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Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn Spanish tens and their combinations from 10 to 99, including 'diez', 'veinte', 'treinta', and forms like 'veintiuno' and 'treinta y cinco' for counting everyday numbers.
  1. From 21 to 29, "veinti" is combined with the units. Example: Veintiuno (21).
  2. From 30 to 99, the tens are combined with "y" and the units. Example: Treinta y dos (32).

Decenas (10, 20, ...)

NúmeroEjemplo
10: Diez (Ten)16: Dieciséis (Sixteen)
20: Veinte (Twenty)21: Veintiuno (Twenty-one)
30: Treinta (Thirty)35: Treinta y cinco (thirty-five)
40: Cuarenta (Forty)47: Cuarenta y siete (Forty-seven)
50: Cincuenta (Fifty)59: Cincuenta y nueve (Fifty-nine)
60: Sesenta (Sixty)63: Sesenta y tres (Sixty-three)
70: Setenta (Seventy)77: Setenta y siete (Seventy-seven)
80: Ochenta (Eighty)82: Ochenta y dos (Eighty-two)
90: Noventa (Ninety)97: Noventa y siete (Ninety-seven)

Exceptions!

  1. "Una veintena" means 20. Example: "Hay una veintena de personas" (There are about twenty people).
  2. "Una treintena" means 30. Example: "Una treintena de años" (About thirty years).

Exercise 1: Números cardinales: decenas

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

Ochenta, Sesenta, Treinta, Veinte, Cuarenta, Noventa y nueve, Diez, Setenta

1. 80:
...
(Eighty)
2. 20:
...
(Twenty)
3. 40:
...
(Forty)
4. 70:
...
(Seventy)
5. 30:
...
(Thirty)
6. 99:
...
(Ninety-nine)
7. 10:
...
(Ten)
8. 60:
...
(Sixty)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. En castellano, para decir 32 decimos '________ y dos'.

(In Spanish, to say 32 we say '________ two'.)

2. ________ hasta cien en la clase de español.

(________ to one hundred in Spanish class.)

3. Del 21 al 29 usamos '________' más la unidad, por ejemplo 'veinticinco'.

(From 21 to 29 we use '________' plus the unit, for example 'twenty-five'.)

4. Para restar cinco a diez, decimos 'diez ________ cinco son cinco'.

(To subtract five from ten, we say 'ten ________ five equals five'.)

5. ________ y nueve es el número anterior a cien.

(________ nine is the number before one hundred.)

6. ________ siete por diez para obtener setenta.

(________ seven by ten to get seventy.)

Cardinal Numbers: Tens

This lesson focuses on learning the Spanish cardinal numbers for the tens, from 10 up to 99, which is essential for everyday counting and practical situations, such as telling age, prices, or quantities.

Tens in Spanish

The basic tens are:

  • Diez (10)
  • Veinte (20)
  • Treinta (30)
  • Cuarenta (40)
  • Cincuenta (50)
  • Sesenta (60)
  • Setenta (70)
  • Ochenta (80)
  • Noventa (90)

Combining tens and units

From 21 to 29, Spanish uses a combined prefix "veinti" plus the unit number without spaces. For example:

  • Veintiuno (21)
  • Veintiséis (26)

From 30 onward, the tens and units are connected with the conjunction "y" (and). For example:

  • Treinta y cinco (35)
  • Cincuenta y nueve (59)

Common expressions with tens

Spanish also uses expressions with tens to talk about approximate quantities or ages:

  • Una veintena means about twenty. Example: "Hay una veintena de personas" (There are about twenty people).
  • Una treintena means about thirty. Example: "Una treintena de años" (About thirty years).

Differences and useful phrases

Unlike English, where numbers like 21 are pronounced as separate words "twenty-one", Spanish uses the contracted form veintiuno without the conjunction. From 30 onwards, the y (and) is mandatory to connect the tens and units, unlike English where a hyphen is used.

Some useful Spanish phrases related to numbers include:

  • "Contamos hasta cien" – We count up to one hundred.
  • "Multiplicamos siete por diez para obtener setenta" – We multiply seven by ten to get seventy.
  • "Diez menos cinco son cinco" – Ten minus five equals five.

Mastering these forms will help you understand and use numbers naturally in Spanish conversations and contexts.

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