This week, we'll look at the German nouns for various age groups, going from youngest to oldest.
The word der Säugling is used not only for humans but also for other mammals. German has also adopted the English loanword das Baby (plural: die Babys). The word das Kleinkind can refer to a young child, typically a toddler, and sometimes an older baby.
Du! Sag einmal, hast du bei dir drüben ein kleines Kind gesehen? Ein Säugling? Ein Baby?
Hey! Tell me, did you see a small child over there? An infant? A baby?
Captions 71-73, Dreieinhalb Stunden: Weiter nach Ost-Berlin
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... Kleinkinder, die aus den Armen ihrer Mütter gerissen wurden.
...small children who were ripped from the arms of their mothers.
Caption 33, Die Stunde der Offiziere: Dokudrama über den 20. Juli 1944
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The word for a child of any age in German is das Kind. Besides die Kleinkinder, here are other compound nouns to designate more specific ages:
Draußen spielen Kinder ganz vergnügt im Schnee
Outside, children are playing so merrily in the snow
Caption 5, Allessa: Zu Weihnachten wünsch ich mir dich
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Für mich ist das wirklich 'n großer Schritt, jetzt keine Kindergartenkinder mehr zu haben, sondern Schulkinder.
For me it's really a big step to no longer have any kindergarten children, but school children instead.
Captions 21-22, Rheinmain im Blick Einschulung Drillinge
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An adolescent is referred to as der/die Jugendliche, and die Jugendlichen is the plural form. This changes when no article is present, as you'll see in the first example. The word for "teenager" is also borrowed from English.
In Deutschland sind Jugendliche ab vierzehn Jahre [sic, Jahren] strafmündig.
In Germany, young people are of the age of criminal responsibility starting at age fourteen.
Caption 32, Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Einbürgerungstest
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Aber, klar, im Geschichtsunterricht hören die Teenager dann oft die Schlagworte wie: DDR [Deutsche Demokratische Republik], Mauer und Stasi [Ministerium für Staatssicherheit].
But, of course, in history class, teenagers then often hear buzzwords like "GDR," "Wall," and "Stasi."
Captions 6-8, Tag der Deutschen Einheit: So denken Deutsche 30 Jahre nach der Wiedervereinigung
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Like the word for adolescent, the word for adult in German is also the same for both genders with a definite article (der/die Erwachsene), but not with an indefinite article (ein Erwachsener, eine Erwachsene). And you can see the same pattern again when it comes to referring to a group.
Kinder und Erwachsene gleichermaßen ziehen sich als Hexen, Geister, Monster oder ihre Lieblingshelden an.
Children and adults alike dress up as witches, ghosts, monsters, or their favorite heroes.
Captions 26-28, Halloween: Grusel, Spaß und Kürbisse
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„An und für sich“ ist sein erstes Album als Erwachsener,
"An und für sich" [In and of itself] is his first album as an adult.
Caption 4, Clueso: ist endlich erwachsen
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Like der Teenager, der Senior, and der Rentner follow the usual pattern for many German nouns referring to people: the masculine form is the base form, and the feminine form is created by adding -in.
Wer fühlt sich denn in der Lage, eine Seniorin oder einen Senior zu spielen?
Who feels that they are in the position to play a male senior or a female senior?
Caption 102, TEDx: Lebenslange Fitness
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Unglaublich wichtig für Senioren!
Unbelievably important for seniors!
Caption 30, TEDx: Lebenslange Fitness
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Weil der Club der Rentner sich nur über Krankheiten unterhält?
Because the pensioners' club only talks about illnesses?
Caption 21, Nicos Weg: Ich bin neu hier
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Further Learning
You'll find many examples of these words on Yabla German.
When we speak about things that scare us, we can use Angst haben to articulate our fear. You can have a look at this lesson in which we discuss the prepositions used along with this verb to talk about being afraid.
When it comes to describing something as scary or frightening, it's important to note that ängstlich is not the correct adjective, as this means "anxious" or "fearful":
Joringel war sehr ängstlich und warnte Jorinde, nicht näher zu gehen.
Joringel was very anxious and warned Jorinde not to go any closer.
Caption 15, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Jorinde und Joringel
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The adjective erschreckend can be applied in many contexts, and can mean both "alarming" and "frightening."
Erschreckend sind die Zahlen bei den Vierzehn- bis Siebzehnjährigen.
The figures for fourteen to seventeen year olds are alarming.
Caption 31, Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten: Die ZDF Sommerinterviews
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For something that is more than merely alarming—perhaps even terrifying—stronger adjectives exist:
Gespensterkrebse mögen furchterregend aussehen, aber auch sie wählen andere Nahrung.
Skeleton shrimp may look terrifying, but they also prefer different sustenance.
Captions 4-5, Abenteuer Nordsee: Unter Riesenhaien und Tintenfischen
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Diese Tiere sind oft sehr angsteinflößend.
These animals are often very fear-inducing.
Caption 13, Ratespiel: Meerestiere
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If you've watched our recent Yabla German videos about Halloween, you might have noticed that Ivana and Paula use the word gruselig quite a lot. This means "spooky" or "creepy."
Halloween wäre nicht Halloween ohne gruselige Kostüme.
Halloween wouldn't be Halloween without spooky costumes.
Captions 24-25, Halloween: Grusel, Spaß und Kürbisse
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The adjective schaurig is even stronger, and can even be translated as "ghastly."
Heute tauchen wir ein in die schaurige Welt von Halloween.
Today, we're going to dive into the eerie world of Halloween.
Captions 3-4, Halloween Grusel, Spaß und Kürbisse
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Further Learning
If you haven't already, check out the Halloween videos that went up last week on Yabla German, and review the verb Angst haben if necessary.
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