Signification
Asking about someone's age.
Contexte culturel
Asking age is common among young people but becomes more sensitive as people get older. It is often avoided in professional settings. Age is often linked to family respect. The eldest members are given the most 'rispetto' and are often the decision-makers. Young people often identify with their birth year (e.g., 'i ragazzi del '99') rather than their current age. On official documents, 'età' is rarely used; instead, they ask for 'data di nascita' (date of birth).
The 'Avere' Rule
Always associate age with 'having' things. You have a car, you have a pizza, you have 20 years.
The Silent H
Never pronounce the 'H' in 'hai'. If you do, it will sound very foreign to Italian ears.
Signification
Asking about someone's age.
The 'Avere' Rule
Always associate age with 'having' things. You have a car, you have a pizza, you have 20 years.
The Silent H
Never pronounce the 'H' in 'hai'. If you do, it will sound very foreign to Italian ears.
The 'Lei' Factor
When in doubt, use 'Quanti anni ha?'. It's better to be too polite than too casual.
Teste-toi
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'avere'.
Quanti anni ___ (tu)?
The subject is 'tu', so the correct form of 'avere' is 'hai'.
Choose the correct way to say 'I am 25 years old'.
Come si dice 'I am 25 years old'?
In Italian, you 'have' years, you don't 'are' them.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Ciao, io sono Luca. B: Piacere, io sono Sofia. A: Quanti anni hai? B: ___ ventidue anni.
Sofia is talking about herself, so she uses the first-person 'ho'.
Match the phrase to the person you are speaking to.
To a 70-year-old professor: ___
A professor requires the formal 'Lei' form, which uses the verb 'ha'.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesQuanti anni ___ (tu)?
The subject is 'tu', so the correct form of 'avere' is 'hai'.
Come si dice 'I am 25 years old'?
In Italian, you 'have' years, you don't 'are' them.
A: Ciao, io sono Luca. B: Piacere, io sono Sofia. A: Quanti anni hai? B: ___ ventidue anni.
Sofia is talking about herself, so she uses the first-person 'ho'.
To a 70-year-old professor: ___
A professor requires the formal 'Lei' form, which uses the verb 'ha'.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsIt's a Romance language trait. Age is seen as something you have accumulated over time, not a state of being.
You can, but it's more natural and polite to say 'Ho [numero] anni'.
It's always 'Quanti' because 'anni' is plural.
You say 'Quanti anni avete?'.
Generally, yes, if you don't know her well. It's better to wait for her to mention it.
The formal version is 'Quanti anni ha?'.
You say 'Compio vent'anni'.
Yes, it's much more common to include it than in English.
You can say 'Qual è la tua età?', but it sounds like a police officer or a doctor.
Usually, we use 'Di quando è?' or 'Quanti anni ha?' for old objects like houses or wine.
Expressions liées
Compiere gli anni
similarTo have a birthday
Essere maggiorenne
specialized formTo be of legal age (18+)
Portare bene gli anni
builds onTo look good for one's age
Invecchiare
contrastTo get old
