cuántos años tiene
/kwantos aɲos tjene/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase for how old someone is is cuántos años tiene.
This phrase is used to inquire about the number of years a person has lived. For example, you would say Tengo 30 años to mean 'I am 30 years old'. You can also use Soy mayor to indicate being older.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, cuántos años tiene translates to 'how many years he/she/it has'.
Which one should you use?
The form cuántos años tiene is a standard formal phrase used in most Spanish-speaking countries. In contrast, cuántos años tienes is an informal way to ask someone's age and ¿Qué edad tienes? is another informal way to ask someone's age.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The phrase ¿Qué edad tienes? is commonly used in Spain and some Latin American countries.
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask how old someone is using the informal 'you' (tú), change the verb to tienes.
Did you know?
- The word año for 'year' is a cognate of the Latin annus. Because it looks similar to a different Spanish word for a body part, learners are often cautioned to pronounce the ñ clearly to avoid an embarrassing mistake.
- In Spanish, you do not just 'have' years, but you can also 'have' fear tener miedo, cold tener frío or sleepiness tener sueño.
- While English uses the same word 'old' for both age and antiques, Spanish distinguishes between being old in age mayor and an object being old viejo.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuántos años tiene su hijo?How old is your son?
- No sé cuántos años tiene ella.I don't know how old she is.
- Dime cuántos años tiene tu hermano.Tell me how old your brother is.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are talking about a new student.
- JavierMira al chico nuevo, ¿cuántos años tiene?Look at the new boy, how old is he?
- LucíaCreo que tiene quince años.I think he is fifteen years old.
- JavierParece más joven que nosotros.He looks younger than us.
- LucíaSí, es muy bajo de estatura.Yes, he is very short.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
