Inklingo

How to Say "ten" in Spanish

English → Spanish

diez

/dyess//ˈdjes/

AdjectiveA1General
Use 'diez' as an adjective when you are counting or quantifying items, or stating your age.
Ten bright red apples arranged neatly in a row on a simple wooden surface, illustrating the quantity.

Examples

Tengo diez perros.

I have ten dogs.

Tengo diez años.

I am ten years old.

Hay diez libros en la mesa.

There are ten books on the table.

La reunión es a las diez.

The meeting is at ten o'clock.

Always Stays the Same

'Diez' doesn't change its ending, no matter what you're counting. It's always 'diez', not 'diezos' or 'diezas'. For example: 'diez chicos' (ten boys) and 'diez chicas' (ten girls).

diez

/dyess//ˈdjes/

NounA1General
Use 'diez' as a noun when referring to the number 10 as a concept or figure, such as in a game or when discussing favorite numbers.
Ten bright red apples arranged neatly in a row on a simple wooden surface, illustrating the quantity.

Examples

El número ganador fue el diez.

The winning number was ten.

Tengo diez años.

I am ten years old.

Hay diez libros en la mesa.

There are ten books on the table.

La reunión es a las diez.

The meeting is at ten o'clock.

Always Stays the Same

'Diez' doesn't change its ending, no matter what you're counting. It's always 'diez', not 'diezos' or 'diezas'. For example: 'diez chicos' (ten boys) and 'diez chicas' (ten girls).

decena

/deh-SEH-nah//deˈsena/

NounA2General
Use 'decena' when referring to a group or set that contains ten things, like a dozen is a group of twelve.
A row of ten identical red apples sitting on a wooden table.

Examples

Necesito una decena de lápices.

I need ten pencils (a group of ten pencils).

Compré una decena de huevos para el pastel.

I bought ten eggs for the cake.

Había decenas de personas esperando en la puerta.

There were dozens of people waiting at the door.

El collar tiene una decena de perlas blancas.

The necklace has a set of ten white pearls.

A Label for a Group

Think of 'decena' as a group name rather than a number. Just like we use 'dozen' for twelve, Spanish uses 'decena' for ten.

Connecting with 'de'

When you want to say what you have ten of, you must put the word 'de' (of) after 'decena'. For example: 'una decena de libros'.

Decena vs. Década

Mistake: “Using 'decena' to mean 10 years.”

Correction: Use 'década' for ten years. 'Decena' is only for counting items, not time.

Missing the word 'de'

Mistake: “Saying 'una decena manzanas'.”

Correction: Say 'una decena de manzanas'. It needs that little 'of' to connect to the item.

Confusing 'diez' with 'decena'

The most common mistake is using 'decena' when you simply mean the number 'ten' (diez) for counting. Remember, 'diez' is the number itself, while 'decena' refers to a group of ten items.

Related Translations

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