چند ساله استید؟

Saying How Old You Are

Level 2

The question changes with the person: شما goes with استید, and تو goes with استی.

How It Works

ساله means years old. It is the word سال (year) with a small ending added. Put it right after a number: بیست ساله (twenty years old). The number comes first, and ساله never takes a plural.

WhoAskAnswer
شما (older, polite)چند ساله استید؟بیست ساله استم.
تو (friend, child)چند ساله استی؟بیست ساله استم.
او (he or she)چند ساله است؟بیست ساله است.

Drop من when the ending already shows the person: بیست ساله استم. Another everyday answer uses سال with دارم: بیست سال دارم. Here سال is a separate word and دارم gives the verb. Keep each pattern whole.

ساله also describes a noun when it comes after the noun: یک پسر هفت ساله (a seven-year-old boy). You can write the number in digits: ۶۰ ساله.

Examples (5)

  1. شما چند ساله استید؟

    How old are you?

    A polite question: شما goes with استید.

  2. برادرت چند ساله است؟

    How old is your brother?

    The ending ـت means your, and است goes with one person.

  3. من بیست ساله استم.

    I am twenty years old.

    The number comes before ساله, and استم matches من.

  4. دخترم پنج ساله است.

    My daughter is five years old.

    The ending ـم means my, and است follows ساله.

  5. پدرم ۶۰ ساله است.

    My father is sixty years old.

    You can write the number in Persian digits: ۶۰.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the ending off ساله.

    من بیست سال استم.
    من بیست ساله استم.

    سال alone means year. Add ـه to get ساله, which means years old.

  • Mixing ساله with دارم.

    من بیست ساله دارم.
    من بیست سال دارم.

    ساله goes with a form of is, as in بیست ساله استم. سال goes with دارم. Do not join ساله and دارم in one sentence.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

چند ساله استید؟Level 2Saying How Old You Are

Learn This First

Age uses a number and the question word چند.

Words in This Pattern

سال