When I am using Google translate on "I am almost 18", I get:
Ich bin fast 18.
Ich bin beinahe 18.
Are this sentences correct? What is most used? Are there any other popular forms?
Yes, those sentences are correct. Most used is the first sentence
Ich bin fast 18.
The other sentence sounds somewhat awkward. Beinahe has - imho - a connotation that means that there had almost something happened.
Beinahe hätte ich den Zug verpasst. (I almost missed the train.)
So, I'd recommend not to use beinahe.
A typical alternative is
Ich werde bald 18.
Ich werde bald 18
(I'll be 18 soon) is good. However, I don't agree with your caveat against using beinahe
. Translations never map perfectly, but if fast = almost
then you can say that beinahe = nearly
. You can say I am nearly 18
and likewise you can say Ich bin beinahe 18
. I see it as a distinction without a difference.
Commented
Apr 6, 2012 at 20:26
Ich bin beinahe 18
. Does it sound odd to my ears? No. Good enough for me then :)
Commented
Apr 6, 2012 at 21:52
Yes, both are correct. A somewhat more verbose, but also correct variant, would be to say
Ich bin fast/beinahe 18 Jahre alt.
Adding a third alternative:
Ich bin so gut wie 18 [Jahre alt]
Ich bin beinahe 18
would tend to mean that you barely missed being 18. For example, you wanted to watch an age limited movie in the cinema, but they didn't let you in because you are not quite 18 but only almost 18.
Ich bin fast 18
would tend to mean you are approaching 18 and will hit the goal soon. Like you didn't watch a movie because it is for kids and you are almost 18.