use the plural "you" which is I, and the plural form of the adjective: Hvor gamle er I nu?
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