Where do you come in your family?

Question

I am looking for some common questions used to ask about a person's birth order in their family (to ask if he/she is first, second, third, etc. child). Do the following questions sound natural? Where do you come in your family? How-manyth child are you in your family?

Are there any other alternatives?

No, neither sounds natural. What's wrong with just asking what place they are in their family's birth order as you said? — Rome_Leader, Jun 28 '16 at 11:23
OK, "what place are you in your family's birth order?" , Is it the only way to ask that question? — Persique, Jun 28 '16 at 11:36
What is your birth rank or order, Or how is your birth placed among siblings? — Narasimham, Jun 28 '16 at 11:47
It's not the only way, but it's how I'd expect to see the question phrased, and everyone should understand it. You could also consider splitting it into two questions: "How many children are in your family?" and "Which sibling are you? (oldest, youngest, etc.)" — Rome_Leader, Jun 28 '16 at 12:11
I wonder why nobody answers this question there are only comments — Persique, Jun 28 '16 at 13:03
If you are learning English, you may find our sister site English Language Learners better suited to your needs. — TrevorD, Jun 28 '16 at 15:36

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 28 '16 at 14:24

In my experience, the most common way to approach this line of questioning in a conversational setting is:

"Are you/Were you (depending on whether the subject is child/adult) The 'big brother/sister' or the 'baby'?"

In most cases this is a sufficient prompt to the other person that you are inquiring about their birth order. You may also be treated to an overview of their family history/dynamic/dysfunction.

In a non-conversational setting, the easiest way to ascertain the information is:

Your name:______ Your age:_____

Your siblings and their ages:___________________

Where do you come in your family?

1 Answers1