Avoir [nombre] ans = To be [number] years old (French Expressions with avoir)

Take the fastest path to fluent French

In French, to express how old someone is you use "avoir [nombre] ans".

How to say how old you are in French

Look at these examples expressing age:

J'ai quinze ans.I am fifteen.

informal:

Tu as quarante ans.You are forty.

formal:

Vous avez soixante-huit ans.You are sixty-eight.

Note that to say how old someone is in French, we use avoir + age + ans.

Effectively we say I have fifteen years, not I am fifteen.

ATTENTION:
In French, you cannot omit ans as it wouldn't make sense. J'ai quinze simply means I have fifteen (fifteen what?)

To ask someone's age:

informal:
Quel âge as-tu ?How old are you?


formal:
Quel âge avez-vous ?How old are you?
 

Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Vous avez soixante-huit ans.You are sixty-eight.
Vous avez vingt-huit ans.You're twenty-eight years old.
Quel âge as-tu ?How old are you?
Quel âge avez-vous ?How old are you?
J'ai quinze ans.I am fifteen.
Tu as quarante ans.You are forty.
J'ai vingt-cinq ans.I am twenty-five.
I'll be right with you...