tengo esta edad
/tenɡo esta edad/from spelling rules
The phrase "I am this old" in Spanish is tengo esta edad.
This phrase is used to state one's current age. Note that when stating a specific number for your age in Spanish, you include the word años after the number.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, tengo esta edad translates to "I have this age". This is because Spanish uses the verb tener (to have) rather than ser (to be) to express age.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word tengo is the first-person singular present indicative form of the verb tener.
How do you pronounce it?
/tenɡo esta edad/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say soy esta edad by using the verb ser (to be). In Spanish, you must use tener (to have) to express age.
Did you know?
- The word edad is a linguistic cousin to the English words 'eternity' and 'eon'.
- Using the word edad when speaking to a child can make the speaker sound unexpectedly poetic or formal.
- The phrase tengo esta edad treats age as a possession, a linguistic trait shared with other Romance languages like French and Italian.
Examples in context
- Tengo veintiocho años de edad.I am twenty-eight.
- Tengo veintiocho añitos.I am twenty-eight! – using a diminutive form
- Tengo veintiocho primaveras.I am twenty-eight! – using a poetic expression meaning "springs"
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are looking at an old childhood photo.
- LucíaMira mi foto de cuando era niña.Look at my photo from when I was a girl.
- MateoEras muy pequeña, Lucía.You were very small, Lucía.
- LucíaY ahora ya tengo esta edad.And now I am already this old.
- MateoEl tiempo pasa muy rápido.Time goes by very fast.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries edad, esta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
