Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say Age in Spanish: Edad
Edad · noun (feminine) · eh-DAHD
Age in Spanish is edad (la edad). Spanish expresses age differently from English: instead of being a certain age, you have years (tener + number + años). Edad is also used for historical periods (Edad Media = Middle Ages).
eh-DAHD
¿Cuántos años tienes? — Tengo treinta años de edad.
How old are you? — I am thirty years of age.
Age in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for age, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| edad | age | eh-DAHD | Default, widely understood |
| era | age | historical age/era | |
| época | age | period/era | |
| vejez | age | old age |
How Native Speakers Use Edad
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Asking someone's age
¿Qué edad tiene tu hijo?
How old is your son? (What age is your son?)
¿Qué edad tiene? is a polite way to ask age, alongside ¿Cuántos años tiene?
Legal context
La edad mínima para votar es dieciocho años.
The minimum age to vote is eighteen years.
Edad mínima/máxima are standard phrases for age limits.
Historical period
La Edad Media duró aproximadamente mil años.
The Middle Ages lasted approximately one thousand years.
Edad also means age in a historical sense: Edad de Piedra (Stone Age), Edad Media (Middle Ages).
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Edad
Using ser instead of tener for age
Incorrect: Yo soy veinte años.
Correct: Yo tengo veinte años.
Spanish uses tener (to have) for age, not ser (to be). You have years, you don't are years.
Omitting años after the number
Incorrect: Tengo treinta.
Correct: Tengo treinta años.
While native speakers sometimes drop años in casual speech, learners should include it for clarity. Without it, the sentence is incomplete.
Lock in Age Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Edad used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using edad in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear ¿Cuántos años tienes? — Tengo treinta años de edad. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.
Common Questions About Age in Spanish
- How do you say age in Spanish?
- Age is edad (la edad). To express someone's age, use tener + number + años: Tengo veinticinco años (I am twenty-five years old).
- Why does Spanish use tener for age instead of ser?
- Spanish conceptualizes age as something you possess (you have years) rather than something you are. This is a fundamental structural difference from English.
- How do you say old age in Spanish?
- Old age is vejez (la vejez). The adjective old (for people) is viejo/vieja, though mayor is more polite: una persona mayor (an elderly person).