mi edad
/mi edad/from spelling rules
In Spanish, my age is mi edad.
mi edad refers to the number of years a person has lived. When expressing your age, it is important to note that Spanish uses the verb tener (to have) rather than the verb "to be." For example, you would say "Tengo [age] años" to state your age. To add emphasis, you can use "Ya tengo [age]" to indicate you have reached a particular age. If you want to say you have just celebrated your birthday, use "Acabo de cumplir [age]." To express that you have reached a specific age on your birthday, you use "Cumplí [age] años."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the possessive adjective mi (my) and the noun edad (age).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While "Tengo [age] años" is the most straightforward way to express your age, adding "de edad" at the end, as in "Tengo [age] años de edad", makes the phrase slightly more formal.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to describe someone as being "my age" to indicate they belong to your age group, Spanish often uses the preposition de, resulting in the phrase de mi edad.
How do you pronounce it?
/mi edad/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, asking ¿Qué edad tienes? can feel more clinical or precise than asking ¿Cuántos años tienes?
- While mi edad refers to the number of years lived, the verb cumplir used for birthdays literally means 'to fulfill' or 'to complete'.
- The word edad comes from the Latin aetās, which referred to both a person's age and a specific era or epoch in history.
Examples in context
- Yo siento mi edad.I feel my age.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase mi edad in the context of feeling one's age.Tatoeba #4590266 by Francisco_M, translation #31175 by CK
- Tom tiene mi edad.Tom is my age.This sentence uses mi edad to show that someone is the same age as the speaker.Tatoeba #12289700 by manito88, translation #3171308 by CK
- Ella es de mi edad.She's my age.This sentence uses the phrase de mi edad to describe someone belonging to the speaker's age group.Tatoeba #2794220 by marcelostockle, translation #2794069 by Hybrid
- Tengo 25 años.I am 25 years old.
- Tengo 40 años de edad.I am 40 years old.
- Cumplí 30 años ayer.I turned 30 yesterday.
- Tengo 20.I am 20.
- Ya tengo 15.I am already 15.
- Acabo de cumplir 18 años.I just turned 18.
- Tengo 35 añosI am 35 years old
- Tengo 30 añosI am 30 years old
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are talking about their birthdays.
- Alejandro¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños, Elena?When is your birthday, Elena?
- ElenaEs mañana. ¿Cuál es mi edad ahora?It's tomorrow. What is my age now?
- AlejandroTienes veinticinco años.You are twenty-five years old.
- Elena¡Increíble! Ya tienes mi edad también.Incredible! Now you are my age too.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
