How to say your age and birthday in Portuguese basics

Introduction

Learning to say your age and birthday in Brazilian Portuguese is one of the first practical skills for a beginner. This article teaches numbers, months, sentence patterns, questions, and everyday examples so you can introduce yourself, fill simple forms, and respond in conversations with confidence.

Why these basics matter

Age and birthdate appear in casual conversation, registration forms, booking systems, and social introductions. Mastering these phrases lets you handle personal info clearly and politely. Brazilian Portuguese uses straightforward structures that are easy to learn with a few key verbs and number patterns.

Essential vocabulary

idade — age

aniversário — birthday (the event or date)

nascer — to be born

fazer anos — to have a birthday / to turn (age)

quantos anos você tem? — how old are you?

eu tenho … anos — I am … years old

meu aniversário é — my birthday is

data de nascimento — date of birth (used on forms)

Numbers you need first

Focus first on numbers 0–31 for days and common ages up to 100 for polite conversation. Below are numbers often used when saying age or date.

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 in some regions)

15 — quinze

16 — dezesseis

17 — dezessete

18 — dezoito

19 — dezenove

20 — vinte

21 — vinte e um

22 — vinte e dois

30 — trinta

40 — quarenta

50 — cinquenta

60 — sessenta

70 — setenta

80 — oitenta

90 — noventa

100 — cem

Months of the year

Use months to give your birthday month. The month names are similar to English in many cases.

janeiro — January

fevereiro — February

março — March

abril — April

maio — May

junho — June

julho — July

agosto — August

setembro — September

outubro — October

novembro — November

dezembro — December

How to say your age

The usual sentence pattern is eu tenho X anos, which literally means I have X years. Brazilians rarely use the verb nascer to say age directly. Note the construction uses ter, not ser.

Structure: eu tenho + number + anos

Examples:

Eu tenho 25 anos.
Translation: I am 25 years old.

Eu tenho 30 anos.
Translation: I am 30 years old.

Eu tenho 1 ano.
Used when talking about a baby: The baby is one year old.

Tip: Use the appropriate masculine or feminine number forms only for one and two when they modify nouns, but for age the number form does not change because anos is masculine plural.

How to ask someone their age

There are a few polite and casual ways to ask. For beginners, learn these common forms.

Quantos anos você tem? — How old are you? (most common)

Quantos anos ele/ela tem? — How old is he/she?

Que idade você tem? — What age do you have? (less common, but used)

Polite variation for strangers or older people: Com licença, quantos anos a senhora tem? or Com licença, quantos anos o senhor tem?

How to say your birthday date

To give the date of your birthday, you can say meu aniversário é + day + de + month. For formal forms like data de nascimento, use day/month/year numeric formats common in Brazil: DD/MM/YYYY.

Structure: meu aniversário é + dia + de + mês

Examples:

Meu aniversário é 12 de junho.
Translation: My birthday is June 12.

Meu aniversário é 1º de janeiro.
Note: 1st of January uses 1º pronounced primeiro.

Formal: Data de nascimento: 12/06/1995
Used on forms and documents.

Saying the year you were born

When asked about your year of birth, Brazilians usually say eu nasci em + year. Pronouncing years follows regular number rules; you can say the full year or split it like in English for some years, but beginners should say the full number clearly.

Structure: eu nasci em + year

Examples:

Eu nasci em 1995.
Translation: I was born in 1995.

Eu nasci em 2003.
Translation: I was born in 2003.

Common phrases and short dialogues

Practice with natural mini-dialogues you might hear or use in an introduction.

Conversation 1:

Oi, tudo bem?
Quantos anos você tem?
Eu tenho 28 anos.

Conversation 2:

Quando é seu aniversário?
Meu aniversário é 23 de maio.
Que legal!

Conversation 3 – form context:

Preencha o campo data de nascimento: 03/11/1988
Assinatura: __________________

Pronunciation tips for beginners

Brazilian Portuguese has predictable stress and vowel sounds. For numbers and months, listen to native speakers and repeat slowly. Key tips:

The letter r at the start of words sounds like an h in many Brazilian accents: aniversário — anivérsario with soft a and v sound.

The ão ending is nasal: mão (not relevant for age but common in other words). For anos, pronounce the a like the a in father.

Link words naturally: meu aniversário é 12 de julho should sound like one smooth sentence, not choppy words.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

1. Using ser instead of ter: Do not say eu sou 25 anos. Correct: Eu tenho 25 anos.

2. Mixing month order for forms: Brazil uses day/month/year. If a form shows 05/06/2000, it is 5 June 2000, not May 6.

3. For the first of the month beginners sometimes write 1 de maio; you can also write 1º de maio. Both are acceptable; the ordinal indicator 1º is pronounced primeiro.

4. Forgetting anos after numbers: Say eu tenho 21 anos, not eu tenho 21 alone in formal contexts. In quick speech it might be omitted, but include anos for clarity.

Practice exercises

Fill-in-the-blank practice you can use aloud or on paper:

1. Ask a friend: Quantos ____ você tem?

2. Answer with your age: Eu tenho ____ anos.

3. Say your birthday: Meu aniversário é ____ de ____.

4. Formal form: Data de nascimento: ____ / ____ / ____ (use numbers)

Useful mini cheat-sheet

How old are you? — Quantos anos você tem?

I am X years old. — Eu tenho X anos.

When is your birthday? — Quando é seu aniversário?

My birthday is … — Meu aniversário é …

I was born in … — Eu nasci em …

Real-life contexts to practice

Use these phrases in everyday situations to build confidence:

At a language exchange: start with Oi! Quantos anos você tem?

On a form: write Data de nascimento: 14/02/1990

At a doctor or dentist reception: Posso ver sua identidade e data de nascimento, por favor?

In casual chat with classmates: Meu aniversário é mês que vem, vamos comemorar?

Quick review and final tips

Remember the key verb ter for age and the phrase meu aniversário é for birthdays. Learn numbers 1–31 and months. Practice full sentences aloud and pay attention to day/month order on forms. Use polite forms when needed and avoid using ser for age.

Daily short drills of saying your age, asking others, and writing dates will quickly improve recall and pronunciation.

Conclusion

Mastering how to say your age and birthday in Brazilian Portuguese gives you essential conversational confidence and helps with everyday tasks like filling forms and making introductions. Focus on the constructions eu tenho X anos, meu aniversário é, and eu nasci em, learn numbers and months, and practice short dialogues to become comfortable quickly.