Questions & Answers about Ile lat ma twój brat?
Why does the Polish sentence use ma (has) instead of "is"?
In Polish, you don't ask how old someone is, you ask how many years they have. The literal translation of Ile lat ma... is "How many years has...". Since the subject is twój brat (your brother), we use the "he/she/it" form of the verb to have: ma (he has).
Why is it twój here instead of twoja or twoje?
Possessive pronouns like "your" must match the gender of the noun they describe. Brat (brother) is a masculine noun, so we use the masculine singular form twój. If you were asking about a sister, you would need the feminine form: twoja siostra.
What exactly does lat mean? Is it the word for "old"?
No, lat actually means "years". In Polish, you do not use a word for "old" to ask someone's age. The phrase ile lat literally translates to "how many years".
Could I change the word order and say Ile lat twój brat ma?
People would understand you, but it sounds less natural. In Polish questions, the verb (ma) usually comes right after the question phrase (Ile lat).