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.
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
| Hi, Marc! How old are you? I'm 17 years old. | Salut, Marc! Quel âge as-tu? J’ai 17 (dix-sept) ans. |
| Hi, Marie! How old are you? I'm 6 years old. | Salut, Marie! Quel âge as-tu? J'ai 6 (six) ans. |
| Hi, Pascal! How old are you? I'm 25 years old. | Salut, Pascal! Quel âge as-tu? J’ai 25 (vingt-cinq) ans. |
| Hi, Francoise! How old are you? I'm 22 years old. | Salut, Françoise! Quel âge as-tu? J'ai (vingt-deux) ans. |
| Hi, Patrice! How old are you? I am 12 years old. | Salut, Patrice! Quel âge as-tu? J’ai (douze) ans. |
| Hello, Robert! How old are you? I'm 65 years old. | Bonjour, Robert! Quel âge avez-vous? J’ai 65 (soixante-cinq) ans. |
| Hello, Gertrude! How old are you? I'm 82 years old. | Bonjour, Gertrude! Quel âge avez-vous? J’ai 82 (quatre-vingts deux) ans. |
How old are you in French – video
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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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Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho (near Jackson, Wyoming) and have helped hundreds of students to learn French online since 2013.
