Introduction
Learning to say your age is one of the first useful skills when starting Brazilian Portuguese. This article teaches simple phrases, vocabulary, pronunciation tips, common questions and natural replies you will hear or use in everyday situations like meeting people, filling a form, or speaking with a teacher.
- Basic vocabulary: numbers and key words
- How to say your age: simple patterns
- Questions you will hear and how to answer
- Forms, identification, and age on documents
- Polite and contextual variations
- Pronunciation tips for beginners
- Common beginner mistakes and how to fix them
- Useful extras: talking about birth year, milestones, and age differences
- Practical classroom and travel examples
- Beginner practice plan (simple and practical)
- Conclusion
Basic vocabulary: numbers and key words
Start with the numbers you need most. Below are Portuguese number words commonly used to say age. Practice them aloud and listen to native speakers when possible.
0 — zero
1 — um / uma
2 — dois / duas
3 — três
4 — quatro
5 — cinco
6 — seis
7 — sete
8 — oito
9 — nove
10 — dez
11 — onze
12 — doze
13 — treze
14 — quatorze (or catorze)
15 — quinze
16 — dezesseis
17 — dezessete
18 — dezoito
19 — dezenove
20 — vinte
21 — vinte e um
30 — trinta
40 — quarenta
50 — cinquenta
60 — sessenta
70 — setenta
80 — oitenta
90 — noventa
100 — cem / cento
Key words for age
Use these words together with numbers.
anos — years
anos de idade — years of age (more formal or explicit)
idade — age
Quantos anos? — How many years? / How old? (informal question)
Eu tenho … anos. — I am … years old. (literal: I have … years)
Qual é a sua idade? — What is your age? (formal)
How to say your age: simple patterns
The most common and natural structure in Brazilian Portuguese is Eu tenho X anos. Literaly I have X years, but it means I am X years old.
Examples:
Eu tenho 20 anos.
Eu tenho 35 anos.
Eu tenho 1 ano. (used for babies)
For small children or when specifying months, you can add meses:
Eu tenho 6 meses. — I am 6 months old.
Shorter, casual answers
In informal situations Brazilians often skip the subject and say Tenho X anos or even just X anos, especially when answering a direct question.
Quantos anos você tem?
Tenho 27 anos.
27 anos.
Questions you will hear and how to answer
Here are the most common ways people ask your age and model answers to use as a beginner.
Quantos anos você tem? — Tenho 22 anos.
Qual é a sua idade? — Minha idade é 22 anos. (more formal, rarely used in casual talk)
Você tem quantos anos? — Tenho 22 anos.
Se você prefere ser mais informal, use Tu tens quantos anos? only in regions or with people who use tu. In general, practice with você, since it’s widely used across Brazil.
Practice dialogue
Simple conversation you might hear at a class or party.
A: Oi, tudo bem? Quantos anos você tem?
B: Oi! Tenho 28 anos. E você?
A: Tenho 24 anos. Prazer!
Forms, identification, and age on documents
On official forms you might see idade, data de nascimento, or ano de nascimento. Here are common items and how to fill them out.
Data de nascimento — date of birth. Write day/month/year: 15/03/1998.
Idade — age. Write a number: 25.
Ano de nascimento — year of birth. Example: 1998.
When a form asks apenas idade, simply write the number without anos, for example 32.
Example form entries
Nome: João Silva
Data de nascimento: 10/02/1995
Idade: 31
Polite and contextual variations
Sometimes people avoid saying age directly for politeness, especially with women or older people. You can respond with a range, a joking reply, or a question back.
Respostas evasivas:
Ah, prefiro não dizer. — I prefer not to say.
Sou jovem demais para contar! — I am too young to count!
More polite formal reply on paperwork: Tenho 45 anos completos. — I am 45 years old (complete/finished years).
Using anos de idade vs. anos
Both are correct. Eu tenho 30 anos is the everyday choice. Eu tenho 30 anos de idade is slightly more formal or explicit and is common on forms or in formal speech.
Pronunciation tips for beginners
Brazilian Portuguese has some sounds unfamiliar to English speakers. Focus on these small points to make your age phrases clear.
Pronounce the r in tenho like an English h sound in many accents: tenho — TEN-yoh (approx.).
The nasal tilde in não and anos is important: anos — AH-nus (nasal on the first vowel).
Vowel sounds are generally pure; avoid English diphthongs. Vinte sounds like VEEN-chee, not VYNT.
Practice common ages aloud: Tenho vinte e cinco anos. Tenho trinta anos. Tenho dezesseis anos.
Stress and rhythm
In Eu tenho X anos, stress usually falls on the number word. Speak naturally and avoid rushing the phrase so listeners clearly hear the number.
Common beginner mistakes and how to fix them
Here are typical errors learners make and simple corrections.
Mistake: Saying Eu sou 25 anos. Correction: Use Eu tenho 25 anos. In Portuguese you normally use ter (to have) for age, not ser (to be).
Mistake: Forgetting anos after a number. Correction: Add anos when you mean years: Tenho 15 anos. If you write only 15 on a form, context must show it is idade.
Mistake: Using the wrong gender for one year. Correction: Use um ano for masculine one when referring to age (Eu tenho 1 ano). Use uma only with feminine nouns like uma semana.
Mistake: Mixing English word order. Correction: Portuguese order is subject + ter + number + anos: Eu tenho 40 anos.
Quick drills to fix mistakes
Repeat these aloud 10 times each: Eu tenho 18 anos. Eu tenho 30 anos. Tenho 7 anos. Tenho 1 ano.
Record yourself and compare with a native speaker or an app that gives pronunciation feedback.
Useful extras: talking about birth year, milestones, and age differences
To say your birth year:
Eu nasci em 1990. — I was born in 1990.
To say someone is older or younger:
Ele é mais velho. — He is older.
Ela é mais nova. — She is younger.
To ask how many years between people:
Quantos anos ele tem a mais que você? — How many years older is he than you?
Milestone examples
Tenho 18 anos — legalmente adulto para várias coisas no Brasil.
Tenho 21 anos — idade importante em alguns contextos sociais.
Tenho 65 anos — muitas pessoas mencionam essa idade ao falar de aposentadoria em conversas informais.
Practical classroom and travel examples
When registering for a class:
Formulário: Idade: 29
At a bus station or hotel, staff might ask your age for discounts or policies:
Promotor: Você tem menos de 25 anos? — Sim, tenho 23 anos. (Yes, I am 23 years old.)
On social apps or language exchanges:
Perfil: Idade: 27
Short role-play for travel
Hostel receptionist: Qual é a sua idade?
You: Tenho 26 anos.
Receptionist: Obrigado. Aqui está sua ficha. — Thank you. Here is your registration form.
Beginner practice plan (simple and practical)
Follow these steps over a week to internalize age phrases.
Day 1: Memorize numbers 1–20 and practice Eu tenho X anos with random numbers.
Day 2: Learn tens (30, 40, 50) and practice 21–59 using vinte e etc.
Day 3: Record short answers to Quantos anos você tem? and listen for clarity.
Day 4: Fill a sample form with Data de nascimento and Idade.
Day 5: Role-play conversations at a hostel or class registration with a partner or language app.
Conclusion
Learning to say your age in Brazilian Portuguese is quick and highly practical. Focus on the standard phrase Eu tenho X anos, the most common questions Quantos anos você tem and Qual é a sua idade, and practice numbers and pronunciation. Use the example dialogues and common form entries from this article to build confidence in everyday situations.
