我的年龄
The English phrase "my age" is translated into Chinese as 我的年龄.
When you want to state your age, a common way to do so is by using the structure 我今年X岁. If you wish to mention the specific year you were born, you can use the formal structure 我出生于XXXX年. For informal contexts, adding the particle 了 to the end of the sentence to say 我今年X岁了 makes it sound more natural. You can also express surprise at your age using 我都X岁了, or convey that you are nearing your next birthday by saying 我快X岁了.
What does it mean word for word?
我的年龄 is composed of 我 (I/me), 的 (possessive particle) and 年龄 (age).
Which one should you use?
While 年龄 is the noun for "age", when you are stating a specific number, Chinese speakers typically use the measure word 岁 instead of the noun 年龄.
When do people say it?
In Chinese culture, a person is considered one-year-old at birth and age increases by one during the Chinese New Year.
Did you know?
- The word for 'age' in a poetic or literary sense is often 春秋 (chūn qiū), which literally translates to 'springs and autumns'.
- When talking about age, Chinese speakers often use the word 岁 (suì), which originally referred to the growth rings of a tree.
- The character 岁 has a simplified version and a traditional version 歲, the latter of which contains a radical meaning 'grain' to signify a harvest year.
Examples in context
- 你能猜到我的年龄吗？Can you guess my age?Tatoeba #333677 by fucongcong, translation #251565 by CK
- 我今年二十岁I am twenty years old this year.
- 我今年二十岁了I am already twenty years old this year.
- 我都三十岁了I am already thirty years old.
- 我快四十岁了I am almost forty years old.
- 我的年龄不重要。Wǒ de niánlíng bù zhòngyào.My age is not important.
Example conversation
Yuting and Wei are filling out a registration form together.
- 雨婷 Yuting这里要写我的年龄吗？Zhèlǐ yào xiě wǒ de niánlíng ma?Do I need to write my age here?
- 伟 Wei是的，请在这一栏填写。Shì de, qǐng zài zhè yī lán tiánxiě.Yes, please fill it in this column.
- 雨婷 Yuting好的，我写好了。Hǎo de, wǒ xiě hǎo le.Okay, I have written it.
- 伟 Wei太好了，我们继续吧。Tài hǎo le, wǒmen jìxù ba.Great, let's continue.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
