How to say “how old are you” in Spanish
¿Cuántos años tienes?
Pronunciation: KWAHN-tohs AH-nyohs TYEH-nehs · Syllables: CUÁN-tos A-ños TIE-nes
The most common way to say "how old are you" in Spanish is "¿Cuántos años tienes?" (informal). With someone you address as usted, such as an older person or in a formal setting, say "¿Cuántos años tiene?" or "¿Cuántos años tiene usted?". Spanish uses the verb tener (to have) for age, so the question literally asks how many years you have.
How to pronounce “¿Cuántos años tienes?”
- The ñ in años sounds like the 'ny' in 'canyon', so say AH-nyohs, never AH-nohs.
- Say cuántos as one quick syllable, KWAHN, with the 'cu' sounding like the 'qu' in 'quantity'.
- Keep the vowels short and pure: the e's in tienes are like the 'e' in 'bed', not 'ee'.
What it literally means
Word for word, "¿Cuántos años tienes?" means "How many years do you have?". Spanish treats age as something you possess, using tener (to have) rather than ser or estar (to be). Años comes from the Latin annus, 'year', the same root as English 'annual'.
Other ways to say it, from casual to formal
- ¿Cuántos tienes?How old are you? (short) · casual chat once age is already the topicCasual
- ¿Qué edad tienes?What age are you? · a slightly more neutral alternative, very commonNeutral
- ¿Cuántos años cumples?How old are you turning? · on or around someone's birthdayNeutral
- ¿Cuántos años tienen?How old are you all? · asking a group (Latin America)Neutral
- ¿Cuántos años tiene usted?How old are you? (formal) · talking to elders, strangers or professionalsPolite
- ¿Qué edad tiene?What age are you? (formal) · doctors, receptionists and polite conversationPolite
- ¿Cuál es su edad?What is your age? · forms, interviews and official situationsFormal
By country
- ¿Cuántos años tenés?Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay · Voseo form used with friends instead of tienes; stress on the last syllable: te-NÉS.
- ¿Cuántos años tenés?Central America · Common in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica among people who use vos.
- ¿Cuántos años tenís?Chile · Very colloquial Chilean voseo, heard among friends and young people.
- ¿Cuántos años tenéis?Spain · Used when asking a group informally (vosotros); Latin America uses tienen instead.
In text messages
cuantos años tienes? = how old are you? (no accent or opening mark, typical in chats)q edad tienes? = what age are you?cuantos tienes? = how old are you? (short)edad? = age?
Example sentences
- Hola, Sofía. ¿Cuántos años tienes?Hi, Sofía. How old are you?
- ¿Cuántos años tiene su hijo?How old is your son? (formal)
- Tengo treinta y dos años, ¿y tú?I'm thirty-two, and you?
- Mi abuela tiene noventa años y todavía camina todos los días.My grandmother is ninety and still walks every day.
- ¿Cuántos años cumples mañana?How old are you turning tomorrow?
- No sé cuántos años tiene, pero parece muy joven.I don't know how old he is, but he looks very young.
Mini dialogue: At a birthday party
¡Feliz cumpleaños, Daniel! ¿Cuántos años cumples?
Happy birthday, Daniel! How old are you turning?
¡Gracias! Cumplo veintiocho.
Thanks! I'm turning twenty-eight.
¿En serio? Pareces más joven.
Really? You look younger.
Jaja, gracias. ¿Y tú, cuántos años tienes?
Haha, thanks. And you, how old are you?
Yo tengo treinta. ¡Soy el mayor del grupo!
I'm thirty. I'm the oldest in the group!
How to reply
- Tengo veinticinco años.I'm twenty-five years old.
- Tengo cuarenta.I'm forty.
- Acabo de cumplir treinta.I just turned thirty.
- Voy a cumplir dieciocho en mayo.I'll turn eighteen in May.
Grammar: Use tener (to have) for age, not ser (to be)
In Spanish you don't 'be' an age, you 'have' years. Ask with tener (¿Cuántos años tienes/tiene?) and answer with tengo + number + años. To talk about a birthday, use cumplir (to turn).
- Tengo veinte años.I'm twenty years old.
- Mi hermana tiene quince años.My sister is fifteen.
Common mistakes
✗ ¿Cuántos años eres?✓ ¿Cuántos años tienes?
Age uses tener (to have), not ser (to be).
✗ Soy 25 años.✓ Tengo 25 años.
Translating 'I am 25' word for word sounds wrong; Spanish says 'I have 25 years'.
✗ ¿Cuántos anos tienes?✓ ¿Cuántos años tienes?
Without the tilde (ñ) it becomes a different and embarrassing word, so always write and say años.
Culture tip
Asking someone's age is normal with children, young people and friends, and it comes up naturally at birthdays. With adults you've just met, especially women or older people, it can feel a bit personal, so many people avoid it or ask playfully. If you're asked, it's common to joke back with "¿Cuántos me das?" (How old do you think I am?).
Questions people ask
What's the difference between "¿Cuántos años tienes?" and "¿Cuántos años tiene?"
Tienes is informal (tú), used with friends, children and peers. Tiene is formal (usted), used with older people, strangers or in professional settings. Adding usted (¿Cuántos años tiene usted?) makes it clearer and more polite.
Do I need the accent on cuántos?
Yes. Question words like cuántos, qué and cuál carry a written accent in questions. In formal writing you also need the opening question mark: ¿Cuántos años tienes?
Is "¿Qué edad tienes?" correct too?
Yes, it's completely correct and common everywhere. It means 'What age are you?'. "¿Cuántos años tienes?" is slightly more frequent in everyday speech, but both sound natural.
How do you say "how old are you" in Argentina?
Argentines usually say "¿Cuántos años tenés?" because they use vos instead of tú. You'll hear the same in Uruguay, Paraguay and much of Central America. "¿Cuántos años tienes?" is still understood everywhere.
