French word

âge

Pronunciation

IPA/aʒ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounage

Example

Quel âge as-tu ?

How old are you?

Illustration for âge (age)

More examples

Il n'a pas l'âge requis pour conduire.

He is not old enough to drive.

Core concept

A count of years built up from birth that also places people in age groups and periods of life.

Common phrases

  • quel âge

    how old

  • avoir l'âge de

    be ___ years old

  • l'âge de la retraite

    retirement age

Similar words

année: One complete twelve-month period in the calendar.
vingtaine: A person's age range around twenty.
trentaine: A person's age range around thirty.
date de naissance: The exact year, month, and day of someone's birth.

Definition in French

Nombre d'années d'une personne depuis sa naissance ; peut aussi désigner une catégorie d'âge ou une époque de la vie.

Word origin

French âge descends from Old French eage and aage, from Latin aetatem, with historical changes in spelling and pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • French expresses a person's age with avoir, as in Quel âge as-tu? and J'ai vingt ans, not with être.

Other meanings

  • eranoun
  • age groupnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word