¿cuántos años tienen?
The English phrase "how old are y'all" is translated into Spanish as ¿cuántos años tienen?
This phrase is used to ask a group of people about their ages.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "how many years do you (plural) have?" because Spanish uses the verb tener (to have) rather than "to be" to express age.
Which one should you use?
¿cuántos años tienen? is the standard way to address a group in Latin American Spanish. In contrast, in Spain, this form is used specifically to address a group formally, while ¿cuántos años tenéis? is used for an informal group.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, people often use the phrase ¿cuántos años tenéis? to ask how old y'all are.
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a group informally in Spain using the 'vosotros' form, you would use ¿cuántos años tenéis? instead of ¿cuántos años tienen?
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, asking ¿cuántos años tienen? can be a social minefield, as it is often considered impolite to ask a woman or an older person their age.
- While tienen refers to possessing years, Spanish also uses the verb cumplir (to fulfill) when someone reaches a specific birthday, such as cumplen diez años.
- The word años is a cognate of the English word 'anniversary', as both derive from the Latin 'annus', meaning 'year'.
Examples in context
- Díganme, ¿cuántos años tienen?Tell me, how old are y'all?
Example conversation
Elena is talking to Alejandro and his friends at a party.
- ElenaHola, ¿cuántos años tienen?Hello, how old are y'all?
- AlejandroNosotros tenemos veinte años.We are twenty years old.
- Elena¡Qué jóvenes son!You guys are so young!
- AlejandroSí, somos muy jóvenes.Yes, we are very young.
