Learn Romanian: Copilul are treisprezece ani. - The child is thirteen years old.

Copilul are treisprezece ani.

The child is thirteen years old.

Breakdown of Copilul are treisprezece ani.

Questions & Answers about Copilul are treisprezece ani.

Why does the sentence use are (has) instead of "is" for age?

In Romanian, you express age by saying someone "has" a certain number of years, using the verb a avea (to have). Literally translated, this sentence means "The child has thirteen years."

How is the word treisprezece (thirteen) put together?

Romanian numbers from 11 to 19 are built using a simple formula: the single digit + spre (towards) + zece (ten). So, treisprezece is literally trei (three) + spre + zece.

Why is the word for "the child" written as copilul instead of two separate words?

Unlike English, which puts "the" before a word, Romanian attaches the word for "the" (the definite article) to the very end of the noun. Copil is a masculine word, so it takes the ending -ul to mean "the child".

Do I need to add any connecting words between the number and ani?

Not for thirteen! For numbers from 1 to 19, you just place the number directly before the plural noun, so treisprezece ani is correct. When you eventually learn numbers 20 and up, you will have to add the word de in between the number and the noun.