How to Ask Someone’s Age and Say Your Age in Spanish: A Complete Guide

A: Spanish uses tener (to have) for age because it literally translates to “I have X years.” This is a fixed idiomatic expression. English speakers often make the mistake of saying “soy 20 años” (using ser – to be), but the correct form is always “tengo 20 años”.

This pattern is consistent: tener is used for many states of being in Spanish, including tener hambre (to be hungry), tener sed (to be thirsty), and tener miedo (to be afraid).

A: There are two common ways to ask someone’s age in Spanish:

• Informal: “¿Cuántos años tienes?” (used with friends, family, children)
• Formal: “¿Cuántos años tiene usted?” (used with elders, strangers, professional settings)
• Alternative (both formal and informal): “¿Qué edad tienes/tiene usted?” (What age do you have?)

The question word “cuántos” agrees in gender and number with años (masculine, plural).

A: “Tengo 25 años.”

The word años (years) is usually included, though in very informal conversation it can be dropped: “Tengo 25”. However, for learners, it is always clearer and safer to include años.

Conjugation reminder: Yo tengo, tú tienes, él/ella/usted tiene, nosotros tenemos, vosotros tenéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes tienen.

A: Use the same structure with the third-person conjugation of tener:

• “¿Cuántos años tiene Marco?” (How old is Marco?)
• “¿Qué edad tiene tu hermana?” (How old is your sister?)
• “¿Cuántos años tienen tus padres?” (How old are your parents?)

Notice that tiene is used for singular (Marco, tu hermana) and tienen for plural (tus padres).

A: For babies under one year old, use meses (months) instead of años.

• “El bebé tiene 6 meses.” (The baby is 6 months old.)
• “Mi sobrina tiene 11 meses.” (My niece is 11 months old.)

Once the baby turns one, switch to años: “El bebé tiene un año” (The baby is one year old). Note that año is singular for 1 year, and años is plural for all other numbers.

A: The most common mistake is using ser or estar instead of tener.

Incorrect: ❌ “Soy 25 años” or ❌ “Estoy 25 años”

Correct: ✅ “Tengo 25 años”

Another common mistake is forgetting the s on años for ages above one: “Tengo 20 año” (incorrect). Always use años for ages 2 and above, and año for age 1.

A: In very informal, casual conversation, native speakers might drop años when the context is clear. For example, “Tengo 30” instead of “Tengo 30 años”.

However, for learners, it is always safer and clearer to include años. In formal situations, job interviews, or when speaking with someone you don’t know well, always include años.

A: Use “unos” (about/around) before the number:

• “Tengo unos 30 años.” (I am about 30 years old.)
• “Ella tiene unos 25 años.” (She is around 25.)

You can also use “más o menos” (more or less): “Tengo 30 años, más o menos.”

A: “¿Cuántos años crees que tiene?” (informal) or “¿Cuántos años cree usted que tiene?” (formal).

This uses the verb creer (to think/believe) followed by que and the subjunctive or indicative depending on certainty. In casual conversation, the indicative is common: “¿Cuántos años crees que tiene?”

For a more nuanced guess: “¿Cuántos años tendrá?” uses the future tense to express conjecture (How old do you think he is? / I wonder how old he is).

A: The verb tener is used for many physical and emotional states. Here are the most common ones:

• tener hambre – to be hungry (literally “to have hunger”)
• tener sed – to be thirsty (“to have thirst”)
• tener sueño – to be sleepy (“to have sleepiness”)
• tener frío – to be cold (“to have cold”)
• tener calor – to be hot (“to have heat”)
• tener miedo – to be afraid (“to have fear”)
• tener prisa – to be in a hurry (“to have hurry”)
• tener razón – to be right (“to have reason”)
• tener suerte – to be lucky (“to have luck”)

Learning these will make you sound much more natural in Spanish.

A: Yes, “¿Qué edad tienes?” is very common and used interchangeably with “¿Cuántos años tienes?” in many Spanish-speaking regions.

“Edad” means “age,” so the literal translation is “What age do you have?” Some speakers prefer this because it feels slightly more formal or precise, but both are widely understood and accepted. There is no significant difference in meaning.

A: Use the verb cumplir (to complete/turn):

• “Ella cumple 30 años.” (She is turning 30.)
• “Mañana cumplo 25 años.” (Tomorrow I turn 25.)
• “Mi hijo cumplió 5 años la semana pasada.” (My son turned 5 last week.)

Cumplir is also used for birthdays: “cumplir años” means “to have a birthday.” You can also say “cumplir [número] años” (to turn [number] years old).