If 16 is dieciséis and 17 is diecisiete, then 14 in Spanish should be diecicuatro. That is what a student told me after I said to him: “The only way to say 14 in Spanish is catorce, te guste o no (like it or not.)”
Mastering numbers in Spanish is the key to ordering the right amount of empanadas, negotiating prices at the feria, and most importantly, writing big checks haha!
In this blog post, we’re diving into five common blunders beginners often trip over when dealing with the numbers 15, 50, 500, 30, and 14 in Spanish.
We’ll also delve into numbers with gender agreement, such as 1 (uno/una) and the hundreds (doscientos/doscientas). By the time you’re done reading, you’ll grasp why saying “trescientos cuarenta y un cucharas” doesn’t quite cut it.
How Do You Say 14 in Spanish? Not “Diecicuatro”
14 in Spanish: Spelling and Pronunciation
Number 14 in Spanish is spelled “catorce.” A common mistake students make is to assume this number is spelled “diecicuatro” or “diez y cuatro,” but the only way to say 14 in Spanish is “catorce.”
The number 14 in Spanish is spelled “catorce” and pronounced /ka-tor-se/. When using this number in a sentence, you can use it in the same way that you would use the number 14 in English.
For instance, Valentine ‘s Day, “El Día de los Enamorados,” is on February 14th. How do you say February 14th in Spanish? It is pronounced “catorce (/ka-tor-se/) de febrero.”
0 to 14 in Spanish Spelling
- 0 – cero
- 1 – uno
- 2 – dos
- 3 – tres
- 4 – cuatro
- 5 – cinco
- 6 – seis
- 7 – siete
- 8 – ocho
- 9 – nueve
- 10 – diez
- 11 – once
- 12 – doce
- 13 – trece
- 14 – catorce
Why Is Everyone Mistaking the Numbers 15, 50 and 500?
Beginners tend to mistake the numbers 15, 50 and 500 in Spanish. The problem is that even though number 5 is “cinco,” the numbers 15 and 500 do not include the word “cinco” within them.
- 5 – cinco
- 15 – quince
- 50 – cincuenta
- 500 – quinientos
Both 15 and 500 start with the syllable “quin” /keen/, which derives from Latin words. In Latin, these numbers are quinque (cinco), quindĕcim (quince), quinquaginta (cincuenta), quingenti (quinientos).
One of the mistakes most students make is assuming that 500 is cincocientos or quincecientos. Now you know that the correct spelling of 500 in Spanish is “quinientos.”
A similar mistake happens with 70 and 90 in Spanish. Unfortunately, sietenta and nueventa do not exist. The correct ways to say 70 and 90 in Spanish are “setenta” and “noventa.” This is also the case for 700, “setecientos,” and 900, “novecientos.”
Numbers You Thought Existed, but Don’t!
All of these are made up numbers that do not exist:
- diez y cinco (it’s actually “quince”)
- diecicinco (“quince”)
- cincocientos (it’s actually “quinientos”)
- quincecientos (“quinientos”)
- quientos (“quinientos”)
- sietenta (it’s actually “setenta”)
- nueventa (it’s actually “noventa”)
- sietecientos (it’s actually “setecientos”)
- nuevecientos (it’s actually “novecientos”)
What Is the Correct Pronunciation of the Number 30?
Another common mistake Spanish students make when they study the numbers in Spanish is to mispronounce ‘30’. The number 30 in Spanish is “treinta.”
Beginners tend to struggle with this number. Many students mispronounce “treinta” by switching the order of the vowels in the first syllable. Note that in the first syllable of “treinta”, the vowel ‘e’ comes before the ‘i’. However, instead of saying “treinta,” some Spanish students say “trienta,” which is incorrect.
Spelling the 30s in Spanish
The 30s are also a little bit confusing because, from 31 to 99, numbers in Spanish are written in three words: treinta y uno, sesenta y dos, noventa y tres. This is different from numbers from 0 to 30, which are written in one word: doce, trece, catorce.
- 30 – treinta
- 31 – treinta y uno
- 32 – treinta y dos
- 33 – treinta y tres
- 34 – treinta y cuatro
- 35 – treinta y cinco
- 36 – treinta y seis
- 37 – treinta y siete
- 38 – treinta y ocho
- 39 – treinta y nueve
Numbers and Gender Agreement
I told you before that when you finish reading this blog post you should understand why saying “trescientos cuarenta y un cucharas” is wrong.
Cucharas (spoons) is a feminine noun. Therefore, the correct sentence should be “trescientas cuarenta y una cucharas.” Why? The answer might shock native speakers as well.
Some numbers are affected by gender agreement! The 100s (cientos, doscientos, trescientos, etc.) must be said in feminine form before a feminine noun. The same happens with number 1 (uno), which becomes “una” before feminine nouns. See more examples below:
- 31 bancos – treinta y un bancos (bancos is masculine)
- 31 sillas – treinta y una sillas (sillas is feminine)
- 451 palos – cuatrocientos cincuenta y un palos (palos is masculine)
- 451 pelotas – cuatrocientas cincuenta y una pelotas (pelotas is feminine)
- 781 bosques – setecientos ochenta y un bosques (bosques is masculine)
- 781 montañas – setecientas ochenta y una montañas (montañas is feminine)
Conclusion
Take one step ahead of most students and avoid common mistakes with the numbers 15, 50, 500, 30 and 14 in Spanish. Also, keep in mind that some numbers are affected by gender agreement and must be expressed in feminine form before feminine nouns.
Want to Learn More About Numbers in Spanish?
Subscribe below to check out my favorite resource to learn los números en español. It includes:
- All numbers in Spanish, starting with 0-10, then 11-100, 100-1000 and larger numbers too.
- 10 activities to practice the numbers in Spanish.
- Answer key.
- Theory and rules: explanation provided for number 1 changing before feminine and masculine nouns.
- Slide clearly explaining the difference between 5, 15, 50 and 500. (After this lesson you will not hear “cincocientos” ever again!).
- Decimals and ordinals included. Students will learn how to talk about money and prices in Spanish.
- Big numbers in Spanish practice: Writing a big check at the end of the lesson. (Check template is provided).
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