How old are you in French Pronunciation

In French when you talk about ages you don’t say “I am 21 years old”: instead you say “I have 21 years”. Equally, when you ask the question “how old are you?” or “what age are you”, you actually ask “what age do you have”. Here are the phrases you’ll need:

I’m (21) years old – j’ai (21) ans
How old are you? (informal) – Quel âge as-tu ?
How old are you? (formal) – Quel âge avez-vous?

In the first part of the video, watch the interviews without subtitles and try to understand. In the second part of the video, we’ve provided subtitles in French at the top of the screen. You can choose to turn on subtitles in English using the Subtitles/CC button.

In this first series of Coffee Break French To Go, Pierre-Benoît is in the town of Pornic, in the west of France, and in each episode she’ll ask passers-by one question. Of course, that one question will result in many answers, and it’s through these answers that you can practise your French and build your vocabulary.

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By • September 11, 2012 • Updated October 23, 2022

How to ask, “How old are you?” in French

There are two ways to ask somebody’s age in French:

• Quel âge as-tu? How old are you? (familiar)
• Quel âge avez-vous? How old are you? (formal, plural)

To follow this lesson it is a good idea to learn the French numbers. It is also useful to know the conjugation of avoir, which means “to have”.

On this page you will learn how to say how old are you in French. You’ll also learn how to say your age. To ask, say: “Quel âge as-tu?” This literally means, “What age have you?” This is informal and you’d use it for somebody who is your age or younger.

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If you’re talking to a stranger or somebody older than yourself you’ll have to use the formal: Quel âge avez-vous?” When you answer you say: “J’ai + Number of years + ans“, which means “I have + Number + Years”. For example, to say I’m twenty years old you’d say: “J’ai vingt ans“.

Examples with audio

How old are you in French – video

• French numbers
• Conversation lesson on age
• Telling time in French

• Collins Dictionary
• WordReference

• Author
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David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.

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