Expressing Age with "Mieć"
In Polish, you do not say that you "are" a certain age. Instead, you say you "have" a certain number of years, using the verb mieć.
The word for "years" changes depending on the last digit of the number:
- rok: 1 year
- lata: numbers ending in 2, 3, or 4 (e.g., 32, 44), except for 12, 13, and 14
- lat: numbers ending in 0, 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 (e.g., 30, 40, 55), as well as 11–14
You will often use the adjectives starszy (older) and młodszy (younger) when describing people. They change endings to match the gender of the person you are describing.
| My older brother is thirty years old. | Mój starszy brat ma trzydzieści lat. |
| I am thirty-two years old. | Mam trzydzieści dwa lata. |
| Her younger sister is forty years old. | Jej młodsza siostra ma czterdzieści lat. |
| He is forty-four years old. | On ma czterdzieści cztery lata. |
Higher Numbers
As you count higher, the "tens" from 50 to 90 all end in -dziesiąt. The word for 100 is sto.
Flat tens (50, 60, 70...) end in zero and are followed by lat. For combined numbers, choose lata or lat based solely on the final digit.
| Our father is fifty years old. | Nasz ojciec ma pięćdziesiąt lat. |
| We are fifty-five years old. | Mamy pięćdziesiąt pięć lat. |
| She is sixty-three years old. | Ona ma sześćdziesiąt trzy lata. |
This exact same structure is used to describe the age of buildings, cities, objects, and institutions:
| This old building is eighty years old. | Ten stary budynek ma osiemdziesiąt lat. |
| The city is ninety-two years old. | Miasto ma dziewięćdziesiąt dwa lata. |
| This museum is a hundred years old. | To muzeum ma sto lat. |
Age Adjectives
The adjectives starszy and młodszy behave like any other adjectives. You can use them in the plural, or pair them with past tense verbs to describe past situations.
| They (f) are older. | One są starsze. |
| My younger sister was tired yesterday. | Moja młodsza siostra była wczoraj zmęczona. |