Significado
Asking about someone's age.
Contexto cultural
Age is often answered using the 12-year animal cycle. Someone might say 'Би морь жилтэй' (I was born in the year of the Horse) instead of giving a number. Children were traditionally considered one year old at birth. This is called 'хийн нас' (air age). In Ulaanbaatar, asking age is very common and not considered rude among young people, as it helps establish who is 'Akh' (older brother) and who is 'Düü' (younger sibling). Dialectal variations exist, but 'Хэдэн настай вэ?' remains the most widely understood standard across all Mongolic-speaking regions.
The Number Rule
When answering, the number also gets the '-тай' suffix. 20 (хорь) becomes 20-той (хорьтой) or 20 настай.
Don't use 'уу'
Never say 'Хэдэн настай уу?'. It's a common beginner mistake. Wh-questions always take 'вэ' or 'бэ'.
Significado
Asking about someone's age.
The Number Rule
When answering, the number also gets the '-тай' suffix. 20 (хорь) becomes 20-той (хорьтой) or 20 настай.
Don't use 'уу'
Never say 'Хэдэн настай уу?'. It's a common beginner mistake. Wh-questions always take 'вэ' or 'бэ'.
Animal Signs
If someone answers with an animal (e.g., 'I am a Dragon'), they expect you to know their age based on the 12-year cycle!
Teste-se
Fill in the missing question particle.
Чи хэдэн настай ___?
Because 'хэдэн' is a question word, the particle must be 'вэ'.
How do you say 'I am 25 years old'?
Би 25 ...
You must use the suffix '-тай' to indicate you 'have' that age.
Complete the dialogue with the most polite option.
A: Сайн байна уу? ... B: Би 75 настай.
When the answer is 75, the speaker should use the formal 'Та'.
Match the phrase to the context.
Context: Asking a very old monk his age.
This is the most respectful honorific for elderly or religious figures.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Recursos visuais
Banco de exercicios
4 exerciciosЧи хэдэн настай ___?
Because 'хэдэн' is a question word, the particle must be 'вэ'.
Би 25 ...
You must use the suffix '-тай' to indicate you 'have' that age.
A: Сайн байна уу? ... B: Би 75 настай.
When the answer is 75, the speaker should use the formal 'Та'.
Context: Asking a very old monk his age.
This is the most respectful honorific for elderly or religious figures.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Perguntas frequentes
4 perguntasGenerally, no. It's much more common and less taboo than in Western cultures, as it's needed for social titles.
You can use your fingers or write it down, but make sure to add 'настай' after the number.
'Бэ' is used after words ending in 'н, м, в, л'. Since 'настай' ends in a vowel sound, we use 'вэ'.
Yes, in very casual speech, the 'вэ' is sometimes dropped, but it's better to include it for clarity.
Frases relacionadas
Төрсөн өдөр
similarBirthday
Хэд хүрч байна?
synonymHow many are you reaching?
Нас барах
contrastTo pass away
Үеийнхэн
builds onPeers / People of the same age
