ile masz lat?
The English phrase "how old are you?" is translated into Polish as ile masz lat?
This phrase is used to ask a person about their age.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, ile masz lat? translates to "how many years do you have?"
Which one should you use?
While ile masz lat? is the standard way to ask, you may also see the variation ile lat masz? which carries the same meaning but uses a slightly different word order.
How does it change in a sentence?
When asking a question politely, you should replace the informal masz with ma pan when addressing a man or ma pani when addressing a woman, such as in ile ma pan/pani lat?
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying ile jesteś stary? as a translation for "how old are you?" Although this is a literal translation of the English words, it sounds nonsensical or even offensive in Polish.
Did you know?
- In Poland, it is common to avoid asking ile masz lat? when meeting a woman for the first time, as it can be seen as an impolite breach of etiquette.
- Polish has a unique way of talking about age milestones using the word lat, such as the phrase sto lat, which means 'a hundred years' and is sung as a birthday song.
- The formal versions ma pan and ma pani treat the person as a third party, essentially asking 'how many years does the gentleman/lady have?'
Examples in context
- Ile masz lat?How old are you?
Example conversation
Two teenagers meet for the first time at a party.
- KrzysztofCześć, jestem Krzysztof. Ile masz lat?Hi, I'm Krzysztof. How old are you?
- KatarzynaCześć, jestem Katarzyna i mam piętnaście lat.Hi, I'm Katarzyna and I am fifteen years old.
- KrzysztofJa też mam piętnaście lat!I am fifteen years old too!
- KatarzynaTo świetnie, chodźmy razem do kuchni.That's great, let's go to the kitchen together.
