The French phrase "Quel âge as-tu" explained

We are going to teach you all the things you ever wanted to know about the basic sentence “Quel âge as-tu”.

This include a complete guide of what it is and how you can use it in a conversation with an audio example. Along with the useful stuff we added like slow pronunciation audio, dialogue example and more!

Oh and before I forget, on this page you will find more of these sentences pages plus the list of all our French words content on this page. Ready to learn? Let’s go!

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French to English translation

How to pronounce it?

Slow pronunciation

Normal pronunciation

What does it mean?

Definition

The literal meaning is:

  • Quel → What
  • ge → Age
  • As → Have
  • Tu → You

It’s the easy and neutral way to ask someone his/her age in French and a very basic sentence that you should know. Its use is very similar to “How old are you?” in English, even though there are few tips you need to know as you will see in the next sections.

How to use

Use it at the beginning of a dialogue after meeting someone or as an icebreaker to change the topic of the conversation. The neutral way to use it would be: “Quel âge as-tu ?” (How old are you) → “J’ai 28 ans et toi ?” (I’m 28 and you?).

In case of a formal context or if asking their age to several people, use instead: “Quel âge avez-vous ?“. But in a familiar context, you can use “T’as quel âge ?” which is shorter and easier to use.

Fun fact

Be extra careful when asking a woman her age, this is considered as impolite in France, even more if you are a man. In this case, you should ask instead: “Je peux te demander ton/votre âge ?” (May I ask for your age?) and she will decide.

Synonyms and similarities

  • Tu as quel âge ? (“How old are you?“)
  • T’as quel âge ? (“How old are you?“)(Familiar)
  • Quel âge tu as ? (“How old are you?“)
  • Vous avez quel âge ? (“How old are you?“)(Formal & Plural)
  • Quel âge avez-vous ? (“How old are you?“)(Formal & Plural)
  • Quel âge a-t-elle ? (“How old is she?“)
  • Quel âge elle a ? (“How old is she?“)
  • Quel âge a-t-il ? (“How old is he?“)
  • Quel âge il a ? (“How old is he?“)

Example in a story with translation

Now, let’s see a complete example of this idiom in a story with slow French audio and the English translation below.
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Un passe-temps dangereux
A dangerous hobby
___
Karine:   Rémi !
Rémi!
Rémi:   Oui, qu’est-ce qui ne va pas ?
Yes, what’s wrong?
Karine:   J’ai vraiment besoin de savoir… quel âge as-tu ?
I really need to know… how old are you?
Rémi:   Quoi ? J’ai trente-et-un ans, tu le sais…
What? I’m thirty-one years old, you know that…
Karine:   Alors pourquoi j’ai l’impression de vivre avec un garçon de quatre ans ?
So why does it feel like I’m living with a four years old boy?
Rémi:   Euh… c’est encore à propos de mes Lego ?
Uh… is this about my Lego again?
Karine:   Oui, j’ai encore marché sur l’un d’entre eux ! Ça fait mal !
Yes, I stepped on one of them again! It hurts!
Rémi:   Je suis désolé, j’ai oublié de ranger…
I’m sorry, I forgot to tidy up…
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