Learn Italian: Mio fratello ha sedici anni. - My brother is sixteen years old.

Mio fratello ha sedici anni.

My brother is sixteen years old.

Breakdown of Mio fratello ha sedici anni.

Questions & Answers about Mio fratello ha sedici anni.

Why does the Italian sentence use ha instead of a word for 'is'?

In Italian, you do not 'be' an age, you 'have' years. The verb avere (to have) is used to talk about age. So ha sedici anni literally translates to 'has sixteen years'.

I notice sedici ends in -dici. Is there a pattern for numbers in the teens?

Yes! For numbers 11 through 16, the word ends with -dici (from dieci, meaning ten). For example, undici (11), dodici (12), and sedici (16). But watch out: starting at 17, the pattern flips and the 'ten' part comes first, like diciassette (17). Sedici is the last number to use the ending pattern.

Why is it just mio fratello and not il mio fratello?

Usually, Italian possessive words need a 'the' before them, like il mio gatto (the my cat). But there is a special exception for family: with singular close family members, you drop the article. Because fratello (brother) is singular, you just say mio fratello.

How do I pronounce the ci at the end of sedici?

In Italian, the letter c followed by an i or an e makes a soft 'ch' sound, like in the English word 'cheese'. So, sedici is pronounced 'SEH-dee-chee'.