多大 · 几岁 · ……岁
saying and asking someone’s age
Structure
主语 + （今年） + 数词 + 岁 · 多大（了）？ · 孩子：几岁（了）？
What it means
To give an age, put the number + 岁 straight after the person. Ask with 几岁 for a child and 多大 for someone your own age.
How it is built
Person (+ 今年) + number + 岁: 我今年二十五岁 (I'm twenty-five). Ask: 你今年多大？ To a child: 小朋友，你几岁了？
When to use it
几 (lesson h1-4) expects a small number, so 几岁 is for children. Over ten, 岁 is often left out: 我妈妈五十八 (My mum is fifty-eight).
Watch out
No 是 before the age: ✗ 我是二十八岁 ✓ 我二十八岁 (with 是 it sounds as if you're correcting someone). The negative does take 是: 他不是三岁，是四岁.
Examples
你今年多大？——我今年二十五岁。
How old are you? — I’m twenty-five.
小朋友，你几岁了？——六岁了。
How old are you, little one? — Six.
我爸爸六十岁，我妈妈五十八。
My dad is sixty and my mum is fifty-eight.
Learn this in HSK 1 · Lesson 5: 你今年多大 (How old are you?)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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