la mia età
The English phrase "my age" is translated into Italian as la mia età.
la mia età refers to the number of years a person has lived. The phrase 'Ho X anni.' is a common way to say 'I am X years old' in Italian. For a more poetic or whimsical effect, one might say Io ho X primavere, which literally translates to having experienced X.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to my age, Italian requires the use of the definite article la before the possessive adjective mia. You must say la mia età rather than just mia età.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly omit the required article and say mia età instead of la mia età.
Did you know?
- While English speakers say they 'are' a certain age, Italians use the verb avere, meaning 'to have', to describe la mia età. This frames age as a possession rather than a state of being.
- While la mia età is the standard term, you might see età anagrafica in official documents to specify the legal age recorded on a birth certificate.
- In Italian, the word età is used for both a person's age and a geological or historical era, such as the 'Stone Age' which is Età della pietra.
Examples in context
- Tom ha la mia età.Tom is my age.This sentence is useful for stating that Tom is the same age as the speaker using la mia età.Tatoeba #5119466 by Guybrush88, translation #3171308 by CK
- Ha circa la mia età.He is about my age.This sentence is useful for describing someone who is approximately the same age as the speaker using la mia età.Tatoeba #3759164 by Guybrush88, translation #292778 by CK
- Ha la mia età, vero?He's my age, isn't he?This sentence is useful for seeking confirmation about someone being the same age as the speaker using la mia età.Tatoeba #8700463 by Guybrush88, translation #8526446 by CH
- Ho trenta anni.I am thirty years old.
- Io ho quarantaquattro anni compiuti.I am forty-four years old.
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Sofia are discussing their classmates.
- MatteoQuanto pensi che sia la mia età?How old do you think I am?
- SofiaPenso che tu abbia venti anni.I think you are twenty years old.
- MatteoSì, Sofia, hai indovinato la mia età!Yes, Sofia, you guessed my age!
- SofiaSiamo quasi della stessa età allora.We are almost the same age then.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
