ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਉਮਰ ਕਿੰਨੀ ਹੈ?
tuhāḍī umar kinnī hai?
To ask "how old are you?" in Punjabi, you use ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਉਮਰ ਕਿੰਨੀ ਹੈ? (tuhāḍī umar kinnī hai?)
This phrase is a question used to ask someone about their age.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਉਮਰ ਕਿੰਨੀ ਹੈ? is composed of tuhāḍī (your), umar (age), kinnī (how much) and hai (is).
Which one should you use?
You may also encounter ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿੰਨੇ ਸਾਲ ਦੇ ਹੋ?, which is a formal way to ask someone's age. Additionally, using ਤੇਰੀ ਉਮਰ ਕਿੰਨੀ ਹੈ? instead of ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਉਮਰ ਕਿੰਨੀ ਹੈ? makes the question appropriate only for close friends, children or people younger than you.
How do you pronounce it?
tuhāḍī umar kinnī hai?
Did you know?
- The word ਉਮਰ for 'age' is not originally Punjabi but was borrowed from Classical Persian and Arabic.
- In many Punjabi-speaking cultures, asking a stranger's age directly can be seen as impolite or overly intrusive, often replaced by more indirect inquiries about their life stages.
- The phrase ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਉਮਰ ਕਿੰਨੀ ਹੈ? uses a feminine adjective ਕਿੰਨੀ because the word ਉਮਰ is grammatically feminine.
Example conversation
Two acquaintances are meeting for the first time at a social event.
- ਪ੍ਰੀਤ Preetਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਉਮਰ ਕਿੰਨੀ ਹੈ?tuhāḍī umar kinnī hai?How old are you?
- ਅਮਨ Amanਮੇਰੀ ਉਮਰ ਪੈਂਤੀ ਸਾਲ ਹੈ।merī umar paintī sāl hai.I am thirty-five years old.
- ਪ੍ਰੀਤ Preetਵਾਹ, ਅਮਨ, ਤੁਸੀਂ ਬਹੁਤ ਜਵਾਨ ਲੱਗਦੇ ਹੋ।vāh, aman, tusīṁ bahut javān lagade hō.Wow, Aman, you look very young.
- ਅਮਨ Amanਧੰਨਵਾਦ, ਪ੍ਰੀਤ।dhannavād, prīt.Thank you, Preet.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ਉਮਰ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
