If you've ever heard someone say "I have 30 years" and wondered where it comes from, the answer is the same in four different languages at once.
Portuguese says tenho 30 anos. Spanish, tengo 30 años. French, j'ai 30 ans. Italian, ho 30 anni. Four languages, one verb: to have. Translate word for word and you get I have 30 years — which is where English stops following.
English doesn't treat age as something you own. It treats it as something you are. That's why the verb switches from have to be: I am 30 years old. To a Romance-language speaker that sounds as odd as "I have 30 years" sounds to you — the logic is different, and the logic is the part that has to be learned.
And it doesn't stop at age
The same swap shows up in every sentence about a state. Learn only the age one and the other five still slip through:
The rule that covers all of them
In English you don't have an age, hunger, fear, cold or reason. You are. Whenever the sentence in your language starts with "I have", check before translating.
One honest caveat
Have is still right for real possession — I have a car, I have two sisters. The swap applies to states and sensations, not to everything.
You don't need one more rule to memorise. You need to speak and be corrected.
The mistake you just read is one of dozens — and almost nobody corrects them, because people understand you anyway.
- Actually speakJohn hears what you say and corrects you on the spot, with the reason why.
- Five languagesEnglish, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, in one app.
- Ten minutes a dayOne short lesson every day beats three hours on a Sunday.
Free to start · runs right in your browser