Tengo veinte años
/tenɡo beinte aɲos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I am twenty years old" is translated into Spanish as Tengo veinte años.
You may choose to say Yo tengo veinte años to add emphasis, indicating specifically that it is you who is stating your age, though the Yo is optional.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Tengo veinte años literally translates to "I have twenty years".
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the phrase uses the verb tener (to have), the verb must be conjugated to match the subject "I" (yo).
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the verb ser (to be) instead of tener (to have) when stating their age. Avoid saying Soy veinte años.
Did you know?
- In some regions, people might say Tengo veinte primaveras, which means 'I have twenty springs', as a more poetic way to state their age.
- While Spanish uses tener for age, it also uses this verb for feelings that English expresses with 'to be', such as tener hambre for 'to be hungry' or tener miedo for 'to be afraid'.
- The word veinte is a linguistic cousin to the English word 'vigintillion', a number followed by 63 zeros.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuántos años tienes? / Tengo veinte años. / ¡Ah, qué joven eres!How old are you? / I am twenty years old. / Ah, you're so young!
- Tengo veinte años ahora.I am twenty years old now.
- Tengo veinte años y estudio medicina.I am twenty years old and I study medicine.
- No es verdad, no tengo veinte años.It's not true, I am not twenty years old.
Example conversation
Javier and María are meeting for the first time.
- Javier¿Cuántos años tienes, Javier?How old are you, Javier?
- MaríaTengo veinte años.I am twenty years old.
- JavierYo también tengo veinte.I am twenty too.
- María¡Qué coincidencia, María!What a coincidence, María!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
