ter + Number + anos

Saying Your Age

Level 1

In Galician you have years instead of being an age: Teño trinta anos (I am thirty years old). To ask, say Cantos anos tes? (How old are you?).

How It Works

Saying your age. Age uses the verb ter (to have), with the number and the word anos (years): Teño vinte anos. (I am twenty.) A miña avoa ten noventa anos. (My grandmother is ninety.) See the present of ter for the forms.

Asking someone's age. Use cantos (how many), which agrees with the masculine plural anos:

  • Cantos anos tes? (How old are you? informal)
  • Cantos anos ten vostede? (How old are you? formal)

See how much and how many.

One year old. Before a masculine noun, the number one is un: ten un ano, and also vinte e un anos, trinta e un anos. The feminine unha would not agree with anos.

Birthdays. To say someone turns a certain age, Galician uses facer anos: Mañá fago corenta anos (I turn forty tomorrow), Hoxe fai anos a miña nai (It is my mother's birthday today). Avoid cumprir anos for birthdays. It copies Spanish cumplir años, and the Galician dictionary gives facer anos for this meaning.

Examples (6)

  1. Teño trinta anos.

    I am thirty years old.

    Word by Word: I-have thirty years.

  2. Cantos anos tes?

    How old are you?

    Word by Word: How-many years you-have?

  3. Cantos anos ten vostede?

    How old are you? (formal)

    Word by Word: How-many years has you?

  4. A miña filla ten un ano.

    My daughter is one year old.

    Word by Word: The my daughter has one year.

  5. O meu avó ten oitenta e un anos.

    My grandfather is eighty-one.

    Word by Word: The my grandfather has eighty and one years.

    Un agrees with the masculine noun anos.

  6. Mañá fago vinte anos.

    I turn twenty tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Tomorrow I-make twenty years.

    Facer anos means "to have a birthday" or "to turn an age".

Common Mistakes

  • Using ser for age, as in English.

    Son trinta anos.
    Teño trinta anos.

    Age is something you "have" in Galician. Son trinta anos sounds like "they are thirty years" or "that makes thirty years" and does not state your age.

  • Using cumprir for a birthday.

    Mañá cumpro vinte anos.
    Mañá fago vinte anos.

    Galician says facer anos for turning an age. Cumprir anos is a calque of Spanish cumplir años.

  • Using the feminine unha before anos.

    Teño vinte e unha anos.
    Teño vinte e un anos.

    Anos is masculine, so the number ends in un: vinte e un anos.

How It Connects

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ter + Number + anosLevel 1Saying Your Age

Learn This First

Age uses ter with a number of years.

Words in This Pattern