l'âge de quelqu'un d'autre
To say someone else's age in French, use l'âge de quelqu'un d'autre.
To ask politely, start with Pourriez-vous me dire l'âge de and add the name. Informally, ask Tu connais l'âge de followed by the name.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is made of l'âge, the age, de, of, quelqu'un, someone and d'autre, else.
How does it change in a sentence?
French shows possession with de instead of the English 's. To state how old a person is, French uses avoir, to have, with ans, years, not être, to be.
Did you know?
- In France, asking quel est votre âge? is often considered too blunt. It is more culturally common to use the phrase vous avez quel âge? to soften the inquiry.
- The French word ans used for age is distinct from années. While both mean 'years', ans is used specifically for the number of years a person has lived.
- The term quelqu'un is a 'univerbation', meaning two separate words, quelque and un, fused together over centuries to create a single new concept.
Examples in context
- Il a trente-cinq ans.He is thirty-five years old.
- Elle a vingt ans.She is twenty years old.
- Elle est dans la vingtaine.She is in her twenties.
- Je ne connais pas l'âge de quelqu'un d'autre.I don't know someone else's age.
- Il ne faut pas demander l'âge de quelqu'un d'autre.You shouldn't ask someone else's age.
- Est-ce que l'âge de quelqu'un d'autre est écrit ici ?Is someone else's age written here?
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are discussing privacy during a party.
- LéaJe ne veux pas parler de mon âge.I don't want to talk about my age.
- GabrielD'accord, alors parle-nous de l'âge de quelqu'un d'autre !Okay, then tell us someone else's age!
- LéaC'est indiscret, Gabriel.That's indiscreet, Gabriel.
- GabrielTu as raison, je m'excuse.You're right, I apologize.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries d'autre, de, quelqu'un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
