Tenses of life in English

Learning English often starts with the simplest but most useful topics that can be used in everyday life. One such topic is the seasons of life in English - the stages through which each person passes, from birth to old age. Knowing how to talk about age, describe life periods and name the stages of life in English is an important part of basic vocabulary, especially for beginners. After all, we often talk about ourselves, our relatives or simply discuss life situations. In this text, we will look at how to say age in English, what age words are, how age categories are described, and what age vocabulary in English is worth learning. All in an easy-to-understand way so that you don't just learn the words, but start using them.

Talking about age in English is one of those basic skills that comes in handy almost immediately. Realistically, you're not going to keep quiet every time someone asks you: “How old are you?” or when you need to talk about your brother, grandmother or yourself. Age is a topic that comes up in the most common conversations: in dating, in questionnaires, on social media, in classes, and even just in jokes. That's why it's cool to be able to not only name your age, but also understand what baby, teenager, adult or elderly are - all of these words describe stages of life in English, and they're really simple. The more of these words you know, the more confident you feel when talking to someone in English. And there are a lot of phrases, expressions and vocabulary that come with age that are easy to learn - especially if everything is explained in a normal, human way, without arcane rules. So let's deal with this topic in a simple and straightforward way!

Los artículos en alemán pueden parecer complicados a quienes empiezan a aprender el idioma.

Everyone goes through the same stages of life — and English has a clear vocabulary for them. Let's start from the very beginning. Baby is a baby, from birth to about a year old. The next stage is toddler (a small child who can already walk, usually from 1 to 3 years old). Then comes child — usually from 4 to 12 years old. Here you can already hear the word kid — a colloquial version of the word "child". Then comes the fun time — teenager. This is from 13 to 19 years old, it's simple: all numbers end in -teen. If you're 14, you're a teenager, and that's your official status! After that, a person becomes a young adult — a young adult. This is approximately from 20 to 30 years old. Often they say in your twenties if a person is from 20 to 29. Then comes just an adult — an adult. This is a general word for everyone over 18. But if someone is well over 50-60, you can say middle-aged - "middle-aged". And finally, elderly or senior citizen - an elderly person. It is better to avoid the word old, it can sound rude. Each stage has its own characteristics, its own lifestyle and even its own slang. Knowing such words, you will be able to accurately and clearly describe people, talk about yourself or just keep up a conversation. This is not just dry theory - this is vocabulary that is really used every day. The main thing is not to learn lists of words, but to imagine how you can apply them in life. For example, “My grandfather is elderly but very active” - and now you are already speaking English like a pro.

When talking about age in English, there is one main rule: do not use the verb have! In Russian we say “I am 15 years old”, and in English — I am 15. Not I have 15, not I’m having 15 — just I am. This is a common mistake among beginners. The same applies to other persons: She is 30, We are 18, My brother is 10.
If we are talking about the past — just change the verb: I was 5 when I started school. In the future — I will be 18 next year. It's simple.
When you want to ask about age, we say: How old are you? or How old is your sister?. Remember: the structure is always through the verb to be, no “have” or “years” in the middle of the sentence.
And often use phrases like: At the age of 10, In my early twenties, By the time I was 16. They sound natural and help to talk about yourself beautifully and correctly.
The main thing is not to translate literally from Russian and remember that in English, with age, everything is tied to the verb to be. The rest is a matter of practice.

Los artículos en alemán pueden parecer complicados a quienes empiezan a aprender el idioma.

When you start talking about age in English, mistakes are normal. The main thing is to know which ones are most common and not to repeat them a hundred times. The first and most common mistake is to use the verb have. In Russian, we say “I’m 16 years old,” but in English it’s I am 16, not I have 16. In general, forget about “have” in the topic of age — it’s a 100% fail. The second mistake is adding the word years in response. The phrase I’m 18 years is weird. If you really want to add a word, then the correct one is: I’m 18 years old, but more often and simply I’m 18. The third is confusing the words old, elderly and senior. The word old can sound rude, especially when talking about others. It’s better to replace it with elderly or older person, so as not to offend anyone. The fourth is the wrong word order in the question. People sometimes say How many years do you have? — forget it right away. The correct one is: How old are you? Remember these points and you will sound confident.

You can talk about age in a variety of situations — and it’s important to be able to choose the right words for each context. For example, when meeting someone, it’s simple: Hi! I’m Anna, I’m 20. What about you? — sounds natural and friendly. If you’re filling out a questionnaire or an official document, it’s better to use the full form: I am 20 years old. And if you’re talking about someone else, substitute the correct pronoun: My sister is 15, Our teacher is in her forties. In informal conversation with friends, you can use colloquial expressions: I’m in my late teens, He’s pushing thirty (he’s almost thirty), She’s still young at heart (she’s young at heart). And if you’re talking about yourself in the past, the past tense will come in handy: I ​​was 10 when I got my first bike. When talking about older people, try to speak carefully: elderly, senior, older person sound polite. The word old is best avoided so as not to offend the interlocutor. The context always decides. The main thing is not to be afraid to speak and choose phrases according to the situation. With practice, everything becomes easier and more natural.

In order not just to read and forget, but to really remember vocabulary and expressions about age, you need practice. Here are some simple but useful tasks.

1. Describe your family: write in English how old each of you is and what stage of life they are at. Example: My dad is 45. He is a middle-aged man.
2. Make up mini-dialogues: one person asks the age, the other answers. Think of at least 3 situations - when meeting, in class, at work.
3. Translate phrases: try to translate expressions like “He is almost forty”, “She is young at heart”, “I am in my prime”.
4. Fill in the table: make columns with stages of life (baby, teenager, adult, etc.) and choose 2-3 descriptions or expressions for each.

This way, you will not just learn the words, but also start using them. And that means you will remember them for a long time!

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