Saying your age in English: rules and expressions

Saying your age in English

In brief

  • Basic structure: I am + age + years old. In English, age is constructed with to be, never with to have.
  • Short form: I’m 30. (in speech, years old can be omitted if the context is clear)
  • Asking age: How old are you? The form What is your age? is grammatically correct but rare and formal.
  • Next birthday: to turn + age. She’s turning 30 next month.
  • Age as adjective: a three-year-old child (hyphens, invariable, no s).
  • Age ranges: in her early thirties, in his mid-forties, in their late sixties.

In French, age is constructed with the verb “avoir” (to have): “j’ai 25 ans”. In English, it is constructed with the verb “to be”: I am 25 years old. This difference in verb is the source of most errors made by French speakers. Beyond this basic structure, English has a set of expressions to talk about age precisely, approximately, or in various contexts.

The basic structure: to be + age + years old

The standard formula for expressing age in English is: subject + am/is/are + number + years old. It works for all people, all ages, and applies equally to humans, animals, objects, and institutions.

French Correct English Incorrect English
J’ai 25 ans. I am 25 years old. I have 25 years. ✗
Tu as 17 ans. You are 17 years old. You have 17 years old. ✗
Il a 40 ans. He is 40 years old. He has 40 years. ✗
Elle a 8 ans. She is 8 years old. She has 8 years old. ✗
Mon chien a 3 ans. My dog is 3 years old. My dog has 3 years. ✗
Cette entreprise a 50 ans. This company is 50 years old. This company has 50 years. ✗
The most frequent error:
I have 30 years old. ✗
I am 30 years old. ✓
The verb to have is never used to express age in English. It is a direct translation from French that does not work.

The short form in speech

In ordinary conversation, years old is often omitted. The number alone is sufficient when the context makes the age obvious. This form is natural and common in speech and informal writing.

I’m 28. : I’m 28 years old.
She’s 10. : She’s 10 years old.
He’s just turned 50. : He’s just turned 50.
They’re both 35. : They’re both 35 years old.

In a formal or administrative context, the complete form with years old is preferable: forms, CVs, medical documents, professional presentations.

Asking about age

The standard question is How old are you? It adapts to the third person by simply changing the pronoun and verb.

Question Translation Register
How old are you? How old are you? Common
How old is she? How old is she? Common
How old is the building? How old is the building? Common
What is your age? What is your age? Formal, administrative
May I ask how old you are? May I ask how old you are? Very polite
Do you mind me asking how old you are? Do you mind me asking how old you are? Very polite, indirect

In both British and American English, directly asking an adult’s age can be perceived as indiscreet in certain social contexts. Indirect forms (May I ask…, Do you mind…) are used to soften the question.

To turn, announcing one’s next age

The verb to turn followed by a number is used to express that someone is going to have or has just reached a certain age. It is used in the present continuous for the near future, in the simple future for a prediction, and in the simple past or present perfect for an age recently reached.

She’s turning 18 next week. : She’s turning 18 next week.
He turned 40 yesterday. : He turned 40 yesterday.
I’ll turn 30 in March. : I’ll turn 30 in March.
My son has just turned 5. : My son has just turned 5.
When did you turn 21? : When did you turn 21?

Age as a compound adjective

When age qualifies a noun, it becomes a compound adjective placed before that noun. In this case, three rules apply without exception, hyphens between the elements, the word year in the singular (never with an s), and no years old.

As an attribute (after the verb) As an epithet (before the noun)
My daughter is three years old. I have a three-year-old daughter.
The contract is two years old. a two-year-old contract
He is a six-year-old boy. a six-year-old (without noun, the pronoun is sufficient)
Common errors with compound adjectives:
a three-years-old child ✗   a three-year-old child ✓
a five years old company ✗   a five-year-old company ✓
year always remains singular in this construction, regardless of the number.

The compound adjective can also be used alone as a noun, without repeating the word designating the person, She’s a typical six-year-old. (She’s a typical six-year-old.) The class is full of five-year-olds. (The class is full of five-year-olds.)

Expressing an age range

English has three precise adverbs to place someone within a decade, early (beginning), mid (middle), and late (end). They combine with decades to express an age range without giving an exact number.

Expression Approximate age Translation
in her early twenties 20-23 years old in her early twenties
in his mid-twenties 24-26 years old in his mid-twenties
in their late twenties 27-29 years old in their late twenties
in her early thirties 30-33 years old in her early thirties
in his mid-forties 44-46 years old in his mid-forties
in their late sixties 67-69 years old in their late sixties
She looks like she’s in her early forties. : She looks like she’s in her early forties.
He retired in his mid-sixties. : He retired in his mid-sixties.
Most students are in their late teens or early twenties. : Most students are in their late teens or early twenties.

For an even vaguer approximation, about, around or roughly before the number is sufficient, She’s about 40. He’s around 55. They’re roughly the same age.

At the age of, expressing age in a narrative

The structure at the age of + number places an event at a specific moment in life. It is common in biographies, press articles, and narrative texts.

She started playing piano at the age of five. : She started playing piano at the age of five.
He became CEO at the age of 38. : He became CEO at the age of 38.
At the age of 90, she was still working. : At the age of 90, she was still working.
He died at the age of 64. : He died at the age of 64.

The short form at age + number (without the or of) is also correct and frequent, especially in American English, She became famous at age 22.

The age of objects, places, and institutions

The same structure to be + age + years old applies to non-human things, buildings, companies, works, cities. English treats age uniformly, regardless of the nature of the subject.

This cathedral is over 800 years old. : This cathedral is over 800 years old.
The company is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. : The company is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
How old is this painting? : How old is this painting?
The bridge is less than ten years old. : The bridge is less than ten years old.

Some useful expressions related to age

Expression Translation Example
come of age reach adulthood, grow up She came of age during the war.
underage minor He was underage when it happened.
overage too old for something He was overage for the programme.
of age of age, adult Are you of age to vote?
the same age as the same age as She’s the same age as my sister.
twice my age twice my age He’s almost twice my age.
act your age behave according to your age Act your age, not your shoe size!
age well age well She has aged really well.
for her age for her age He’s very fit for his age.

Practical exercise

Test your knowledge of expressing age in English:

Question 1. How do you say “I’m 32 years old” in English?




Age is constructed with to be in English, never with to have. The structure is I am + number + years old. This is the fundamental difference with French “j’ai 32 ans” where “avoir” is used. All three other options use have or an incorrect form.

Question 2. How do you say “She’s going to turn 18 next month”?




She’s turning 18 is the most natural formula for announcing a next birthday. Option A (will be) is grammatically correct but less idiomatic. Option D adds to after turn, which is incorrect, to turn 18 without a preposition.

Question 3. Which form is correct for the compound adjective?




When age is an adjective before a noun, three rules apply: hyphens between each element, year in the singular (never with an s), and no space. Option A is the only one to respect these three rules. Option D forgets the hyphens, option B puts years in the plural, and option C forgets the hyphens.

Question 4. What does “She’s in her late thirties” mean?




Late thirties refers to the end of one’s thirties, or approximately 37-39 years old. Early thirties refers to the beginning (30-33 years old), mid-thirties to the middle (34-36 years old). This structure works with all decades, early/mid/late twenties, forties, fifties, etc.

Question 5. How do you say “She started reading at the age of four”?




The correct structure is at the age of + number. Option C omits the. Option D uses in instead of at, which is incorrect. Option A uses has four years, which is not said in English.

Question 6. Which question is most natural for asking someone’s age?




How old are you? is the standard and most natural question. What is your age? is grammatically correct but very formal and rare in conversation. How many years do you have? is a direct translation from French that is not said in English. How much old is incorrect, old is an adjective that requires how alone.

Question 7. What does “This castle is over 900 years old” mean?




Over means “more than”. The sentence indicates that the castle is at least 900 years old, probably more. Almost / nearly would have meant “nearly”. Exactly would have specified the exact number. The same structure to be + years old applies here to a building, which is perfectly correct in English.


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