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O rapaz tem quinze anos.

O rapaz tem quinze anos.
The boy is fifteen years old.
From Lesson 13:The verb to have (tenho, tem)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of O rapaz tem quinze anos.

o rapaz
the boy
ter
to have
o ano
the year
quinze
fifteen

Questions & Answers about O rapaz tem quinze anos.

Why does the sentence use tem instead of a word for is?
In English we say someone "is" a certain age, but in Portuguese you say they "have" a certain number of years. The verb ter means to have, so O rapaz tem quinze anos literally translates to "The boy has fifteen years."
Is tem a regular verb?
No, tem comes from the highly irregular verb ter (to have). This is the form you use for he, she, or a formal you. You will use ter often, as it is needed for giving age and expressing physical states like being hungry or thirsty.
Why isn't there a word for "old" in the Portuguese sentence?
In Portuguese, you do not use a word for "old" when giving an age. You simply state the number of years (anos) the person has. Adding a literal translation for old would be incorrect here.
How is the letter z at the end of rapaz pronounced?
In European Portuguese, a z at the very end of a word makes a "sh" sound. So, rapaz sounds like "rah-pash".

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