Question 1

Why use Que idade tem instead of Quantos anos tem? Is there a difference?

Accepted Answer

Both mean the exact same thing and are used interchangeably. Quantos anos tem (literally how many years has) is slightly more common in casual spoken Portuguese, while Que idade tem (literally what age has) sounds just a tiny bit more formal, though it is perfectly normal in everyday conversation.

Question 2

Could I leave out the article a and just say tua filha?

Accepted Answer

In European Portuguese, the definite article (in this case, a) is required before a possessive pronoun like tua in almost all regular sentences. While Brazilian Portuguese often drops it, leaving it out in Portugal sounds unnatural unless you are directly addressing the person.

Question 3

If I wanted to use the formal você, would I just change tua to sua?

Accepted Answer

Grammatically, yes: Que idade tem a sua filha?. However, because sua can mean your, his, hers, or theirs, it can sometimes be ambiguous. To be crystal clear and very polite, native speakers often replace the possessive entirely and ask Que idade tem a filha do senhor? or da senhora?.

Question 4

As a reminder, why do we use tem instead of a form of the verb to be?

Accepted Answer

Portuguese always treats age as a possession rather than a state of being, so you must use the verb ter (to have). While this is an early concept, it is crucial at the B2 level to ensure you never accidentally carry over the English habit of using ser or estar when speaking quickly.

Que idade tem a tua filha?

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