Learn Italian: Marco ha undici anni. - Marco is eleven years old.

Marco ha undici anni.

Marco is eleven years old.

Breakdown of Marco ha undici anni.

Questions & Answers about Marco ha undici anni.

Why does the sentence use ha (has) instead of the Italian word for is?

In Italian, you express age by saying how many years a person has, not what they are. So instead of saying Marco is eleven, you say Marco ha undici anni (literally: Marco has eleven years). You will always use the verb avere (to have) when talking about age.

Does the number undici change its ending to match the plural noun anni?

No. In Italian, numbers from two upwards never change their endings to match the noun they describe. Whether you are counting masculine words like anni or feminine words, undici stays exactly the same.

Why does undici come before anni? I thought describing words usually come after the noun in Italian.

While descriptive words like colors usually come after the noun, numbers are an exception. Numbers used for counting, like undici, always go directly before the noun they are counting.

Why is it anni and not anno?

Anno is the singular word for year. Since Marco has eleven of them, we need the plural form. In Italian, masculine nouns ending in -o change their ending to -i to become plural, which is why anno becomes anni.