Introduction
Learning how to say your age in Spanish is one of the first practical skills for beginners. This guide teaches simple vocabulary, sentence patterns, pronunciation tips, common questions, and realistic examples you can use at school, in forms, or when meeting people. By the end you will be able to tell your age, ask others, and avoid common beginner mistakes.
- Basic vocabulary you need
- How to say your age: the basic sentence
- Asking someone their age
- Short answers and conversational shortcuts
- Using age on forms and official contexts
- Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them
- Examples in everyday situations
- Practice exercises for beginners
- Useful variations and polite phrasing
- Quick reference cheat sheet
- Conclusion
Basic vocabulary you need
Numbers 0–20 are essential for telling age. Memorize these first because most beginners will use them often.
0 cero
1 uno
2 dos
3 tres
4 cuatro
5 cinco
6 seis
7 siete
8 ocho
9 nueve
10 diez
11 once
12 doce
13 trece
14 catorce
15 quince
16 dieciséis
17 diecisiete
18 dieciocho
19 diecinueve
20 veinte
Key words that appear in age expressions:
años — years
tengo — I have (used for age)
cuántos — how many
cuántos años — how many years / how old
tienes — you have (informal)
tiene — you/he/she has (formal or third person)
How to say your age: the basic sentence
The standard way to say your age in Spanish uses the verb tener, which literally means to have. In English we use the verb to be, but in Spanish you say you have a certain number of years.
Formula: Yo + tengo + [number] + años
Example: Yo tengo 25 años
Explanation: Here yo is optional in casual speech. Most native speakers say tengo 25 años without yo when the subject is clear.
Examples for different ages
Tengo 5 años — a common phrase children might say.
Tengo 16 años — teenage example.
Tengo 30 años — adult example.
Tengo 45 años — middle-aged example.
Asking someone their age
To ask a friend or someone your age or younger, use the informal question.
¿Cuántos años tienes?
For a polite or formal situation (for elders or people you do not know well), use:
¿Cuántos años tiene?
Note: Do not ask someone’s age with the word ¿Qué edad tienes? It is equally common and natural and directly means what age do you have.
¿Qué edad tienes?
¿Qué edad tiene usted? — formal
Short answers and conversational shortcuts
Beginners will benefit from short natural replies used in conversation.
Tengo veinticinco — dropping años is common in casual speech.
Veinticinco — in very casual contexts you might just say the number if the question is clear.
Tengo casi treinta — I am almost thirty. Useful when you are near a milestone.
No digo mi edad — I do not say my age. A polite way to avoid answering.
Pronunciation tips for numbers
Stress patterns to listen for:
dieciséis — stress on the í, pronounced dee-eh-see-SAYS
veintidós — stress on the ó, pronounced beyn-tee-DOS
treinta — TREIN-ta
When you combine numbers like 21–29, Spanish often merges the words: veintiuno, veintidós, veintitrés. Practice saying these as one word.
Using age on forms and official contexts
Forms often ask for edad, which means age as a noun.
Label: Edad
Answer format: 32 (you can write the number only) or 32 años
On ID or records, you may also see fecha de nacimiento, which asks for date of birth rather than age. If you only know how to say age, be aware that they expect a date, for example 12/07/1990.
Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them
Mistake 1: Using ser instead of tener. Saying Soy 20 is incorrect in Spanish. Correct: Tengo 20 años.
Mistake 2: Forgetting años. While native speakers often drop años in casual replies, leaving it out in a formal context may sound incomplete. If in doubt, include años.
Mistake 3: Using usted forms with friends. Use ¿Cuántos años tienes? with peers and ¿Cuántos años tiene? with strangers or elders.
Mistake 4: Number agreement with uno. When saying tengo 21 años, write veintiuno for male speakers. In some counting contexts uno changes to un before a masculine noun: tengo un año sounds odd for age but may appear when describing a single year of something. For age, stick with veintiún años only when used before a masculine noun, however for clarity beginners should simply use tengo veintiún años or tengo veintiuno años is acceptable in many contexts, yet the safest is tengo veintiún años.
Examples in everyday situations
At school
Teacher: ¿Cuántos años tienes?
Student: Tengo 12 años.
On a form
Label: Edad:
Answer: 28
At a social event
Person A: ¿Qué edad tienes?
Person B: Tengo 27 años. ¿Y tú?
Casual chat with a neighbor
Vecino: ¿Cuántos años tiene su hijo?
Madre: Mi hijo tiene 3 años.
When you do not want to say
No quiero decir mi edad — I do not want to say my age.
Practice exercises for beginners
Exercise 1: Replace the number in the template Tengo [number] años with these values: 7, 14, 21, 33, 60. Say each sentence out loud.
Exercise 2: Form questions for these answers: Tengo 9 años; Tengo 45 años; Tengo 18 años. Use both ¿Cuántos años tienes? and ¿Qué edad tienes?
Exercise 3: Read forms and identify whether they want edad or fecha de nacimiento. For edad, write the number. For fecha de nacimiento, practice saying a date such as 05/11/1998 in Spanish: cinco de noviembre de mil novecientos noventa y ocho.
Useful variations and polite phrasing
When asking age politely in mixed company, consider context. For children, asking age is normal: ¿Cuántos años tiene? For adults, be aware many cultures consider age private; use discretion.
Polite indirect phrasing: ¿Le gustaría decirme su edad? — Would you like to tell me your age? This is more formal and respectful.
Regional note
All Spanish examples here are standard and widely understood across Latin America. Do not worry about Spain-specific words or pronunciations in these basic age expressions.
Quick reference cheat sheet
How to say I am X years old: Tengo X años
How to ask informally: ¿Cuántos años tienes? or ¿Qué edad tienes?
How to ask formally: ¿Cuántos años tiene? or ¿Qué edad tiene usted?
Label on forms: Edad
Conclusion
Mastering how to say your age in Spanish is fast and practical. Focus on learning numbers 0–20, the verb tener, and the words años and edad. Practice with short dialogues and forms, use the polite versus informal questions appropriately, and avoid common mistakes like using ser for age. With these simple tools you can confidently state your age, ask others, and navigate everyday situations in Spanish.
