The English translation of the above example should be “there were a hundred or so people that day” , not was a hundred. The total number of people overrides the fact that they are one hundred.
Look at these sentences using approximate numbers:
J'ai une dizaine de chats.
I have about ten cats.
Il achète une trentaine de poires.
He is buying thirty or so pears.
Il y avait une centaine de personnes ce jour-là.
There was a hundred or so people that day.
Je veux deux douzaines de pommes, s'il vous plaît.
I want two dozen apples, please.
In French, to express an approximative number (ten or so, about fifteen...), you can add une/deux/trois ... in front of the number and the suffix -aine at the end of it, as follows:
| Number | Approximate |
| 10 / dix | une dizaine |
| 12 / douze | une douzaine |
| 15 / quinze | une quinzaine |
| 20 / vingt | une vingtaine |
| 30 / trente | une trentaine |
| 40 / quarante | une quarantaine |
| 50 / cinquante | une cinquantaine |
| 60 / soixante | une soixantaine |
| 100 / cent | une centaine |
This is the equivalent in English of saying ten or so, around twenty, or fifteen odd. As in English, douzaine (dozen) means 12 rather than being an approximate number, but the construction is the same as for approximate numbers.
Note: These approximate numbers are feminine, and followed by de.
ATTENTION: Whereas you'd tend to say in English dozens and dozens, in French the use of dizaine (ten or so) will be more colloquial: des dizaines et des dizaines.
Des dizaines et des dizaines de personnes sont venues à la foire.
Dozens and dozens of people attended the fair.
Examples and resources
Il y avait une centaine de personnes ce jour-là.
There was a hundred or so people that day.
J'ai une dizaine de chats.
I have about ten cats.
Il achète une trentaine de poires.
He is buying thirty or so pears.
Je veux deux douzaines de pommes, s'il vous plaît.
I want two dozen apples, please.
Des dizaines et des dizaines de personnes sont venues à la foire.
Dozens and dozens of people attended the fair.
Q&A Forum 7 questions, 9 answers
Heather asked:View original
Il y avait une centaine de personnes ce jour-là.
The English translation of the above example should be “there were a hundred or so people that day” , not was a hundred. The total number of people overrides the fact that they are one hundred.
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Regarding the last example. I find this contradicting!
I understand une dizaine means 10 or so. As do all the other examples in the lesson. Therefore, what is the difference with the last example?
Je veux deux douzaines de pommes.... Why does this also not mean:
I want two dozen or so/or approximately - apples> ?
Thank you.
Asked 5 months ago
It's explained in the lesson:
"As in English, douzaine (dozen) means 12 rather than being an approximate number, but the construction is the same as for approximate numbers."
Susan asked:View original
Regarding the last example. I find this contradicting!
I understand une dizaine means 10 or so. As do all the other examples in the lesson. Therefore, what is the difference with the last example?
Je veux deux douzaines de pommes.... Why does this also not mean:
I want two dozen or so/or approximately - apples> ?
Thank you.
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Environ
When the question "Je suis partie ___ jours" (I left for about fifteen days) is encountered in a quiz it may not be originating from this lesson yet the answer "pour environ quinze" is not accepted. Shouldn't it be? Aren't both this and "pour une quinzaine de" equally valid French here?
I can find examples of the environ version on the web including here:
http://context.reverso.net/translation/english-french/about+fifteen
Asked 7 months ago
I did some searching and found a possible answer.
If I had used the construction with pour ... environ it would need to follow the noun: pour quinze jours environ
Whereas if I had used a construction with pendant ... environ it would preceed the noun: pendant environ quinze jours.
That seems posible although I find what look like counter examples here: https://www.linguee.fr/francais-anglais/traduction/pour+environ+10+heures.html
where a typical sentence reads: Luminosité minimale de 6 lumens pour environ 42 heures
although none used "pour" in the sense of "pendant".
David asked:View original
Environ
When the question "Je suis partie ___ jours" (I left for about fifteen days) is encountered in a quiz it may not be originating from this lesson yet the answer "pour environ quinze" is not accepted. Shouldn't it be? Aren't both this and "pour une quinzaine de" equally valid French here?
I can find examples of the environ version on the web including here:
http://context.reverso.net/translation/english-french/about+fifteen
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Une douzaine de means twelve or about twelve
I think I have it now. It is only une douzaine de which can be precisely a dozen or about a dozen, the other -aine numbers are always approximate. Correct?
Asked 3 years ago
Jennifer asked:View original
Une douzaine de means twelve or about twelve
I think I have it now. It is only une douzaine de which can be precisely a dozen or about a dozen, the other -aine numbers are always approximate. Correct?
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Je voudrais quinnze pommes v je voudrais une quinzaine de pommes?
If you wanted to say i would like 15 apples would you use quinze and une quinzaine de for about fifteen apples?
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq language super star
Bonjour Jennifer !
If you wanted exactly 15 apples, then you'd use "quinze".
"Une quinzaine de" is a way to give an approximate amount :)
Bonne journée !
Jennifer asked:View original
Je voudrais quinnze pommes v je voudrais une quinzaine de pommes?
If you wanted to say i would like 15 apples would you use quinze and une quinzaine de for about fifteen apples?
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une douzaine = ?
I looked this up in Larousse online, and Collins Fr/En dictionary online.
I was trying to figure out how to say "I want a dozen eggs" instead of "I want about a dozen eggs".
---
http://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais-anglais/douzaine/26535
douzaine
[duzεn]
nom féminin
1. [douze] dozen
2. [environ douze]
une douzaine de a dozen, around twelve
une douzaine d'escargots a dozen snails
une douzaine de pages about ou roughly twelve pages
----------------------------
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/dizaine
English translation of douzaine
douzaine
(duzɛn )
Translations
feminine noun
(= 12) "dozen"
" ⇒ une douzaine d'œufs" "a dozen eggs"
(= environ 12)
une douzaine "a dozen or so"
une douzaine de "about twelve", "a dozen or so"
une douzaine de personnes "about twelve people"
---------------------------------------------------------------
From above:
une douzaine d'escargots a dozen snails (Larousse)
une douzaine d'œufs a dozen eggs (Collins)
(Unfortunate that both items start with vowels, thus d' instead of de. I doubt that makes a difference between "about a dozen" and "a dozen.)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Help appreciated her. Thanks.
Asked 8 years ago
p.s. It would be nice to be able to preview one's comment. It was a lot clearer b/c of line breaks I put in while typing, and as they appeared before I sent it off- not all mushed together as it appears. (Also, one could have a second look to correct typos: her = here
AurélieKwiziq language super star
Bonjour Melody !
The fact is that "une douzaine de" carries exactly the same nuances of meaning as "a dozen" does in English. In some cases, it can mean exactly twelve , and in some other cases it can be more of an estimation.
The difficulty here is that whereas in English you only use "dozen", in French, we have equivalent terms for other quantities (dizaine, quinzaine...).
A way to emphasise the "estimation" sense could be to say "environ une douzaine de", but it would sound redundant, as the approximation is already carried in "douzaine". The context is key here.
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
Hi Aurelie,
Thanks for the answer. It is very helpful. I'll stop driving myself crazy about this issue!
So many words in French (and in English) depend on context. But not necessarily the same words! I saw that some had asked in the Qs how to know if "son frere" (sorry I can't type accents) meant his brother, or her brother. I've learned enough French to know that the answer to this is one "context is key", as you say.
As to the English use of "dozen', I hadn't thought of it this way, before I read your comment. If say I "I want a dozen eggs", that means "I want exactly a dozen eggs, no more no less."
But reading your comment I thought about me, Melody, saying "There were a dozen people at the meeting". I realized that my meaning would be "There were a dozen people at the meeting, more or less." I would not be saying (=meaning) "There were a dozen people at the meeting, I made an exact count." If I wanted to emphasize the exact number, I would way "There were twelve people at the meeting."
Thanks again, as ever, for your helpful reply.
Melody
Melody asked:View original
une douzaine = ?
I looked this up in Larousse online, and Collins Fr/En dictionary online.
I was trying to figure out how to say "I want a dozen eggs" instead of "I want about a dozen eggs".
---
http://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais-anglais/douzaine/26535
douzaine
[duzεn]
nom féminin
1. [douze] dozen
2. [environ douze]
une douzaine de a dozen, around twelve
une douzaine d'escargots a dozen snails
une douzaine de pages about ou roughly twelve pages
----------------------------
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/dizaine
English translation of douzaine
douzaine
(duzɛn )
Translations
feminine noun
(= 12) "dozen"
" ⇒ une douzaine d'œufs" "a dozen eggs"
(= environ 12)
une douzaine "a dozen or so"
une douzaine de "about twelve", "a dozen or so"
une douzaine de personnes "about twelve people"
---------------------------------------------------------------
From above:
une douzaine d'escargots a dozen snails (Larousse)
une douzaine d'œufs a dozen eggs (Collins)
(Unfortunate that both items start with vowels, thus d' instead of de. I doubt that makes a difference between "about a dozen" and "a dozen.)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Help appreciated her. Thanks.
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LauraKwiziq language super star
Bonjour Steve,
You'd use one of the following with the number:
environ
à peu près
approximativement
plus ou moins
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