Spanish learners! 👋 We all know that moment when you want to ask someone their age, but you freeze up.🥶 It's not like English, is it? We don't "have" age, we "are" a certain age. But in Spanish, it's all about what you've got!☝🏼️
🚀Ready to get it right? Let's dive in and sort this out once and for all.
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1️⃣ The Core Question: "How old are you"❓
Forget "to be," in Spanish, you have years. The magic word is "tener"!
¿Cuántos años tienes? (Informal) . This is the one you'll use most.✨ It's for mates, kids, and anyone your own age. Literally, it means "How many years do you have?". Sounds a bit bonkers, but trust us, it's correct!
¿Cuántos años tiene usted? (Formal). Use this for your Spanish teacher, a grandparent, or anyone you've just met who's a bit older. It shows respect.🫡
⚠️ A quick heads-up:
You might hear "¿Cuál es tu edad?" (What is your age?). It's fine, but it sounds a bit like something from a police show. Stick to "¿Cuántos años tienes?" to sound like a local.
2️⃣ Time to answer: I am... old 🎂
The answer is straightforward. You'll also use the verb "tener". This simple phrase works everywhere Spanish is spoken, from Madrid to Mexico City. ✈️
Tengo treinta y cinco años (I am twenty years old.)
Tengo cincuenta y siete años (I am thirty-five years old.)
3️⃣Let's talk numbers! 🔢
Numbers can be tricky when learning Spanish. Let's refresh our memory! 🧠
| 1 - un | 2 - dos | 3 - tres | 4 - cuatro | 5 - cinco |
| 6 - seis | 7 - siete | 8 - ocho | 9 - nueve | 10 - diez |
| 11 - once | 12 - doce | 13 - trece | 14 - catorce | 15 - quince |
| 16 - dieciséis | 17 - diecisiete | 18 - dieciocho | 19 - diecinueve | 20 - veinte |
| 21 - veintiuno | 22 - veintidós | 23 - veintitrés | 24 - veinticuatro | 25 - veinticinco |
| 26 - veintiséis | 27 - veintisiete | 28 - veintiocho | 29 - veintinueve | 30 - treinta |
Remember: from 21 to 29, it is just one world in Spanish, but then...
| 30 - treinta | 31 - treinta y uno | 40 - cuarenta | 41 - cuarenta y uno |
| 50 - cincuenta | 51 - cincuenta y uno | 60 - sesenta | 61 - sesenta y uno |
| 70 - setenta | 71 - setenta y uno | 80 - ochenta | 81 - ochenta y uno |
| 90 - noventa | 91 - noventa y uno | 100 - cien | 101 - ciento uno |
🤓 Go beyond and be a pro!
What if you're not sure of someone's exact age? 🤔 Spanish has a handy trick for this. You have two options:
"Él tiene veintialgo" o "Ella tiene veintipico".
It's a casual way to say "around twenty-something" or "twentish "without being too specific or a bit like saying "twentish". This also works for other decades, like "treinta y algo" (thirty-something) or "cuarenta y pico (forty-something).
4️⃣ Other handy phrases for chatting
Ready for some more Spanish magic? Once you've got the age question down, you can keep the conversation going with these phrases. Don't be shy! 🚀
| Spanish | English |
| ¿Cómo te llamas? | What's your name? |
| Me llamo [tu nombre] | My name is [your name] |
| ¿De dónde eres? 🌍 | Where are you from? |
| Soy de [ciudad/país] | I'm from [city/country] |
| ¿Dónde vives? | Where do you live? |
| Vivo en [ciudad/país] 🏡 | I live in [city/country] |
🎉You've got this!
See? It's not as complicated as it seems. The key phrase to remember is "¿Cuántos años tienes?". Learning a new language is an amazing adventure, and every phrase you master brings you one step closer to fluency. So, go out there and try out what you've learned! ¡Ánimo! 😄
💬 Let's practice!
Choose the correct option to complete the sentences.
Now it's your turn!
Ready to put your new skills to the test? Head to the comments and try introducing yourself using the phrases you've learned.
Tell us your name, where you're from, and of course, how old you are!
👇🏻🥰
