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How to Say ‘Are they older or younger?’ in German

Sind sie älter oder jünger?

zint zee EL-ter OH-der YUNG-er

[zint zee EL-ter OH-der YUNG-er]

💬 Usage Tip: Lowercase sie with sind means "they". Capitalised Sie would be the polite "you", which you can only tell apart in writing.

Phrase Breakdown

Sind sie älter

zint zee EL-ter

Are they older

'Älter' is the comparative of 'alt'. The 'ä' sounds like 'e' in 'bed'.

Example

Sind sie älter als du?

Are they older than you?

Words in this phrase

Sind

[zint]

are

Form of 'sein' meaning 'are' with 'wir.'

Example

Wir sind heute für Sie da.

We are here for you today.

sie

[zee]

they

Refers back to plural nouns like 'Testergebnisse'.

Example

Ja, sie sind heute angekommen.

Yes, they arrived today.

älter

[EL-ter]

older

Comparative form of 'alt' (old), used to compare ages.

Example

Mein Vater ist älter als meine Mutter.

My father is older than my mother.

oder jünger?

OH-der YUNG-er

or younger?

'Jünger' starts with a 'y' sound and has a rounded 'ü'.

Example

Ist er jünger oder älter?

Is he younger or older?

Words in this phrase

oder

[OH-der]

A conjunction used to offer an alternative or ask about another possibility.

Example

Haben Sie Schmerzen oder Oder ist Ihnen kalt?

Do you have pain or is it that you are cold?

jünger

[YUNG-er]

younger

Comparative form of 'jung' (young), used to compare ages.

Example

Ich bin jünger als du.

I am younger than you.

Guides for German learners

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