anni
The Italian word for "years" is anni.
anni is the plural form of a period of twelve months.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of anni is anno, which means "year".
What mistakes should you avoid?
When stating your age, do not use the verb essere (to be) as you would in English. English speakers often mistakenly say sono … anni (I am … years) instead of the correct way to express age, which is to use the verb avere (to have).
When do people say it?
In Italian, to express your age, you use the construction avere … anni, meaning literally "to have … years," rather than using the verb "to be" as in English.
Did you know?
- When celebrating a birthday, Italians say compiere gli anni, which literally means 'to complete the years'.
- The concept of a 'leap year' is expressed as anno bisestile, where 'bisestile' literally relates to the calculation of the leap month in the old calendar.
- The phrase anno luce, meaning 'light year', uses anno to describe a distance rather than a period of time.
Examples in context
- E ho 16 anni.And I'm 16 years old.This sentence shows how to state your age using anni.Tatoeba #10451668 by Guybrush88, translation #10061358 by ddnktr
- Io ho 24 anni.I'm 24 years old.Tatoeba #1720938 by Guybrush88, translation #688706 by pandark
- Io ho 18 anni.I'm 18 years old.Tatoeba #1816648 by Guybrush88, translation #699465 by andresevargas
- Duemila ottocento cinquantacinque2855
- Quanti anni hai?How old are you?
- Ho trentuno anni.I am thirty-one years old.
- 1923 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Chiara are talking about a new job.
- LorenzoQuanti anni hai lavorato in quella banca?How many years did you work in that bank?
- ChiaraHo lavorato lì per cinque anni.I worked there for five years.
- LorenzoSono molti anni di esperienza!That is many years of experience!
- ChiaraSì, ma ora voglio cambiare.Yes, but now I want to change.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
