In Vietnamese, tuổi is used to state a person’s age, similar to “years old” in English.
Basic usage
Place tuổi after a number to state a person’s age.
Structure
Subj. + number + tuổi
Note that no verbs are needed in this structure.
Examples
- Tôi 20 tuổi.I’m 20 years old.
- Bố tôi năm nay 60 tuổi.This year, my father is 60 years old.
- Em gái anh cũng 16 tuổi à?Is your sister also 16 years old?
In colloquial Vietnamese, tuổi can be omitted when it is clear from the context.
- Năm nay tôi 35.I’m 35 years old this year.
Do not use either the “to be” verb là or a measure word like cái in this structure. It is completely wrong to do so.
- Tôi là 20 tuổi. ❌
- Tôi 20 cái tuổi. ❌
- Tôi 20 tuổi. ✔I’m 20 years old.
Age “and a half”
The word for “and a half” in Vietnamese is rưỡi; add it after tuổi.
Structure
Subj. + number + tuổi + rưỡi
Examples
- Cháu nhà tôi hai tuổi rưỡi.My child is two and a half years old.