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How children learn to talk in words and sentences

When children usually say first words, put words together and use longer sentences, and when to get help.

This guide is about how children learn to use words, then put them together into sentences. It gives the usual ages and the signs to get help for.

Each guide in this set covers one part of talking, with ideas for play, jobs around the house and trips out. You can use the same ideas in any language.

When children learn this

  • Children typically say their first words at about 12 months.
  • Health checklists say that by 2, most children say and understand at least 50 words.
  • Health checklists say that by 2, most children put two or more words together.
  • As children learn more words, they add action words, like jump, and describing words, like big.
  • By 3, many children use sentences of 3 or more words.
  • Health checklists say that by 3, most children ask who, what, where or why questions.
  • Health checklists say that by 4, most children say sentences of four or more words.
  • Health checklists say that by 4, most children talk about at least one thing that happened in their day.
  • Health checklists use 'most children' to mean at least 3 in 4 children. If your child is not doing a 'most children' skill by the age given, see your GP or child health nurse for advice.
  • Children typically say and understand more complex sentences by about 5.
  • Children learn language skills at different ages.

Guides in this set

Why it helps

  • When you talk about what you and your child are doing, in short sentences, your child hears words that fit what is happening.
  • When you say back what your child said and add a word or two, your child hears a slightly longer sentence. When you pause, your child has a chance to talk. Your child does not have to copy you.

When to get help

  • Tell the speech pathologist or your GP if your child is between 1 and 2 and does not babble, does not respond to speech or sounds, or makes few or no tries to communicate.
  • Tell the speech pathologist or your GP if your child is 18 months or older and has no clear words, does not point, wave or use other gestures, or does not follow simple instructions.
  • Tell the speech pathologist or your GP if your child is between 2 and 3 and interacts very little with people, does not try to communicate with you, shows little reaction when people talk to them, or stops making progress with talking.
  • Tell the speech pathologist or your GP if your child is 3 or older and is not using 3-word sentences.
  • Tell the speech pathologist or your GP if your child is between 3 and 4 and uses only one or two words at a time or does not understand simple instructions.
  • Tell the speech pathologist or your GP if your child is between 4 and 5 and interacts with people in an unusual or uneven way, uses no more than three words at a time, has trouble understanding what people say, or close family cannot understand more than half of what they say.
  • Tell the speech pathologist or your GP if your child is 5 or older and has trouble telling a simple story or what happened, has trouble understanding what they hear or what is read to them, or has a lot of trouble following or remembering spoken instructions.
  • At any age, see your GP if your child does not respond to sounds or to things they see, makes little or no eye contact, or has poor interaction with adults or other children.

More help

Sources

© State of New South Wales. For current information go to www.nsw.gov.au. CC BY 4.0.

Last checked 12 October 2026

General information, not medical advice. Talk to a health professional about your child.

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