German Phrase
Wir sind alte Freunde.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘We are old friends.’ It indicates that the speakers have known each other for a long time, not that they are old in age. The word ‘alte’ qualifies the friendship, not the people’s age.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to emphasize the length of a friendship, for example when reuniting after years apart, introducing each other to new acquaintances, or reflecting on shared history.
✦Grammar Breakdown
WirsindalteFreunde
Personalpronomen (Wir)
‘Wir’ is the first‑person plural pronoun meaning ‘we’, used as the subject of the sentence.
Verb ‘sein’ (sind)
‘sein’ is an irregular verb; in the present tense the 1st‑person plural form is ‘sind’.
Adjektivdeklination (alte)
When an adjective stands directly before a plural noun without an article, it takes the strong ending ‘‑e’ in the nominative case.
Plural noun (Freunde)
‘Freunde’ is the plural of ‘Freund’ (friend). In the nominative it stays unchanged.
🗨In Conversation
Hey, erinnerst du dich noch an die Schulzeit?
Hey, do you still remember school days?
Ja, natürlich! Wir sind alte Freunde.
Yes, of course! We are old friends.
✕Common Mistakes
Wir sind alten Freunde.
The adjective must agree with a plural noun without an article, so the correct ending is ‘‑e’, not ‘‑en’.
Wir sind alte Freund.
‘Freund’ is singular; the sentence talks about multiple friends, so the plural ‘Freunde’ is required.
Wir sind ist alte Freunde.
Only one verb is needed; ‘sind’ is the correct present‑tense form of ‘sein’ for ‘wir’.
↔Alternatives
Wir kennen uns schon lange.
We have known each other for a long time.
Wir sind seit langem befreundet.
We have been friends for a long time.
Wir sind langjährige Freunde.
We are long‑standing friends.
Cultural Tip
In German ‘alte Freunde’ refers to a long‑standing friendship, not the age of the friends. Avoid confusing it with ‘alte’ as ‘old’ in the sense of elderly. Also, the adjective takes the strong ending ‘‑e’ because there is no article before the plural noun.