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Mi hija cumple diez años en mayo.

Mi hija cumple diez años en mayo.
My daughter turns ten in May.
From Lesson 131:Celebrations (¡feliz cumpleaños!, la Navidad)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Mi hija cumple diez años en mayo.

Why is it cumple instead of a word that means 'turns'?
In Spanish, you don't 'turn' an age. Instead, you use the verb cumplir, which means 'to complete' or 'to achieve'. So, cumple diez años literally means she 'completes ten years'. This is the standard way to talk about reaching a new age on a birthday.
Do I always have to include años when talking about her age here?
Yes, usually. While in English we can just say 'she turns ten', in Spanish it sounds incomplete without años. You almost always say cumple diez años rather than just cumple diez.
Could I use the verb tener here to talk about her age?
You use tener to state how old someone currently is, like saying tiene diez años for 'she is ten years old'. However, because this sentence is about the specific event of 'turning' a new age in May, you must use cumplir.
Why isn't the month mayo capitalized?
In Spanish, months of the year like mayo, days of the week, and seasons are never capitalized unless they happen to be the very first word of a sentence.

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