How old are you? or How young are you?

[Asgarpour]

Hi, everybody
I know that in English, to ask for quality, we must use "old" instead of "young" or "big" instead of "small" for example!
However, I have seen "How young are you?" somewheres on the internet!
What is the basic difference between them?
Thanks in advance.

 

[khanhhung2512]

NOT A TEACHER
In my opinion, "How old are you?" is a common question to ask about age. "How young are you?" can but doesn't necessarily ask about the exact age, and usually connotes that the person being asked is young.

 

[Raymott]

It would only be used in certain circumstances, eg:

A: Do you want to come out for a beer?
B: I'm too young to drink alcohol.
A: How young are you?

The same for "small"
A: It's too small.
B: How small is it?

Note that the stress is on the bolded words.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Asgarpour:


I am 77 years old. When I was only (!) 65 years old, I went to a medical doctor for a skin problem.

It was my first visit to her.

She wanted to be very diplomatic with her new elderly patient, so she asked me: "May I ask how young you are?"

I was astonished because that was the first time that anyone had ever asked for my age in that way.

I think, however, that some (many?) people might be offended by such a question. They might detect a tone of sarcasm.

I could tell that the doctor was NOT being sarcastic.

Many people are very sensitive about their age. When a medical worker asks me to confirm my date of birth, I proudly announce the month, day, and year.

I noticed a few years ago that one patient whispered her date of birth so that the other patients would not hear it.

If you have to know a person's age for some reason, you should probably avoid using the word "young." S/he might think that you are ridiculing him/her. "May I ask your age?" is appropriate.



James

 

[Asgarpour]

Is there another opinion?

 

[SoothingDave]

Is there another opinion?

No. Raymott covered it.

 

[Asgarpour]

I don't think so!
In my opinion, TheParser's answer and khanhhung2512's answer are more convincing.
Of course, Raymott's reply is right but only in certain circumstances according to his words!

 

[Tdol]

TheParser's answer gives an example of a set of circumstances where it could be used, confirming what Raymott said. The standard question is How old are you? and if you use young, there should be a reason for it- surprise, attempting to be light-hearted when it might be sensitive, etc. If there's no genuine reason for using a different form, then you're better off using the standard one.

 

[emsr2d2]

I know no one who is offended by the wording of the question "How old are you?" Plenty of people don't like being asked for their age but I don't think their problem is the actual words used in the question. They wouldn't appreciate the question even if it was worded differently.

The simple answer is, unless you can think of a really good reason not to do so, stick with the standard "How old are you?"