Inklingo
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cuatro

/KWAH-troh/

four

Four identical, bright red apples are perfectly lined up on a plain surface.

As an adjective, cuatro means the quantity four.

cuatro(Adjective / Determiner)

A1

four

?

The quantity 4

📝 In Action

Tengo cuatro hermanos.

A1

I have four siblings.

La reunión es a las cuatro de la tarde.

A1

The meeting is at four in the afternoon.

Necesitamos cuatro sillas más.

A2

We need four more chairs.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

  • a las cuatro – at four o'clock
  • cuatro veces – four times
  • los cuatro vientos – the four winds (all directions)

Idioms & Expressions

  • ser cuatro gatos – to be just a handful of people; very few people.
  • decirle a alguien cuatro verdades – to tell someone some home truths; to be brutally honest with someone.

💡 Grammar Points

Always Stays the Same

'Cuatro' is used to describe how many of something there are. A great thing about it is that it never changes! It's always 'cuatro', whether you're talking about masculine things ('cuatro libros') or feminine things ('cuatro mesas').

❌ Common Pitfalls

Mixing up 'Cuatro' and 'Cuarto'

Mistake: "Tengo el cuatro coche. (I have the four car.)"

Correction: To say 'fourth', you need 'cuarto': 'Tengo el cuarto coche'. 'Cuatro' just means the number 4: 'Tengo cuatro coches' (I have four cars).

⭐ Usage Tips

Telling Time

When telling time, you say 'Son las cuatro' for 'It's four o'clock'. Remember to use 'las' because you're talking about 'las horas' (the hours), which is a feminine word.

A single, large, vibrant green four-leaf clover is centered on a field of smooth green grass.

As a masculine noun, el cuatro refers to the number or figure four.

cuatro(Noun)

mA1

four

?

The digit or figure '4'

📝 In Action

El cuatro es mi número de la suerte.

A1

Four is my lucky number.

Mi hijo ya sabe escribir el cuatro.

A2

My son already knows how to write the number four.

Salió el cuatro de oros en las cartas.

B1

The four of coins came up in the cards.

💡 Grammar Points

Talking About the Number Itself

When you treat 'four' as a concept or a thing (like a number in a lottery), it acts like a noun. It's considered masculine, so you'll always use 'el' with it: 'el cuatro'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Reading Out Digits

When you say a phone number or an address digit by digit, you're using 'cuatro' as a noun. For example: 'Mi número es el seis-cero-cuatro...'

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: cuatro

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly says 'There were very few people at the party' using an idiom?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

cuarto(fourth; room) - adjective/noun
catorce(fourteen) - number
cuarenta(forty) - number
cuadrado(square) - noun/adjective
cuarteto(quartet) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't 'cuatro' change for feminine words, like 'cuatro chicas'?

Most numbers in Spanish from one to ninety-nine are 'invariable', which is just a fancy way of saying they don't change. Unlike regular adjectives that match the gender of the noun, numbers like 'dos', 'tres', 'cuatro', 'cinco', etc., always stay the same. The only common exception is 'uno' (one), which changes to 'una' for feminine things ('un chico', 'una chica').

What's the difference between 'cuatro' and 'cuarto'?

This is a great question because they sound so similar! 'Cuatro' is for counting: one, two, three, four (uno, dos, tres, cuatro). 'Cuarto' is for order: first, second, third, fourth (primero, segundo, tercero, cuarto). 'Cuarto' can also mean 'room', like a bedroom.