год vs года vs лет

god vs goda vs let — year forms after numbers and in age expressions

What it really means

Год, года, and лет are forms of the same noun, but Russian chooses among them according to the number. After 1 use год: один год. After 2, 3, or 4 use года: два года, три года, четыре года. After 5–20 use лет: пять лет, десять лет. The pattern repeats for larger numbers by looking at the final number, except that 11–14 always take лет: двадцать один год, двадцать два года, двадцать пять лет, двадцать один год.

The same forms appear when stating age: "Мне тридцать лет" (I am thirty years old). This is not a special plural system for age; it is the normal numeral pattern.

Examples in natural speech

Мне один год.
I am one year old.
Моему сыну три года.
My son is three years old.
Ей двадцать пять лет.
She is twenty-five years old.
Мы жили там четыре года.
We lived there for four years.
Он работает здесь одиннадцать лет.
He has worked here for eleven years.
Через двадцать один год всё изменится.
In twenty-one years everything will change.

Common mistakes

Do not use год after every number: пять год is wrong, and two years is два года, not два лет. Watch the last two digits: 22 takes года, but 12 takes лет. In an age sentence, the person is in the dative: мне двадцать лет.

Memory tip

1 → год, 2–4 → года, 5 and 11–14 → лет; for larger numbers, check the final digits.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between год, года, and лет?

They are forms of "year" selected by the number: один год, два года, пять лет. Numbers ending in 1 usually take год, 2–4 take года, and 5–0 take лет, with 11–14 always taking лет.

How do you say how old are you in Russian?

Say "Сколько тебе лет?" literally "How many years are to you?" Answer with the dative: "Мне тридцать лет" (I am thirty years old).

Why is it двадцать один год but одиннадцать лет?

Russian checks the final number unless the number ends in 11–14. Twenty-one behaves like one and takes год; eleven belongs to the special 11–14 group and takes лет.

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