Learn Spanish (Spain): Mi hermana tiene seis años.

Mi hermana tiene seis años.

My sister is six years old.

Breakdown of Mi hermana tiene seis años.

Questions & Answers about Mi hermana tiene seis años.

Why does the sentence use tiene instead of a word for 'is'?

In English, we say someone is a certain age, but in Spanish, people have years. Tiene is the 'she has' form of the verb tener (to have). So literally, this sentence translates to 'My sister has six years'.

Does the number seis need to change to match masculine or feminine words?

No, the number seis (six) stays exactly the same whether you are counting masculine or feminine things. Out of the numbers 1 to 10, only the number one changes its ending based on gender (un or una).

Why is it mi instead of mis?

The word mi means 'my'. It changes to mis only if the thing you are talking about is plural (like mis hermanas for 'my sisters'). Because you only have one sister here, it stays as mi.

How important is the squiggly line over the 'n' in años?

It is extremely important! The ñ is a separate letter in the Spanish alphabet, pronounced a bit like the 'ny' in 'canyon'. If you write anos with a regular 'n', it means a completely different (and inappropriate) body part instead of 'years'. Always remember the squiggly line (called a tilde) when talking about age!