Asking and Telling Age
In French, you don't be an age—you have years. Express age using the verb avoir (to have) + a number + ans (years). To ask someone's age, you literally ask what age they have:
| How old are you? | Tu as quel âge ? |
| How old are these children? | Quel âge est-ce que ces enfants ont ? |
| I am twenty years old. | J'ai vingt ans. |
Use seulement (only) to emphasize a young age or a small amount:
| This baby is only one year old. | Ce bébé a seulement un an. |
| We only have three children. | Nous avons seulement trois enfants. |
Physical States
French also uses avoir instead of être (to be) for many common physical states. Instead of being hungry or thirsty, you literally "have hunger" (avoir faim) and "have thirst" (avoir soif).
| Are you already hungry? | Est-ce que tu as déjà faim ? |
| No, I am not hungry now. | Non, je n'ai pas faim maintenant. |
| We are hungry and thirsty! | Nous avons faim et soif ! |
The same applies to being afraid (avoir peur) and being sleepy (avoir sommeil):
| Why are you afraid? | Pourquoi est-ce que vous avez peur ? |
| The baby is not afraid. | Le bébé n'a pas peur. |
| I am sleepy because I am tired. | J'ai sommeil parce que je suis fatigué. |
When talking about a person's physical sensation of temperature, use avoir with froid (cold) and chaud (hot):
| Are you cold here? | Tu as froid ici ? |
| We are very hot in this bedroom. | Nous avons très chaud dans cette chambre. |
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