âge
/aʒ/masculine
In French, the word for age is âge.
The noun âge refers to the amount of time that has passed since the birth of a being or the beginning of a thing. You can use related adjectives like jeune for young or vieux/vieille for old. If you want to express the action of becoming old, the verb vieillir is used.
Meaning: amount of time since the birth of a being or the beginning of a thing (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When asking how old someone is, French uses the phrase quel âge (what age) rather than a literal translation of 'how old'. Additionally, when stating an age, you must use the verb avoir (to have) rather than être (to be).
How do you pronounce it?
/aʒ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the verb être (to be) to state their age. Instead, you must use the verb avoir (to have).
Did you know?
- In formal French, the phrase âge mûr describes 'middle age', literally translating to 'ripe age'.
- The spelling of âge changed significantly over time, as the Old French forms like aage or eage eventually displaced the direct descendant of the Latin word aetātem.
- In French, the word âge can refer to a geological epoch, such as the âge de glace for the Ice Age.
Examples in context
- Il a mon âge.He's my age.This sentence uses âge to show that someone is the same age as the speaker.Tatoeba #899099 by sacredceltic, translation #674278 by yessoos
- Tom a ton âge.Tom is your age.This sentence uses âge to show that Tom is the same age as you.Tatoeba #5655794 by Yemana, translation #5401550 by CK
- Il a votre âge.He's your age.This sentence uses âge to show that someone is the same age as you.Tatoeba #8597588 by Aiji, translation #5386003 by AlanF_US
- Pourriez-vous me dire votre âge, s'il vous plaît?Could you tell me your age, please?
- Tu as quel âge maintenant?What is your age now?
- J'ai trente-cinq ans et je suis encore jeune!I am thirty-five years old and I am still young!
- 452 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are talking about a new colleague.
- ManonQuel âge a le nouveau collègue ?How old is the new colleague?
- GabrielJe pense qu'il a vingt ans.I think he is twenty years old.
- ManonIl a presque le même âge que moi.He is almost the same age as me.
- GabrielC'est vrai, vous êtes très jeunes.That's true, you are both very young.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “age” translations and entries âge, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries âge, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
