cinco
/SEEN-ko/
five
As an adjective, cinco means 'five' and is used to count things, like these five apples.
📝 In Action
Tengo cinco hermanos.
A1I have five siblings.
La reunión es a las cinco de la tarde.
A1The meeting is at five in the afternoon.
Este hotel tiene cinco estrellas.
A2This hotel has five stars.
💡 Grammar Points
Always Stays the Same
'Cinco' doesn't change whether you're talking about masculine or feminine things. It's always 'cinco libros' (five books) and 'cinco mesas' (five tables).
⭐ Usage Tips
Telling Time
When telling time, you say 'Son las cinco' for 'It's five o'clock'. You use 'son' (they are) because five is more than one.
As a noun, cinco refers to the number or digit five itself (el cinco), often relating to dates, scores, or ranking.
📝 In Action
Mi número de la suerte es el cinco.
A1My lucky number is five.
Escribe un cinco en el papel.
A1Write a five on the paper.
La carrera es el cinco de mayo.
A2The race is on the fifth of May.
💡 Grammar Points
Using 'el' in Front
When you use 'cinco' to talk about the number as a thing (like a date, a grade, or the digit itself), you almost always put 'el' in front of it: 'el cinco'.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: cinco
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'cinco' to talk about the number *itself*, rather than counting five items?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you pronounce the 'c' in 'cinco'?
Great question! In most of Latin America, it's a soft 's' sound, like 'SEEN-ko'. In much of Spain, it's a 'th' sound, like 'THEEN-ko'. Both pronunciations are perfectly correct!
Why is it 'quinto' for 'fifth' instead of something like 'cinco-to'?
Spanish often pulls from different but related Latin words for counting and ordering. 'Cinco' comes from the Latin 'quinque' (five), while 'quinto' comes from 'quintus' (fifth). You'll see similar patterns with other numbers too!