Spanish for English speakers School · Lesson 1

Asking age + where from

Ask about age in Spanish — ¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?) — using tener for age, not ser.

Conversation

  1. Lindo Lindo

    ¿Cuántos años tienes?

    How old are you?

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

  2. Pishi Pishi

    Tengo 3 años

    I'm 3 years old

    Tip: Tengo = I have Tienes = You have

  3. Lindo Lindo

    ¿De dónde eres?

    Where are you from?

    Tip: Ser de = be from

  4. Pishi Pishi

    Soy francés, de París.

    I'm French, from Paris.

    Tip: I am = yo soy You are = tú eres

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

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

¿Cuántos años tienes? (informal) or ¿Cuántos años tiene? (formal). Literally 'how many years do you have?'.

Why does Spanish use tener for age?

Spanish 'has' years rather than 'is' years old: tengo 30 años = 'I have 30 years' = 'I'm 30 years old'.

How do you say where you're from?

Soy de + place: Soy de México, Soy de España. ¿De dónde eres? = 'where are you from?'.

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