Questions & Answers about Meine Schwester ist dreizehn Jahre alt.
How are numbers like dreizehn built in German?
They are built by combining the single digit with zehn (ten). For dreizehn, you just put drei (three) and zehn together. It is very similar to how thirteen is formed in English!
Do Germans use the verb to be to talk about age just like in English?
Yes! German matches English perfectly here. You use the verb sein (to be) to say someone ist dreizehn Jahre alt (is thirteen years old).
Why is the word for my spelled meine here instead of mein?
Because Schwester (sister) is a feminine noun. When you use a possessive word like mein before a feminine noun, you have to add an -e to the end, making it meine.
What is the singular form of Jahre?
The singular is das Jahr (the year). Because thirteen is more than one, we use the plural form Jahre, which adds an -e to the end. Notice that Jahre is capitalized because all nouns in German always get a capital letter.