cuántos años tengo
/kwantos aɲos tenɡo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "how old I am" is translated into Spanish as cuántos años tengo.
This phrase is used to state or ask about one's own age. When stating your age, you use the verb tener (to have) rather than a verb meaning "to be". For example, you would say Tengo veinte años for "I am twenty years old". When stating your age, use cardinal numbers like veinte instead of ordinal numbers. The phrase Tengo veinticinco años can be used by both men and women.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, cuántos años tengo means "how many years I have".
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, the verb tener (to have) is used to express age.
Did you know?
- If you accidentally say Soy veinte años, a native speaker will understand you, but it sounds as if you are claiming to be the actual physical concept of twenty years rather than a person of that age.
- While English speakers 'are' an age, Spanish speakers 'have' years. This logic extends to other physical or mental states, such as saying tengo hambre to mean 'I am hungry', which literally translates to 'I have hunger'.
- When people speak about age in a very poetic or formal way, they might refer to the primavera or 'springs' of their life instead of años.
Examples in context
- ¿Saben cuántos años tengo?Do they know how old I am?This sentence is useful for asking if others are aware of the speaker's age using cuántos años tengo.Tatoeba #9946506 by Shishir, translation #9947754 by LanguageExpert
- No te imaginas cuántos años tengo.You can't imagine how old I am.
- No sé si te dije cuántos años tengo.I don't know if I told you how old I am.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are talking about their birth years.
- MaríaNo recuerdo si te dije cuántos años tengo.I don't remember if I told you how old I am.
- MateoNo, María, no lo sé.No, María, I don't know.
- MaríaTengo treinta años.I am thirty years old.
- Mateo¡Eres muy joven!You are very young!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
