உங்கள் வயது என்ன?
ungal vayadhu enna?
How old are you? In Tamil is உங்கள் வயது என்ன? (ungal vayadhu enna?)
This phrase is a question used to ask someone about their age.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase உங்கள் வயது என்ன? literally translates to 'Your age what?', where ungal means 'your', vayadhu means 'age' and enna means 'what'.
Which one should you use?
While உங்கள் வயது என்ன? is very common in standard speech, you can use உங்களுடைய வயது என்ன? to be slightly more formal and grammatically complete. You can also use the informal version உன் வயது என்ன? when speaking to children or close friends. Another common way to phrase this question is உங்களுக்கு எத்தனை வயது?, which translates to 'To you how many ages?'
How does it change in a sentence?
The alternative phrase உங்களுக்கு எத்தனை வயது? uses the dative case for 'you' and the interrogative adjective for 'how many'.
How do you pronounce it?
ungal vayadhu enna?
Did you know?
- In some dialects, instead of asking for a number, people might ask about the 'star' or 'birth sign' of a person to understand their age and astrological profile.
- In Tamil culture, asking உங்கள் வயது என்ன? directly to a stranger can sometimes be perceived as intrusive or impolite, especially with elders. Instead, people often use indirect cues or wait for a natural opening to discuss life stages.
- The term வயது (vayadhu) can also be used metaphorically in Tamil to refer to one's 'maturity' or 'experience' in a situation, rather than just a chronological number.
Example conversation
Anita and Karthik are meeting for the first time at a social gathering.
- அனிதா Anitaஉங்கள் வயது என்ன?ungal vayadhu enna?How old are you?
- கார்த்திக் Karthikஎனக்கு இருபத்தைந்து வயது.enakku irubathainthu vayadhu.I am twenty-five years old.
- அனிதா Anitaஓ, எனக்கு இருபத்தி நான்கு வயது.oh, enakku irubathi naangu vayadhu.Oh, I am twenty-four years old.
- கார்த்திக் Karthikஅனிதா, உங்களைச் சந்தித்ததில் மகிழ்ச்சி.Anita, ungalai sandhithadhil magizhchi.Anita, nice to meet you.
