Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Quando é que fazes anos?

Quando é que fazes anos?

When is your birthday?

Breakdown of Quando é que fazes anos?

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Questions & Answers about Quando é que fazes anos?

Why does this sentence use fazes anos instead of a word for 'birthday'?

In Portuguese, you do not 'have a birthday' or 'turn an age'. Instead, you 'make years', which is the expression fazer anos. Fazes is the informal 'you' form of fazer (to do or to make).

What is the purpose of é que in this question?

É que literally translates to 'is it that', making the literal translation 'When is it that you make years?'. It does not change the core meaning, but Portuguese speakers very often put é que directly after a question word to emphasize it and make the sentence sound more natural.

Can I just ask Quando fazes anos? without the é que?

Yes, absolutely. Quando fazes anos? is completely correct and means the exact same thing. Including é que is just a very common conversational habit in Portugal.

Since we are learning the near future, how would I change this to ask 'When are you going to have your birthday?'?

You would use the informal 'you' form of ir (to go), which is vais, followed by the infinitive (unconjugated) verb fazer. The sentence becomes Quando é que vais fazer anos?