Expressing age (mieć... lat)

My and Your: Possessive Pronouns

In Polish, possessive pronouns change to match the gender of the noun they describe.

For masculine nouns (like brat, syn, or kot):

  • mój – my
  • twój – your

For feminine nouns (like siostra or córka):

  • moja – my
  • twoja – your

Asking Age

In English, you are a certain age. In Polish, you have years. To ask "How old is...?", combine ile (how many), lat (years), and the verb mieć (to have).

How old is your brother?
Ile lat ma twój brat?

When stating an age, the word for "years" changes depending on the number:

  • 1: rok
  • 2, 3, 4: lata
  • 5 and up: lat
My son is one year old, and yours is two years old.
Mój syn ma rok, a twój dwa lata.

Teen Numbers (11–19) and Twenty

Numbers from 11 to 19 typically end in -naście. Because they are five or greater, they always pair with lat.

My brother is eleven years old.
Mój brat ma jedenaście lat.
Your son is twelve years old now.
Twój syn ma teraz dwanaście lat.
My friend is fifteen years old.
Mój kolega ma piętnaście lat.

Twenty is dwadzieścia:

My daughter is twenty years old, and yours?
Moja córka ma dwadzieścia lat, a twoja?

Using "czy" for "Or"

You already know czy introduces yes/no questions. When placed between two options, czy translates to "or".

Is your brother eleven or seventeen years old?
Twój brat ma jedenaście czy siedemnaście lat?
Is he thirteen or fourteen years old?
Ma trzynaście czy czternaście lat?

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