Zahlen und Alter
Yesterday you learned to say who you are. Today: how old you are, and the numbers you'll need constantly in Germany - phone numbers, prices, your Anmeldung appointment time, your street address.
Full table: Reference - Numbers. Read it out loud once before continuing - hearing yourself say them matters more than reading them silently.
English says "twenty-one." German says einundzwanzig - literally "one-and-twenty." The units digit comes first, then und ("and"), then the tens:
21 = einundzwanzig · 35 = fünfunddreißig · 58 = achtundfünfzig
This is the single biggest source of mixed-up phone numbers and addresses for beginners. When you hear a German number spoken aloud, expect the units first.
A: Wie alt bist du?
B: Ich bin dreißig Jahre alt. Und du?
A: Ich bin einunddreißig.
Note: you can drop "Jahre alt" in the reply once the topic is established - Ich bin einunddreißig is enough.
1. Write the number 21 in German (one word).
2. Write the number 47 in German (one word).
3. Formal "How old are you?" - Wie alt ______ Sie?
4. "I am 15 years old." - Ich bin ______ Jahre alt.
5. Write the number 13 in German (one word).
Numbers and age phrasing cross-checked against the official Goethe-Zertifikat A1 Wortliste.
Want to drill numbers out loud - phone numbers, prices, your birth year? Ask your teaching agent to quiz you live.