Italian for English speakers School · Lesson 1

Asking age + where from

Ask age in Italian — Quanti anni hai? (How old are you?) — using avere for age, not essere.

Conversation

  1. Lindo Lindo

    Quanti anni hai?

    How old are you?

    Tip: When talking about age, you say "I have 10", not "I am 10"

  2. Pishi Pishi

    Ho tre anni

    I'm 3 years old

    Tip: <Io ho> = I have <tu hai> = You have

  3. Lindo Lindo

    Di dove sei?

    Where are you from?

  4. Pishi Pishi

    Sono francese, di Parigi

    I'm French, from Paris.

    Tip: <Io sono> = I am <tu sei> = You are

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How do you ask 'how old are you?' in Italian?

Quanti anni hai? (informal) or Quanti anni ha? (formal). Literally 'how many years do you have?'.

Why does Italian use avere for age?

Italian 'has' years: Ho 30 anni = 'I have 30 years' = 'I'm 30 years old'. Like Spanish and French.

How do you say where you're from?

Sono di + place: Sono di Roma. Da dove vieni? = 'where are you from?'. Vengo da + place = 'I come from'.

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