When talking about age in Icelandic, the structure is very similar to English. Instead of using the verb "to have" like many other European languages, Icelandic uses the verb vera (to be).
Stating your age
To say exactly how old someone is, use the conjugated form of vera, followed by the numeral, and then the word ára (years old).
Structure: vera + [number] + ára
| The age is just a number, but I am fifty years old. | Aldurinn er bara tala, en ég er fimmtíu ára. |
| My grandfather is eighty years old, but he is very healthy and active. | Afi minn er áttatíu ára, en hann er mjög heilbrigður og virkur. |
This structure works in any tense. If you are talking about the past, simply conjugate vera in the past tense.
| We met when I was twenty years old. | Við hittumst þegar ég var tuttugu ára. |
Talking about generations and retirement
As we discuss age, you will also learn useful vocabulary for describing different phases of life, such as retirement (eftirlaunin) and different generations (kynslóðin). Notice how these adjectives and nouns behave in context.
| This generation is very active. | Þessi kynslóð er mjög virk. |
| I want to find a new hobby for the retirement. | Mig langar að finna nýtt áhugamál fyrir eftirlaunin. |
| The woman who works here is seventy years old and very experienced. | Konan sem vinnur hér er sjötíu ára og mjög reynd. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io