¿cuántos años tienes?
In Spanish, "how old are you?" is translated as ¿cuántos años tienes?
This phrase is used to ask a person about their age. It is important to note that in Spanish, you do not say you "are" an age, but rather that you "have" an age. This is done using the verb tener (to have) instead of the verb ser (to be), which is the idiomatic way to express age.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ¿cuántos años tienes? literally translates to "how many years do you have?"
Which one should you use?
While ¿cuántos años tienes? is the standard way to ask, you may also hear ¿Qué edad tienes?, which literally translates to "What age do you have?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, you may hear the expression ¿Cuántos años cumples?, which translates to "How old are you turning?" or "How many years are you completing?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form ¿cuántos años tienes? uses the informal "tú" conjugation. To switch to a formal context, use the form ¿cuántos años tiene usted?
When do people say it?
When someone asks you this question, you should respond using the structure Tengo [number] años, meaning "I am [number] years old."
Did you know?
- Because age is treated as something one 'possesses' with tener, it is linguistically grouped with other physical states like hunger or thirst.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, asking a woman her age can be considered quite impolite or even offensive if you are not close friends.
- The word años refers to years, but it is also the root of the word añoranza, which describes the deep, nostalgic longing or yearning for the past.
Examples in context
- Perdona, ¿cuántos años tienes?Excuse me, how old are you?
Example conversation
Two new classmates are getting to know each other.
- JavierHola, soy Mateo. ¿Cuántos años tienes?Hi, I'm Mateo. How old are you?
- LucíaHola, soy Lucía. Tengo diecinueve años.Hi, I'm Lucía. I am nineteen years old.
- Javier¡Qué bien! Yo también tengo diecinueve.That's great! I'm nineteen too.
- Lucía¡Qué coincidencia! Mucho gusto, Mateo.What a coincidence! Nice to meet you, Mateo.
