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  What it means

  Literally “How many years do you have?”, this is the standard Polish way to ask someone’s age. Unlike English “How old are you?”, Polish frames age as something you possess — years are things you ‘have.’ It is the most natural and everyday form of the question. A child, a job interviewer, and a doctor all use this same phrase. The answer uses the verb ‘mieć’ (to have): “Mam trzydzieści lat” (I have thirty years / I am thirty).

  Vocabulary

  • ile — how many, how much
  • masz — you have (2nd person singular present of 'mieć' — to have)
  • lat — years (genitive plural of 'rok' — year; used after numbers 5+)
  • rok — year

  Grammar note

  After 'ile' (how many), Polish uses the genitive plural: 'lat' (genitive plural of 'rok'). This is consistent with how Polish handles quantities — numbers 5 and above take the genitive plural of the counted noun. The verb 'mieć' (to have) is used to express age, not 'być' (to be) as in English.

  Cultural context

  This is basic everyday Polish and is appropriate in all registers. In very formal contexts you might hear 'Ile Pan/Pani ma lat?' (with the polite pronouns Pan/Pani), but the structure is the same. Asking age directly is generally more socially acceptable in Polish culture than in some English-speaking cultures.

  Beginner

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