Egyptian Arabic A1, Unit 5: How old are you?

How old are you?

Egyptian Arabic A1 · Unit 5

GoalAsk someone's age and say your own age (ages 1 to 10).

New words

عَنْدَك كَام سَنَة؟ (ʿandak kām sana?) · how old are you? (to a man)عَنْدِك كَام سَنَة؟ (ʿandik kām sana?) · how old are you? (to a woman)عَنْدِي سَبْع سِنِين (ʿandi sabʿ sinīn) · I am seven years oldسَنَة (sana) · yearسِنِين (sinīn) · yearsسَنَتِين (sanatēn) · two years

Explanation

To ask the age, say «you have how many years?». To a man: عَنْدَك كَام سَنَة؟ (ʿandak). To a woman: عَنْدِك كَام سَنَة؟ (ʿandik). Only one vowel changes. Answer عَنْدِي (ʿandi, «I have») + the number + سِنِين (years). For 3 to 10 the number loses its last -a: خَمْسَة becomes خَمْس, and تَمَانْيَة becomes تَمَن. One year is سَنَة وَاحْدَة and two years is سَنَتِين. Here we use ages 1 to 10, so you can talk about children. Numbers above 10 are in unit 11.

Number	Say it with «years»	Pronunciation
٣	تَلَات سِنِين	talat sinīn
٤	أَرْبَع سِنِين	arbaʿ sinīn
٥	خَمْس سِنِين	khams sinīn
٦	سِتّ سِنِين	sitt sinīn
٧	سَبْع سِنِين	sabʿ sinīn
٨	تَمَن سِنِين	taman sinīn
٩	تِسْع سِنِين	tisʿ sinīn
١٠	عَشَر سِنِين	ʿashar sinīn

Worked examples

Karim

عَنْدِك كَام سَنَة؟

Salma

عَنْدِي سَبْع سِنِين.

Salma

وِإِنْتَ؟

Karim

عَنْدِي تَمَن سِنِين.

Karim asks Salma, and then Salma answers. Press each line.

The same question to a man and to a woman. Hear the one vowel that changes.

A baby has one year, a small child two.

Class activity

Ask three people (or three family photos) the age question. Use the man form or the woman form. Answer for children you know, for example: عَنْدِي… سِنِين. Write five answers on paper with the digit and the Arabic words, for example ٥ = خَمْس سِنِين.

Practice

How do you ask a woman her age?

A girl is seven. The picture shows seven stars, one for each year. What does she say?

Say that you are ten years old.

The picture shows a baby. How do you say «one year»?

Why can we not say an adult's age yet?

Numbers 0–10, age

How old are you?