Unit 1 — Lesson 6
Numbers & Age
Números e Idade
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Key Concept
To express age in Portuguese, you use the verb ter (to have), NOT 'to be'. You literally say 'I have X years' instead of 'I am X years old'. This is a key difference from English.
The verb ter (to have) is irregular. Age is always expressed as ter + number + anos (years). Numbers 1 and 2 have gendered forms: um/uma, dois/duas.
Key Phrase — Try saying it!
Eu tenho vinte e cinco anos.
Conjugation of Ter (to have)
| Pronoun | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Eu | tenho | I have |
| Tu | tens | You have (informal) |
| Ele / Ela / Você | tem | He/She has / You have (formal) |
| Nós | temos | We have |
| Eles / Elas / Vocês | têm | They/You (pl.) have |
Numbers: 0–10
0zero
1um / uma
2dois / duas
3três
4quatro
5cinco
6seis
7sete
8oito
9nove
10dez
Numbers: 11–19
11onze
12doze
13treze
14catorze
15quinze
16dezasseis
17dezassete
18dezoito
19dezanove
Numbers: 20–100 (tens)
20vinte
30trinta
40quarenta
50cinquenta
60sessenta
70setenta
80oitenta
90noventa
100cem
Compound Numbers Rule
Compound numbers use 'e' (and) to connect: 21 = vinte e um, 35 = trinta e cinco, 99 = noventa e nove.
Age Examples
Eu tenho vinte e cinco anos.
I am 25 years old. (lit. I have 25 years)Quantos anos tens?
How old are you? (informal)Ela tem trinta e dois anos.
She is 32 years old.Ele tem dez anos.
He is 10 years old.Practice Time