Ему пятьдесят лет.

the year

Breakdown of Ему пятьдесят лет.

• ему: him
• пятьдесят: fifty

Questions & Answers about Ему пятьдесят лет.

Why is it ему and not он?

Because Russian expresses age differently from English.

Literally, Ему пятьдесят лет is closer to To him, there are fifty years than to He is fifty years old.

So Russian uses:

• ему = to him (dative case of он)
• not он = he

This dative structure is standard for saying someone’s age:

• Мне двадцать лет = I am 20.
• Ей тридцать лет = She is 30.
• Им сорок лет = They are 40.

Why is there no verb like is in the sentence?

In the present tense, Russian usually does not use a verb equivalent to is/am/are in simple statements like this.

So where English says:

• He is fifty years old

Russian simply says:

• Ему пятьдесят лет

The linking verb is understood.

But in the past or future, Russian does use a verb:

• Ему было пятьдесят лет = He was 50.
• Ему будет пятьдесят лет = He will be 50.

What does лет mean here, and why is it not годы or года?