Lesson 157 How Old Are You?

M: Péngyǒumen. Nǐmen hǎo! Huānyíng shōutīng Xiànzài Xué Hànyǔ. Wǒ shì ML.

S: Wǒ shì Stuart. Today we’ll learn how to ask and tell someone’s age. Very useful for cutting out underage drinking!

M: There are several ways to ask someone’s age. Here’s a common one. Stuart, 你多大了 nǐ duō dà le?

S: Twenty one 二十一岁 èr shí yī suì.

M: 二十一岁? èr shí yī suì? I don’t believe you 我不相信 wǒ bù xiāngxìn.

S: 你不信吗 nǐ búxìn ma? ok, 二十六岁 èr shí lìu suì.

M: So, the simplest way to ask someone’s age is 你多大了 nǐ duō dà le? The 多DUO duō, here literally means ‘how much’. 多大 ‘how much big?’ and it means ‘how old?’. And we usually put the little le at the end. How old are you 你多大了? Say it, everybody, nǐ duō dà le?

S: Twenty-one 二十一岁 èr shí yī suì.

M: Now, did anyone hear the word for ‘year’ when we’re talking about someone’s age?

S: It’s not 年 nián, as in ‘this year’ 今年 jīn nián.

M: Listen again. Stuart, 你多大了 nǐ duō dà le?

S: Thirty 我三十岁 wǒ sān shí suì.

M: Got it? Duì le. 岁SUI suì.

S: So now everybody ask, How old are you? And then answer, Forty-one.

M: Hěn hǎo. 你多大了 nǐ duō dà le?

S: 四十一岁 sì shí yī suì.

M: Now ask, How old is he? And answer 55.

S: Méi cuò. 他多大了 tā duō dà le?

M: 55. 他五十五岁 tā wǔ shí wǔ suì.

S: Good. Now put in the jīnnián, and ask, How old are you this year?

M: Duìle. 你今年多大了 nǐ jīnnián duō dà le?

S: Now answer with your own age. And be honest!

S: Welcome back! Now, one thing. We’ve learnt ‘nǐ duō dà le’, and ‘nǐ jīn niàn duō dà le’. You would usually use these to ask someone roughly your age or younger.

M: We’ll learn how to ask the age of someone older than you in our next lesson. Now let’s practice asking some women their age.

S: Very dangerous, but we have to learn 女士 NV SHI, which means ‘Ms.’, ‘Mrs.’, or Madam, nǚshì.

M: For example, Mrs. Wang is 王女士 wáng nǚshì.

S: So, repeat with us. 王女士，你多大了 Wáng nǚshì, nǐ duō dà le?

M: Twenty-nine, 二十九岁 èr shí jǐu suì.

S: 张女士，你今年多大了? Zhāng nǚshì, nǐ jīn nián duō dà le?

M: Thirty-two, 三十二岁 sān shí èr suì.

S: 李女士，你今年多大了? Lǐ nǚshì, nǐ jīnnián duō dà le?

M: Forty-two, 四十二岁 sì shí èr suì.

S: 陈女士，你多大了？Chén nǚshì, nǐ jīnnián duō dà le?

M: Forty-seven, 四十七岁 sì shí qī suì.

S: 曼丽，你多大了？Mànlì, nǐ duō dà le?

M: That’s a secret 那是秘密. Zài jiàn.