ég er ... ára

Saying Your Age

Level 1

Say your age with ára: Ég er tuttugu ára (I am twenty). Ask Hvað ertu gamall? to a man and Hvað ertu gömul? to a woman.

How It Works

Giving an age. Use vera, the number and ára:

  • Ég er tuttugu ára. (I am twenty.)
  • Hún er sextán ára. (She is sixteen.)

You can add gamall / gömul / gamalt (old), matching the person: Hann er tíu ára gamall, Hún er tíu ára gömul. It is optional.

One to four. These numbers take their genitive forms before ára:

  • 1: eins árs (singular, because it is one year)
  • 2: tveggja ára
  • 3: þriggja ára
  • 4: fjögurra ára

When a larger number ends in one to four, that last part changes the same way: tuttugu og eins árs, þrjátíu og tveggja ára. Other numbers stay as they are: fimm ára, tólf ára.

Asking. The question word is hvað plus the adjective gamall, which agrees with the person: Hvað ertu gamall? (to a man), Hvað ertu gömul? (to a woman), Hvað er barnið gamalt? (the child, neuter), Hvað eruð þið gömul? (a mixed group).

Examples (6)

  1. Ég er tuttugu ára.

    I am twenty years old.

    Word by Word: I am twenty of-years.

  2. Hvað ertu gamall?

    How old are you? (to a man)

    Word by Word: What are-you old?

  3. Hvað ertu gömul?

    How old are you? (to a woman)

    Word by Word: What are-you old?

    gamall becomes gömul for a woman.

  4. Dóttir mín er þriggja ára.

    My daughter is three years old.

    Word by Word: Daughter my is of-three years.

    þriggja is the genitive of þrír.

  5. Hann er eins árs.

    He is one year old.

    Word by Word: He is of-one year.

    For one year, both words are singular: eins árs.

  6. Amma mín er áttatíu og fimm ára.

    My grandma is eighty-five years old.

    Word by Word: Grandma my is eighty and five of-years.

Common Mistakes

  • Saying "I have ... years", as in Spanish or French.

    Ég hef tuttugu ár.
    Ég er tuttugu ára.

    Icelandic uses vera for age, and ár changes to its genitive plural ára.

  • Using the ordinary number form for ages one to four.

    Hún er þrjú ára.
    Hún er þriggja ára.

    Before ára, one to four take their genitive forms: eins árs, tveggja, þriggja and fjögurra ára.

  • Using the masculine form when you ask a woman.

    Hvað ertu gamall, Anna?
    Hvað ertu gömul, Anna?

    gamall agrees with the person you ask. For a woman, the form is gömul.

How It Connects

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

ég er ... áraLevel 1Saying Your Age

Learn This First

Saying your age builds on numbers and vera.

Words in This Pattern

áráraáraeins árstveggjaþriggjafjögurragamallveraeinsárs