How old are you? or What is your age?
Which is more common or used more and also the correct way of asking?
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1Though as a cultural note, asking this of anyone other than a child (or by a doctor &c) might well get an answer along the lines of "None of your effing business!" It's quite rude.– jamesqfApr 26, 2015 at 18:05
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2Possible duplicate of what age are you– QuidamMay 10, 2017 at 15:56
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3 Answers
In any spoken English How old are you is far, far more natural than what's your age. So, if you don't want people to notice your stilted English, it is far better to use How old are you?.
It might also be helpful to know that we don't usually use the words years old in the reply. We just state the number. And it's actually ungrammatical to say just years:
- Thirty.
- I'm 30.
- *I'm thirty years. (ungrammatical)
- ?I'm 30 years old. (Not usually used by adults)
There may be special circumstances when someone might say What's your age?, but the normal question is How old are you?. The answer is "(X)", not "(X) years", or even "(X) years old" - unless you are five!
answered Apr 26, 2015 at 16:21
Araucaria - Not here any more.Araucaria - Not here any more.
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I completely agree that shorter versions are more common but I wouldn't say that "I'm 30 years old" is uncommon for adults, particularly in situations where a more formal or complete answer is appropriate.– Catija ♦Apr 26, 2015 at 16:28
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2If I were at an interview and was asked how old I am, I'd refuse to answer because it's illegal in the US to ask someone their age in a job interview situation. Honestly, though... sometimes you just want to draw it out. If you want to say something like "It's better for learners to stick to just the number", that's one thing, but blanket saying that adults don't say "I'm 33 years old" is just incorrect.– Catija ♦Apr 26, 2015 at 16:34
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@Catija I said that we don't usually use the "years old" bit, that's all. EDIT Ok, the last sentence sounds a bit stronger that that, granted. Apr 26, 2015 at 17:50
In many parts of Ireland, notably in the West, people commonly ask "What age are you?". Asking certain people "How old are you?" may be considered to have somewhat negative connotations as the word "old" is synonymous with "elderly".
"How old are you? is absolutely more common. "What is your age?" sounds a bit weird but it is still being used in some countries.
