Day 10: Día 10: Learning Spanish Vocabulary to ask one’s age and birthday
¡Hola a todos! Hello everyone!
You know, one of the best ways to break the ice and connect with new people is by asking about their age and birthday. Those small questions can open the door to deeper conversations and lasting friendships.
Also, it’s okay if you’re getting overwhelmed at times and forget a few phrases and words. This challenge isn’t about being perfect. It is to help you learn Spanish every day, steadily. Consider it a great habit building exercise! It also challenges you because it forces you to remember more and more phrases and words everyday. But remember – consistency over perfection! Practice a little every day and when you look back, you will realize how far you have come.
So, are you ready to add these new phrases to your Spanish Vocabulary? Let’s take a look at them –
¿Cuántos años tiene usted? koo-aantos aanyos tee-yey-ney us-teyd (‘t’ and ‘d’ have soft sounds) | How old are you? (formal) |
¿Cuántos años tienes tú? | How old are you? (informal) |
¿Cuándo es su cumpleaños | When is your birthday? (formal) |
¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? kooaan-do eys too kum-pley-aanyos (‘t’ and ‘d’ have soft sounds) | When is your birthday? (informal) |
Mi cumpleaños es el… mi kum-pley-aanyos eys eyl… | My birthday is on… |
Nací el… naa-see eyl… | I was born on… |
Tengo…años. teyn-go … aanyos | I am … years old. |
Notes to remember:
- Usted is the pronoun that means “you” in a formal situation like when you are talking to your elders, a stranger, or someone senior to you.
- Tú is the pronoun that means “you” in an informal situation like when you are talking to a peer, a friend, a sibling, and so on.
- The use of these pronouns will often tell you if someone is talking formally or informally! In case you are confused which one to use, it’s always better to be more polite and use the formal way of communication until someone tells you otherwise!
Now, let’s take a small quiz to see how much you remember:
- How do you informally say “When is your birthday?” in Spanish?
a) ¿Cuántos años tiene usted?
b) ¿Cuántos años tienes tú?
c) ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
d) ¿Cuándo es su cumpleaños? - What is the formal way to ask “How old are you?” in Spanish?
a) ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
b) ¿Cuántos años tiene usted?
c) ¿Cuántos años tienes tú?
d) ¿Cuándo es su cumpleaños? - How do you say “I am … years old” in Spanish?
Tengo … ____. - How do you ask “When is your birthday?” formally in Spanish?
¿Cuándo es su ____? - Mi cumpleaños es el…
a) I was born on…
b) How old are you? (informal)
c) My birthday is on…
d) When is your birthday? (formal) - ¿Cuántos años tienes tú?
a) When is your birthday? (informal)
b) How old are you? (formal)
c) My birthday is on…
d) How old are you? (informal)
Interesting, wasn’t it?
Check your answers here!
- c) ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
- b) ¿Cuántos años tiene usted?
- años
- cumpleaños
- c) My birthday is on…
- d) How old are you? (informal)
¡Excelente! Today’s lesson had some difficult words but as you practice these regularly, it will become easier. Try writing them down in a notebook so that you can learn how to spell these too. Take a look at these lists every day for a few minutes.
We have reached 1/3rd of this challenge with Day 10! Time flies when you’re having fun, isn’t it? We will return to the next lesson tomorrow – keep up the spirits!