Hun er femti i år.

She is fifty this year.

Breakdown of Hun er femti i år.

• være: to be
• hun: she
• i år: this year
• femti: fifty

Questions & Answers about Hun er femti i år.

Why is there no word like old in this sentence?

Norwegian usually states age with å være + a number, so Hun er femti is a normal way to say someone’s age.

You can also say Hun er femti år and, more explicitly, Hun er femti år gammel, but everyday Norwegian often leaves out år and gammel when the meaning is obvious.

What does i år mean here?

I år means this year.

In an age sentence, it places the age within the current year rather than only at this exact moment. So it is talking about her age in the course of this year.

Does this mean she is 50 right now, or that she will turn 50 later this year?

By itself, it can cover either idea, depending on context.

It often means that 50 is her age this year, so she may already have had her birthday, or she may reach that age later in the year. If you want to make the birthday change clearer, Norwegian often uses blir instead: Hun blir femti i år.

Why is er used instead of blir?

Er states the age as a fact: she is fifty this year.

Blir focuses on the change: she turns fifty this year.

So both can be natural, but they are slightly different in emphasis:

• Hun er femti i år = her age this year is 50
• Hun blir femti i år = she will reach 50 this year