Answer: 6 years
Step-by-step explanation:
Let Maria's age be x
Jonathan is four times Maria's age. This means that Jonathan age = 4x
In 3 years, he will be three times as old as Maria is then. This can be written as:
4x + 3 = 3(x + 3)
4x + 3 = 3x + 9
4x - 3x = 9 - 3
x = 6
Maria is 6 years