Saying your age

Lesson Overview: Saying Your Age in Italian

This lesson introduces beginner learners to essential vocabulary and expressions related to talking about age and birthdays in Italian. You will learn how to ask and answer questions about age, discuss birthday dates, and celebrate with common phrases. The content is designed for A1 level students aiming to build a solid foundation in everyday conversational Italian.

Key Vocabulary and Expressions

• Asking age: "Quanti anni hai?" (How old are you?)
• Answering age: "Ho venticinque anni." (I am twenty-five years old.)
• Talking about birthdays: "Quando è il tuo compleanno?" (When is your birthday?)
• Birthday phrases: "Buon compleanno!" (Happy birthday!), "Auguri!" (Best wishes!)
• Celebration expressions: "Festeggiamo con una torta." (Let's celebrate with a cake.)

Verbs and Conjugations

This lesson focuses on some commonly used verbs in the present tense that are important for talking about birthdays and celebrations:

• festeggiare (to celebrate) - io festeggio, tu festeggi, lui/lei festeggia, noi festeggiamo, voi festeggiate, loro festeggiano
• compiere (to turn an age) - io compio, tu compi, lui/lei compie, noi compiamo, voi compiete, loro compiono
• dare (to give) - io do, tu dai, lui/lei dà, noi diamo, voi date, loro danno
• mangiare (to eat) - io mangio, tu mangi, lui/lei mangia, noi mangiamo, voi mangiate, loro mangiano

Practical Sentences and Examples

Here are a few practical sentences that you will learn to use and understand:

• "Quanti anni hai se posso chiedere?" (How old are you, if I may ask?)
• "Io compio venticinque anni il dieci agosto." (I turn twenty-five on August 10th.)
• "Festeggiamo il tuo compleanno con una torta grande." (We celebrate your birthday with a big cake.)
• "Auguri! Oggi compi cinquant'anni." (Congratulations! Today you turn fifty.)

Dialogue Practice

The lesson offers dialogues for real-life interactions such as meeting colleagues, talking at birthday parties, and casual conversations at the park, which develop your ability to ask and tell age and birthday details naturally.

Word Grouping Activity

To deepen your understanding, you will categorize words into groups related to age and personal data, and another group associated with birthday wishes and celebrations. This helps clarify meaning and usage.

Important Notes on Language Differences

Unlike English, Italian always expresses age with the verb "avere" (to have), for example, "Ho venticinque anni" means "I am twenty-five years old" literally as "I have twenty-five years." English uses "to be" whereas Italian uses "to have." Birthday greetings such as "Auguri!" and "Buon compleanno!" are common and express wishes for happiness on someone's birthday. The verb compiere (to complete) is uniquely used to express "to turn an age" which does not have a direct equivalent in English but is essential in Italian birthday expressions.

This lesson equips you with useful phrases and vocabulary to talk about age, birthdays, and celebrations, providing a foundation for polite and friendly conversations within everyday contexts.