In this Easy Review math quiz we will be continuing on with how to count in Spanish, specifically from numbers 11 through 20. You will quickly see that starting in this series of numbers, you will start to have to apply conjunctions. For example, in English we would say the number 'sixteen' but in Spanish it is said as 'ten and six'. In fact, the number 'sixteen', and others, can be said two different ways but that will be addressed further on below. As you will have to start using the conjunction 'and', i.e. 'y', if you have not already done so, you might want to check out the Spanish Easy Review quiz titled Grammar - Bring On the Conjunctions! as it covers some of the more commonly used conjunctions.
Do you remember how to say the numbers 0 through 10 in Spanish? If not, you might also want to check out the Spanish Easy Review quiz titled Math - Counting 0 to 10, otherwise, let’s move on to numbers 11 through 20 as follows:
Number | English | Spanish | Pronounced As: |
---|---|---|---|
11 | eleven | once | ōn-say |
12 | twelve | doce | dō-say |
13 | thirteen | trece | trě-say |
14 | fourteen | catorce | căr-tor-say |
15 | fifteen | quince | keen-say |
16 | sixteen | diez y seis or dieciséis | dee-ěz-ē-sěs or dee-see-sěs |
17 | seventeen | diez y siete or diecisiete | dee-ěz-ē-see-et-ā or dee-see-see-et-ā |
18 | eighteen | diez y ocho or dieciocho | dee-ěz-ē-ō-chō or dee-see-ō-chō |
19 | nineteen | diez y nueve or diecinueve | dee-ěz-ē-new-ěv-ā or dee-see-new-ěv-ā |
20 | twenty | veinte | vein-tay (or in some Spanish countries it would be pronounced as bain-tay) |
Did you notice how sixteen, seventeen, eighteen and nineteen can be said two different ways? The pronunciation is very similar for both, however, when you combine the words into one word, the 'z' in the number 'diez' becomes a 'c' and the 'y' becomes an 'i'. When you speak 'diez y siete' a person will be able to hear each syllable and there is more emphasis put on the 'y' sound. When the words are combined, the 'i' has a softer sound and the word rolls together in such a way that you cannot clearly hear the syllables. It is rather like in English math you could say: 4 goes into 8 or when we run that together it sounds more like: 4 gozinta 8. The same sounds are there but have a slightly different emphasis on the letters. Both versions of the numbers are used so it is important be become comfortable saying the numbers both ways. Also note that the number 20 can be pronounced two different ways. For this series of quizzes we will be using the 'v' sound but please be aware that you could hear others speak it with the 'b' sound.
One final note, with the number sixteen, diez y seis becomes dieciséis. Notice that an accent mark has been placed about the 'e' in 'seis'. This is done so that the 'seis' does not get washed into the 'ci' before it. Without the accent mark it would be pronounced as dee-sees. The accent mark makes certain that the 'seis' remains distinct in the sound.
Now, do you feel comfortable with the numbers 11 through 20? If so, then it is time to begin the quiz!