once

/OHN-seh/

eleven

Depicting the quantity once (eleven).

once(adjective)

mA1

eleven

cardinal number

Also:

numeric value

📝 In Action

Mi hermana cumple once años mañana.

My sister turns eleven tomorrow.

Son las once y media de la noche.

It is eleven thirty at night.

Necesitas once huevos para esta receta.

You need eleven eggs for this recipe.

💡 Grammar Points

Always Simple

Unlike some other numbers (like twenty-one, 'veintiuno'), 'once' never changes its form or gender; it always stays 'once'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Pronunciation Error

Mistake: "Saying 'ohn-say' (with an 'ay' sound)."

Correction: The final 'e' in Spanish is pronounced like the 'e' in 'bed,' so it should sound like 'OHN-seh'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Counting Tip

To remember the numbers 11 through 15 (once, doce, trece, catorce, quince), notice they all end with the 'ce' sound.

A cozy scene showing a simple wooden table set with a steaming mug of tea or coffee, a slice of toasted bread, and a small jar of jam, representing afternoon tea.

In Chile, once refers to the traditional afternoon tea or light evening meal.

once(noun)

fB1

afternoon tea

traditional Chilean meal

Also:

snack time

late afternoon light meal

📝 In Action

¿Vienes a tomar la once con nosotros?

Are you coming to have afternoon tea/the 'once' with us?

Para la once solo comemos pan y café.

For the 'once' we only eat bread and coffee.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

tomar la once – to have afternoon tea/the 'once'

⭐ Usage Tips

The Chilean Meal

If you are in Chile, remember that 'la once' is a specific meal time, usually consisting of bread, avocado, cheese, and tea or coffee. It is not necessarily at 11:00.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: once

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'once' to describe a meal rather than a number?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

undécimo(eleventh (ordinal)) - adjective

onceavo(one-eleventh (fractional)) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'once' ever change its form or gender?

No. As a number, 'once' is always 'once,' regardless of whether the things you are counting are masculine or feminine (e.g., 'once libros,' 'once mesas').

Why is the Chilean afternoon tea called 'la once'?

There are a few theories, but the most popular is that it comes from a code word used in the 19th century. People would say 'tomar once' to secretly mean 'tomar aguardiente' (to drink liquor), because the word 'aguardiente' has eleven letters.