To Be + Age
To say your age in English you use TO BE:
To Be + number + years old
- I am 21 years old.
- You are 13 years old.
- He is 42 years old.
- She is 38 years old.
- John is 69 years old.
- Susan is 27 years old.
The years old part is optional.
You can say:
- I am 18 years old. OR
- I am 18.
Both are correct. But you always have years + old together. Never years alone.
- I am 27. — Correct
- I am 27 years. — INCORRECT
- I am 27 years old. — Correct
You are also write the number as words.
- I am 15 years old. — Correct
- I am fifteen years old. — Correct
With babies you can use months instead of years.
- The baby is 3 months old.
- She is 7 months old.
YES… we need to use old after months (= months + old)
To Be … Not To Have
In English we use TO BE for your age and not have as in some other languages.
(In Spanish you use tener, In French avoir , in Italian avere, but in English we do not use have, we use to be.)
- I have 40. — INCORRECT
- I have 40 years. — INCORRECT
- I have 40 years old. — INCORRECT
- I am 40 years old. — Correct
The Question
To ask the age of someone you ask…
- How old are you?
(This is the most common way)
Or if it is another person…
How old + is + person?
- How old is she?
- How old is Phillip?
More examples
- How old are you? – I am twenty years old
- How old is he? – He is 50.
- How old is Angelica? – She is 22 years old.
- How old is your baby? – He is 5 months old.
To Be + Age Summary Chart
How old are you?