So today I got curious about how French people ask each other’s ages. Figured I should actually practice this instead of just reading it once. Started simple – opened my dusty French textbook from 2 years ago. Totally forgot where to even begin.
First step: learned that “age” is “âge”. Sounds fancy but okay. Then remembered you gotta use “avoir” – that “to have” verb they’re obsessed with. So “How old are you?” becomes “Quel âge as-tu?” for friends. Broke it down: “Quel” for “what”, “âge” for “age”, “as” for “have”, “tu” for “you”. Simple enough? Nah.
The Messy Part
Tried saying it out loud. Sounded like “Kelaj atoo” – felt super awkward. Practiced 10 times till my cat looked annoyed. Then switched to polite version for strangers: “Quel âge avez-vous?” Here’s where I messed up big time. Said “avé” instead of “avez”. French friend later told me it’s “avé” in slang but WRONG for proper talk. Dang.
Answering was another hurdle. My brain screamed “I am 30 years” like English. Nope. Gotta say “J’ai trente ans”. Literally “I have thirty years”. Weird but whatever. Key stuff:
- J’ai = I have
- Trente = Thirty
- Ans = Years (not “year” – that’d be “an”)
Forgot “ans” the first few tries. Just blurted “J’ai trente”. Friend stared blankly. Fail.
Real Talk Practice
Called my buddy Pierre later. Asked him “Quel âge as-tu?” like a robot. He laughed then fired back “Et toi?” (meaning “and you?”). Panicked and said “Moi ai trente ans” like an idiot. Forgot the “je” contraction. Should’ve been “Moi, j’ai trente ans” or just “J’ai trente ans”. Added unnecessary “moi-même” later like an extra clown. Pierre teased me for 5 minutes straight.
Bonus struggle: discovered slang version “trente balais” (“balais” means brooms… why? No idea). Tried using it ironically. Pierre said only grandpas say that now. Double fail.
Final takeaway? Sounds easy but actually saying it fluidly takes drilling. Still catch myself saying “Je suis trente” sometimes. Some habits die hard.
