Shadowing-Übung: How to Talk About Your Age Politely in English (Without Feeling Awkward) - Englisch Sprechen Lernen mit Video
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Welcome to Everyday English Podcast.
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Hello, and welcome back to the Everyday English Podcast.
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I'm Anna.
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And I'm Mark.
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We're so happy you're here with us today.
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We help you learn English you can use every single day in real life.
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That's right.
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And today, we're talking about a topic that can sometimes feel a little tricky, a little awkward.
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Right, Mark?
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Oh, yes, definitely.
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It's about age age, how to talk about your age in English.
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In many cultures, talking about age is…sensitive.
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Maybe you don't want to ask someone, or you don't know how to answer.
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So today, we'll make it easy, clear, and polite.
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We'll give you simple phrases, tell you what's okay to say, and what's maybe not so okay.
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By the end, you'll feel confident.
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So why is this an important topic for everyday English?
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Well, age comes up in conversation more than you might think.
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It's true.
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People talk about birthdays, school years, work experience, and life plans.
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All of these are connected to age.
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Knowing the polite way to handle these conversations helps you feel relaxed and confident.
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It helps you avoid accidentally being rude.
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And it helps you understand what people mean when they talk about age in English.
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Today is all about making those social situations smooth and comfortable for you.
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Let's get started with the most important question.
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How do you ask someone about their age?
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Okay, so, first rule.
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In English -speaking countries, especially with adults, it's often considered a bit rude, a bit impolite to ask directly, how old are you?
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Especially to a woman or to someone you just met.
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It's private, like asking, how much money do you make?
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Exactly.
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Exactly.
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So, when can you ask?
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Well, with children.
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It's very normal to ask a child their age.
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You can say, how old are you, with a big smile.
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It's a friendly question for kids.
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Yes.
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But for adults, we need other ways.
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Often, you don't need to ask directly.
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Maybe you are talking about school or jobs.
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You can say, so, did you go to university recently?
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Or are you thinking about retiring soon?
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Those questions give the person a choice.
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They can talk about age if they want, or they can just talk about university or retirement.
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It's less direct, more polite.
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But sometimes you really need to know, maybe for a form or an application.
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Then you should be very formal and explain why.
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You can say, excuse me, for this form I need to know your age.
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Or, may I ask your date of birth?
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Date of birth is perfect for official situations.
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It sounds professional, not personal.
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Let's practice a quick example.
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Mark, pretend you are helping me fill out a doctor's form.
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Okay, Ana, I just need a few more details for the form.
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Can I have your full name and your date of birth, please?
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Yes, my date of birth is June 12, 1985.
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Perfect.
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See?
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Polite, clear, and necessary.
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Now, the more common situation for you, our listeners, how do you talk about your age?
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This is much easier.
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You can choose what to say.
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The simplest way is just to say, I am, number, years old.
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I am 30 years old.
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Very clear.
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But in casual conversation, we often shorten it.
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We say, I'm 30.
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Just the number.
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For example, if someone asks, hey, when did you graduate?
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You can say, oh, I finished university when I was 22.
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You can also talk about your age in a fun way.
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I sometimes say, I'm in my 30s.
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That means I am between 30 and 39 years old.
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That's a great, vague way to say it.
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You can say, I'm in my 20s.
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I'm in my 40s.
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It It doesn't give the exact number.
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It's very common.
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Or you can joke about it.
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English speakers often joke about getting older.
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I might say, oh, I had my 30th birthday a few years ago.
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I'm not saying how many.
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Yes.
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Or, I'm 39 again.
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It's a silly joke, meaning you don't want to get older.
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But what if you don't want to say?
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That's your right.
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You can smile and say politely, oh, I prefer not to say.
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Or that's a secret.
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You can also answer with a joke to change the subject.
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How old am I?
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Old enough to know better.
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It's friendly, and it doesn't answer the question.
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Let's do another example.
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Anna, how old are you?
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Me?
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I'm at a wonderful age, but let's just say I'm in my 30s and leave it at that.
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Excellent.
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That's a perfect, polite answer.
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Now let's look at some specific, useful phrases for different times in life.
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Mark, let's start with young adults.
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Okay, when you turn 18 or 21, these are big birthdays.
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In the US and UK, 18 is often becoming an adult.
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You might say, I just turned 18, or I'm finally 18.
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And then, every decade, every 10 years, is a big birthday.
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When you turn 30, you say, I'm turning 30.
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When you turn 40, the big 4 -0.
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50 is the big 5 -0.
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My grandfather just had his big Eido, his 80th birthday.
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Wow, that's wonderful.
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We often say, he just turned 80, or she's celebrating her 90th.
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Now, what about talking about other people's age?
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This is very important. Be careful.
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Yes, it is usually not polite to say, you look old, or he is so old.
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Instead, we use kind, respectful phrases.
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For an older person, we can say, she's very experienced, or he has a lot of wisdom.
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If someone looks young for their age, you can say, you look great, or I can't believe you're 40, you look much younger.
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But only if it's true and it's a friendly situation.
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Let's imagine a party.
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Mark, you meet my friend.
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Hi, it's nice to meet you.
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Anna tells me you both went to university together.
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Yes, that's right.
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That was over 15 years ago now.
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Really?
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You don't look at it all.
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You both look the same as in your photos.
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See?
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That's a nice natural compliment.
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Now, let's go over some quick tips and common mistakes.
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Tip number one.
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In English, we use the verb to be with age.
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I am 30, not I have 30 years.
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That's a common mistake from other languages.
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Right.
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We say, I am 30, or I am 30 years old.
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We don't have the age.
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Tip 2.
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When writing, we often use numerals.
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We write, I'm 30.
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But when speaking, we say the word, 30.
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Tip 3.
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Be positive or neutral about age.
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In English, old can sound negative.
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Instead of, my old boss, say, my former boss or my previous boss.
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Common mistake, don't call a woman of any age ma 'am, unless you are in a very formal situation in the USA, or she is much, much older.
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It can make some women feel… old.
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It's tricky.
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Miss for a young woman, Ms for any woman is often safe.
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But when in doubt, just use their name.
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And the biggest tip of all, when you are not sure if you should ask about age, don't ask.
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Talk about life, work, hobbies age is just a number.
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Let's practice and recap all the key phrases together.
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We'll say them slowly.
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Please repeat after us in your mind or out loud.
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To ask formally, may I ask your date of birth?
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To say your age simply, I'm 25.
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To say your age vaguely, I'm in my 40s.
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To avoid saying, oh that's a secret.
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For a big birthday, I'm turning 30 this year.
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To compliment someone, you look great for your age.
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For child, how old are you?
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And the one to usually avoid with adults, how old are you?
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Got it?
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Let's do a final full example conversation.
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Anna, you start.
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Hey, Mark.
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Happy birthday for last week.
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How was the party?
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It was great, thanks.
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A bit of a shock, though.
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I still can't believe I'm 40.
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Forty?
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No way!
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You don't look a day over 35.
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You're too kind.
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So when did you move to London?
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You seem to know the city so well.
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Oh, I moved here after university, so let's just say I've been here for a while.
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I'm in my 30s now.
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Well, it's a wonderful age, and you have so much experience living here.
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See?
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We talked around the age topic, gave compliments, and were polite.
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Perfect.
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We hope you feel more confident now about talking about age in English.
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It's all about being polite, kind, and choosing the right phrase for the situation.
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Remember, your English journey is amazing.
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Every day you learn something new.
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Don't worry about making mistakes.
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We all do.
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If you enjoyed this episode, please help us.
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Subscribe to our channel, Everyday English Podcast, so you never miss an episode.
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Give us a like if you found this helpful.
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And in the comments, you can practice.
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A special thank you to all of our listeners around the world.
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You are the reason we make this podcast.
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Keep practicing your English every day, even just five minutes.
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You can do it.
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We'll be back next week with another everyday English topic.
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Until then, keep learning and keep speaking.
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Was du mit diesem Clip lernen wirst
Dieser Clip hilft dir, ein wichtiges kommunikatives Ziel zu erreichen: Alter auf höfliche Weise in Englisch zu besprechen, ohne unangenehm zu werden. Du lernst, wie du Fragen stellst und antwortest, ohne Missverständnisse oder Unsicherheiten zu provozieren – ein Schlüssel für flüssige, alltägliche Gespräche.
Übersetzbare Sätze und Phrasen
- "Did you go to university recently?" – Ein indirekter Weg, nach Alter zu fragen, ohne direkt zu sein.
- "Are you thinking about retiring soon?" – Eine höfliche Frage, die Rückschlüsse auf das Alter zulässt, ohne es auszusprechen.
- "Excuse me, for this form I need to know your age." – Formal und klar, wenn du das Alter wirklich erfahren musst.
Diese Phrasen sind ideal fürs shadow speak: Wiederhole sie laut nach dem Video, um Rhythmus und Intonation zu üben. So lernst du nicht nur die Wörter, sondern auch die richtige Art, sie zu verwenden.
Verbessere deine Schwächen: Höflichkeit und Aussprache
Ein häufiges Problem ist die direkte Frage "How old are you?", die bei Erwachsenen in englischsprachigen Ländern oft unhöflich wirkt. Das Video zeigt dir, wie du stattdessen indirekte Fragen stellst, um Respekt zu zeigen. Zusätzlich hilft es, deine Englische Aussprache zu verbessern, insbesondere bei Flüsterfragen und formalen Äußerungen. Nutze die Methode des Englisch Shadowing: Spiel den Dialog abschnittweise ab und wiederhole jede Äußerung sofort, so nah wie möglich an Tonhöhe und Tempo. Ein guter shadowing site kann dir hierbei helfen, da du Schritteweise üben kannst. Achte darauf, die Pausen und Betonungen zu kopieren – das macht deine Sätze natürlicher und verständlicher.
Mit diesen Tipps wirst du sicher in Gesprächen über Alter handhaben können – und gleichzeitig deine Sprachkenntnisse stärkern.
Grammatik in diesem Video
Die Strukturen, die der Sprecher am häufigsten verwendet, mit den genauen Worten aus dem Video:
| Struktur | Im Video |
|---|---|
| Möglichkeit mit „might / may“ might/may + Verb – etwas ist möglich, aber nicht sicher | might think · might say |
| Superlativ the -est / the most … – das Höchste oder Niedrigste einer Gruppe | the most important · The simplest · the biggest |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop … + -ing – Verben, auf die die -ing-Form folgt | avoid saying · Keep practicing · keep learning |
| Ratschlag mit „should“ should + Verb – sagen, was eine gute Idee ist | should be · should ask |
Was ist die Shadowing-Technik?
Shadowing ist eine wissenschaftlich fundierte Sprachlerntechnik, die ursprünglich für die professionelle Dolmetscherausbildung entwickelt und durch den Polyglotten Dr. Alexander Arguelles populär gemacht wurde. Die Methode ist einfach aber wirkungsvoll: Du hörst englisches Audio von Muttersprachlern und wiederholst es sofort laut — wie ein Schatten, der dem Sprecher mit nur 1–2 Sekunden Verzögerung folgt. Anders als passives Hören oder Grammatikübungen zwingt Shadowing dein Gehirn und deine Mundmuskulatur, gleichzeitig echte Sprachmuster zu verarbeiten und zu reproduzieren. Studien zeigen, dass es Aussprachegenauigkeit, Intonation, Rhythmus, verbundene Sprache, Hörverständnis und Sprechflüssigkeit signifikant verbessert — was es zu einer der effektivsten Methoden für die IELTS Speaking-Vorbereitung und reale englische Kommunikation macht.