2.5: Lesson 2 Grammar - Age with 岁 (suì)
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Use 岁 (suì) to give a person's age, similar to how we say "years old" in English. There are a details that work differently from English, however.
Basic Structure for 岁 (suì)
Structure
The structure for telling someone's age with 岁 (suì) is:
Subj. + Number + 岁
This is equivalent to someone "is x years old" in English. Notice that you don't need to include any verb when you use 岁 (suì).
Examples
- 我20岁。
Wǒ èrshí suì.
I am 20 years old.
- 我儿子一岁。
Wǒ érzi yī suì.
My son is one year old.
- 我妈妈今年45岁。
Wǒ māma jīnnián sìshí-wǔ suì.
My mother is 45 years old this year.
- 你爷爷今年80岁吗？
Nǐ yéye jīnnián bāshí suì ma？
Is your grandpa eighty years old this year?
- 他女朋友也20岁吗？
Tā nǚpéngyou yě èrshí suì ma?
Is his girlfriend also twenty years old?
Note that you shouldn't use either the verb 是 (shì) or the measure word like 个 (gè) in any of these sentences.
- *我的孩子一个岁。<<< INCORRECT EXAMPLE, NEVER SAY IT THIS WAY!
Wǒ de háizi yī gè suì.
- *我的孩子是一岁。<<< INCORRECT EXAMPLE, NEVER SAY IT THIS WAY!
Wǒ de háizi shì yī suì.
- 我的孩子一岁。<<< CORRECT
Wǒ de háizi yī suì.
My child is one year old.
Adding "And a Half" to an Age
Structure
The word for "half" in Chinese is 半 (bàn), and you simply add this after 岁 (suì).
Subj. + Number + 岁 + 半
Examples
- 她两岁半。
Tā liǎng suì bàn.
She is two and a half years old.
- 我儿子一岁半。
Wǒ érzi yī suì bàn.
My son is one and a half years old.
[adapted from AllSet Learning Chinese Grammar Wiki, Creative Commons License BY-NC-SA 3.0]
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Any Questions?
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