¿cuántos años tengo?
The Spanish phrase for "how old am I" is ¿cuántos años tengo?
This phrase is a question used when you are asking about your own age.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "how many years do I have?" because Spanish uses the verb tener (to have) instead of "to be" to express age.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word tengo is the first-person singular present indicative of tener, which is the form required to express one's own age.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to use the verb ser (to be) to ask about age by saying ¿cuántos años soy?, but in Spanish, you must use tener (to have).
Did you know?
- The word años is a homophone for a common Spanish slang term for 'buttocks', leading to frequent puns and jokes in casual conversation involving age.
- In Spanish, the same verb tener used in ¿cuántos años tengo? is also used to express hunger, thirst and cold. For example, tengo hambre literally means 'I have hunger'.
- While ¿cuántos años tengo? is grammatically correct, Spanish speakers rarely ask their own age unless they have amnesia or are joking. To ask for a birth date, they use ¿cuándo nací?, which means 'when was I born?'
Examples in context
- ¿Cuántos años tengo?How old am I?This sentence is useful for asking the question "How old am I?" using the form ¿cuántos años tengo?Tatoeba #855346 by Leynaf, translation #862907 by cris
- No lo recuerdo, ¿cuántos años tengo?I don't remember, how old am I?
Example conversation
Alejandro is joking with Sofía about his aging.
- AlejandroSofía, ¿cuántos años tengo?Sofía, how old am i?
- SofíaTienes treinta y dos años, Alejandro.You are thirty-two years old, Alejandro.
- AlejandroNo puedo creer que ya sea tan viejo.I can't believe I'm already that old.
- SofíaAún eres muy joven.You are still very young.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
