tengo once años
/tenɡo onθe aɲos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I am eleven" is translated into Spanish as tengo once años.
This phrase is used to state that a person's age is eleven years. While English uses the verb "to be" to express age, Spanish uses the verb tener, which means "to have".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I have eleven years".
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, age is expressed using the verb tener (to have) instead of ser (to be). While the subject pronoun yo (I) can be used, it is commonly omitted because the conjugated form of the verb already indicates that the subject is the first-person singular.
How do you pronounce it?
/tenɡo onθe aɲos/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, the word once is used to refer to a mid-morning snack because these treats were traditionally eaten at 11 am.
- If you accidentally say soy once, you are not stating your age, but rather claiming to be the number eleven itself. Using the wrong verb transforms a statement of age into an identity as a mathematical digit.
- While the phrase is tengo once años, Spanish speakers often omit the word años entirely in casual conversation if the context of age is already clear.
Examples in context
- Hola, mi nombre es María y tengo once años. ¿Y tú?Hello, my name is Maria and I am eleven. And you?
- Yo tengo once años.I am eleven years old.
- Todavía tengo once años.I am still eleven years old.
- No, yo tengo once años.No, I am eleven years old.
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are meeting for the first time at school.
- MateoHola, soy Mateo. ¿Cuántos años tienes?Hi, I'm Mateo. How old are you?
- LucíaHola Mateo, tengo once años.Hi Mateo, I am eleven years old.
- Mateo¡Yo también tengo once años!I am eleven years old too!
- Lucía¡Qué bien! Somos de la misma edad.That's great! We are the same age.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries once, CC BY-SA 4.0.
