French for English speakers School · Lesson 1

Asking age + where from

Ask age in French — Quel âge as-tu ? (How old are you?) — using avoir to express age, not être.

Conversation

  1. Lindo Lindo

    Quel âge as-tu ?

    How old are you?

    Tip: <avoir âge> lit. means "to have age", where as in English we say to be years old.

  2. Pishi Pishi

    J'ai 3 ans.

    I'm 3 years old.

    Tip: Pronoun + avoir means to be so and so years old.

  3. Lindo Lindo

    D'où viens-tu ?

    Where are you from?

  4. Pishi Pishi

    Je suis français et je viens de Paris.

    I'm French, from Paris.

    Tip: <venir de> = lit. to come from

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How do you ask someone's age in French?

Quel âge as-tu? (informal) or Quel âge avez-vous? (formal). Literally 'what age do you have?'.

Why does French use avoir for age?

French has age: J'ai 30 ans = 'I have 30 years' = 'I'm 30 years old'. Similarly for hunger, thirst, fear: j'ai faim, j'ai soif.

How do you say where you're from?

Je viens de + place: Je viens de France, Je viens de Paris. D'où viens-tu? = 'where are you from?'.

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