Spanish · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 11
¿Cuántos años tienes?How old are you?
Numbers 11 to 100 (once, veinte, cien) plus mil and cero. For age, Spanish uses "tener" (to have), not "ser": Tengo veinte años ("I have twenty years"), never "soy veinte". The question is ¿Cuántos años tienes? New vocabulary: once, veinte, cien, mil, cero, año, cuántos, primero, último, vez.
Dialogue
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¿Soy o tengo?— soy or tengo?
- CarlosMike, ¿cuántos años tienes?Mike, how old are you?
- MikeSoy veintiuno.I'm twenty-one. (slip: age uses tener, not ser — say "Tengo veintiún años")
- CarlosCon la edad usamos "tener": tienes veintiún años.With age we use "tener": tienes veintiún años (you have twenty-one years).
- MikeAh, tengo veintiún años. ¿Y tú?Ah, I am twenty-one. And you?
- CarlosTengo diecinueve años.I'm nineteen.
Dialogue
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Las edades de la familia— The Family Ages
- LucíaCarlos, ¿cuántos años tiene tu hermana?Carlos, how old is your sister?
- CarlosMi hermana Elena tiene veintitrés años. Es la primera.My sister Elena is twenty-three. She is the first (oldest).
- Lucía¿Y tu hermano pequeño?And your little brother?
- CarlosPablo tiene catorce años. Es el último.Pablo is fourteen. He is the last (youngest).
Vocabulary
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- once
numeraleleven
- veinte
numeraltwenty
- cien
numeralhundred
- mil
numeralthousand
- cero
numeralzero
- año
n.m.year (m)
- cuántos
adjectivehow many
- primero
adjectivefirst
- último
adjectivelast
- vez
n.f.time, occasion (f)
Grammar
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Age with "tener"
Explanation
In Spanish, age is said with "tener" (not "ser"): you "have" years. Tengo veinte años (I am twenty). ¿Cuántos años tienes? — Tengo diecinueve. The classic English mistake is "soy veinte" (I am twenty): in Spanish that would mean "I am number twenty". Always say tengo + number + años. For the numbers: 11-15 are unique words (once, doce, trece, catorce, quince); 16-29 are written as one word (dieciséis, veintiuno); from 31 on, use "y": treinta y uno. The tens: veinte, treinta, cuarenta… cien is 100.
Examples
- ¿Cuántos años tienes? — Tengo veinte años.How old are you? — I am twenty.
- Mi abuela tiene cien años.My grandmother is a hundred years old.
- Es la primera vez.It's the first time.
- Mi número es dos, cero, cero, uno.My number is two, zero, zero, one.
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