Lesson 160 How Old Are You?

M: Dàjiā hǎo. Huānyíng 收听 – to listen in to – shōutīng Xiànzài Xué Hànyǔ.

S: Wǒ shì Stuart. Jīn tiān shì dì yì bǎi lìu shí kè, lesson 160. Shì fùxí kè.

M: Listen, tīng, and repeat, chóngfù.

S: First we revise some ways to ask and tell someone's age.

M: Stuart, 你多大了 nǐ duō dà le?

S: Eighteen. Shí bā suì. 十八岁。

M: 十八岁？Shí bā suì? I don't believe you 我不相信 wǒ bù xiāngxìn.

S: 你不相信吗 nǐ bù xiāngxìn ma? ok, thirty-seven. 三十七岁 sān shí qī suì.

M: So, the simplest way to ask someone's age is 你多大了 nǐ duō dà le? 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-two 三十三岁 sān shí sān suì.

M: Don't forget, we use 岁 SUI suì, when giving someone's age.

S: And when asking someone's age, we can put in ‘this year' jīn nián, as in -

M: Stuart, 你今年多大了 nǐ jīn nián duō dà le?

S: Thirty 我今年四十岁 wǒ jīn nián sì shí suì.

M: He's aging very quickly.

S: And remember, we usually use ‘nǐ duō dà le', or ‘nǐ jīn nián duō dà le' to ask someone roughly your age or younger.

M: Now, say, on your own, Mrs. Wang, who's not much older than you, how old are you?

S: I'm sure you said, 王女士，你多大了 Wáng nǚshì, nǐ duō dà le?

M: Or maybe you said, 王女士，你今年多大了 Wáng nǚshì, nǐ jīn nián duō dà le?

S: Or, a bit more formal, and if Mrs Wang is no spring chicken 王女士，您今年多大年纪了 Wang nǚshì, nǐ jīn nián duō dà niánjì le?

M: Everybody now ask Mrs. Li, who is much older than you, her age.

S: Hěn hǎo. 李女士，您多大年纪了 Lǐ Nǚshì, nín duō dà niánjì le?

M: And answer, I'm 84. Méi cuò. 我八十四岁 wǒ bā shí sì suì.

S: Bā shí sì suì! 她已经很老了 hěn lǎo, very old. Tā yǐjīng hěn lǎole.

M: Duì, wǒ niánjì dàle.

S: But what about asking the age of kids under ten or so? Easy. Listen.

M: 你几岁了？ nǐ jǐ suìle?

S: 我八岁 wǒ bā suì.

M: Nǐ jǐ suìle? Remember the jǐ in, What's the time now, 现在几点了 xiànzài jǐdiǎnle, wher the jǐ means ‘how many'? Well, it means a similar thing here. Nǐ jǐ suìle? You how many years, how old are you.

S: And remember, ‘nǐ jǐ suìle?' - is for people under ten or so.

M: So, Stuart, nǐ jǐ suìle?

S: Wǒ jǐ suì! Humph! ML, ní jīn nián jǐ suìle?

M: I think it's time to xià kè. Zài jiàn.