Breakdown of Meine Nichte ist sechs Jahre alt.
sein
to be
alt
old
das Jahr
the year
sechs
six
mein
my
die Nichte
the niece
Questions & Answers about Meine Nichte ist sechs Jahre alt.
Why is it Jahre and not Jahren here? I feel like I constantly see Jahren used with ages.
Jahre is the regular plural of the neuter noun Jahr. You add an extra -n to make Jahren only when it is in the dative plural case. For example, if you say mit sechs Jahren (at six years of age), the preposition mit triggers the dative case. Here, there is no dative trigger, so it uses the standard plural Jahre.
What is the male equivalent of Nichte, and does it follow the same grammar rules?
The German word for nephew is Neffe. However, unlike the feminine noun Nichte, Neffe is a weak masculine noun. This means it belongs to the n-declension group and takes an -n ending (becoming Neffen) in the accusative, dative, and genitive cases.
Is it possible to drop Jahre alt and just say the number?
Yes! Just like in English, you can naturally say Meine Nichte ist sechs in everyday conversation. Adding Jahre alt is optional, exactly like adding years old in English.
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