French · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 11
Quel âge as-tu?How old are you?
Numbers 11 to 100 (onze, vingt, cent) plus mille and zéro. For age, French uses "avoir" (to have), not "être": J'ai vingt ans ("I have twenty years"), never "je suis vingt". The question is: Quel âge as-tu? Mind the arithmetic: 70 = soixante-dix, 80 = quatre-vingts. New vocabulary: onze, vingt, cent, mille, zéro, an, âge, premier, dernier, fois.
Dialogue
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Je suis ou j'ai?— je suis or j'ai?
- LucasMike, quel âge as-tu ?Mike, how old are you?
- MikeJe suis vingt et un.I'm twenty-one. (slip: age uses avoir, not être — say "J'ai vingt et un ans")
- LucasPour l'âge on utilise « avoir » : tu as vingt et un ans.For age we use "avoir": tu as vingt et un ans (you have twenty-one years).
- MikeAh, j'ai vingt et un ans. Et toi ?Ah, I am twenty-one. And you?
- LucasJ'ai dix-neuf ans.I'm nineteen.
Dialogue
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Les âges de la famille— The Family Ages
- CamilleLucas, quel âge a ta sœur ?Lucas, how old is your sister?
- LucasMa sœur Léa a vingt-trois ans. C'est la première.My sister Léa is twenty-three. She is the first (oldest).
- CamilleEt ton petit frère ?And your little brother?
- LucasHugo a quatorze ans. C'est le dernier.Hugo is fourteen. He is the last (youngest).
Vocabulary
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- onze
numeraleleven
- vingt
numeraltwenty
- cent
numeralhundred
- mille
numeralthousand
- zéro
numeralzero
- an
n.m.year (m)
- âge
n.m.age (m)
- premier
adjectivefirst
- dernier
adjectivelast
- fois
n.f.time, occasion (f)
Grammar
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Age with "avoir"
Explanation
In French, age is said with "avoir" (not "être"): you "have" years. J'ai vingt ans (I am twenty). Quel âge as-tu? — J'ai dix-neuf ans. The classic English mistake is "je suis vingt" (I am twenty): in French that would mean "I am number twenty". Always say j'ai + number + ans. For the numbers: 11-16 are separate words (onze, douze… seize); 17-19 are built (dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf); and watch out: 70 = soixante-dix, 80 = quatre-vingts, 90 = quatre-vingt-dix (arithmetic!). The tens: vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante; cent = 100.
Examples
- Quel âge as-tu ? — J'ai vingt ans.How old are you? — I am twenty.
- Ma grand-mère a cent ans.My grandmother is a hundred years old.
- C'est la première fois.It's the first time.
- Mon numéro est deux, zéro, zéro, un.My number is two, zero, zero, one.
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