Questions & Answers about Der Mann war achtzig Jahre alt.
How do we form the word for "eighty" (achtzig)?
It is built by taking the number eight (acht) and adding the ending -zig, which is just like adding "-ty" in English (eight + y). Most of the "tens" up to 100 follow this exact same pattern!
How do I pronounce the -ig at the end of achtzig?
In standard German, the -ig at the end of a word is pronounced as a soft "ich" sound (similar to the "h" in the English word "huge"). However, in southern Germany and Austria, you might hear it pronounced as a hard "ik" sound. Both are perfectly fine!
Is war the past tense of ist?
Yes! war means "was". It is the past tense of the verb sein (to be). While spoken German usually uses a two-part past tense for most verbs, sein is a major exception where this short, simple past form (war) is used all the time in everyday speech.
Do Germans use "to be" for age, just like we do in English?
Yes, exactly! While some languages say "I have eighty years", German uses the verb sein (to be) for age. The phrase achtzig Jahre alt translates word-for-word to "eighty years old", making this very easy for English speakers to remember.
Why is there an "e" at the end of Jahre?