Learn how to ask about someone's age
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| Becky: Welcome to 3-Minute Spanish Season 1, Lesson 8 - Talking about your age. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask someone’s age and to say yours in Spanish. | |
| Becky: Here’s the informal way to ask “How old are you?” in Spanish. | |
| Laura: [Normal] ¿Cuántos años tienes? | |
| Becky: First is a word meaning “how many” | |
| Laura: [Normal] cuántos [Slow] cuántos | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning “years” | |
| Laura: [Normal] años [Slow] años | |
| Becky: Last is the word meaning “you have” | |
| Laura: [Normal] tienes [Slow] tienes | |
| Becky: Note the rising intonation. Listen again to the informal question meaning “How old are you?” | |
| Laura: [Slow] ¿Cuántos años tienes? [Normal] ¿Cuántos años tienes? | |
| Becky: Now, imagine you’re speaking to a stranger. Here’s the formal way to ask, “How old are you?” | |
| Laura: [Normal] ¿Cuántos años tiene? | |
| Becky: First is a word meaning “how many” | |
| Laura: [Normal] cuántos [Slow] cuántos | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning “years” | |
| Laura: [Normal] años [Slow] años | |
| Becky: Last is the word meaning “you have” using the formal register. | |
| Laura: [Normal] tiene [Slow] tiene | |
| Becky: Note again the rising intonation. Listen again to the formal question meaning “How old are you?” | |
| Laura: [Slow] ¿Cuántos años tiene? [Normal] ¿Cuántos años tiene? | |
| Becky: Here’s a response meaning “I am 17.” | |
| Laura: [Normal] Tengo diecisiete. | |
| Becky: First is a word meaning “I have” | |
| Laura: [Normal] tengo [Slow] tengo | |
| Becky: Last is the word meaning “seventeen” | |
| Laura: [Normal] diecisiete [Slow] diecisiete | |
| Becky: Listen again to the response, “I am 17.” | |
| Laura: [Slow] Tengo diecisiete. [Normal] Tengo diecisiete. | |
| Becky: Here’s a response meaning, “I prefer not to say.” | |
| Laura: [Normal] Prefiero no decirlo. | |
| Becky: First is a word meaning “I prefer” | |
| Laura: [Normal] prefiero [Slow] prefiero | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning “not” | |
| Laura: [Normal] no [Slow] no | |
| Becky: Last is the word meaning “say it” | |
| Laura: [Normal] decirlo [Slow] decirlo | |
| Becky: Listen again to the response that means “I prefer not to say.” | |
| Laura: [Slow] Prefiero no decirlo. [Normal] Prefiero no decirlo. | |
| Cultural Insight | |
| Becky: Now it’s time for a quick cultural insight. | |
| Laura: Unless it’s an official interview or a medical appointment, it is not common to talk about your age in Mexico. | |
| Becky: And that’s all for this lesson. Don’t forget to check out the lesson notes, and we’ll see you in the next lesson! | |
| Laura: Hasta pronto. |
11 Comments
HideHi Listeners! How old are you?
Hola Jane Talarico,
No worries.
We’re happy to know you’re enjoying the lessons.
Sigamos practicando!
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
Prefiero no decirlo
Hola Alyson,
Thank you for participating.
Please let us know when you have a question or doubt.
Sigamos practicando!
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
Tengo cincuenta años
Hola Alana,
Thank you for leaving the comment!
If you have any questions, please let us know.
Saludos,
Cristiane
Team SpanishPod101.com
Tengo doce años y mi hermanos tienen cinco años, diez, dieciocho y veintiuno ❤️
Hola Scott,
Thank you for sharing and answering the main question.
Muy bien!
Don't hesitate in asking any question you might have.
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
Tengo cincuenta y tres años. I'm fifty three years old. ¿Cuántos años tienes? How old are you?
Hola Mom23@Home,
"Yo tengo" can be translated as "I'm" or "I have"
"Yo soy" translates to "I'm"
Depending in the context of the sentence we can use "Yo tengo" as I'm. Literally "Yo tengo" means " I have" though it's no t always translated as its literal translation.
"Yo tengo 20 años."
"Yo soy Carla."
"Yo tengo que ir al baño."
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
Why would the verb “tener” be used for “I am” and not the verb “ser”? In English we conjugate the verb “to be” in the first person singular to mean “I am”. I thought the conjugation of “ser” in Spanish (yo soy) would mean “I am”. I’m a little confused by the translation of “tengo = I have” in Spanish meaning the same thing as “I am” in English.