Hundreds, thousands and prices
ciento, doscientos/as, quinientos, mil, un millón de; euros and céntimos
Part of the free A1 Spanish course. Press the speaker next to an example to hear it.
Hundreds
| 100 cien | 101 ciento uno | 120 ciento veinte |
|---|---|---|
| 200 doscientos | 300 trescientos | 400 cuatrocientos |
| 500 quinientos | 600 seiscientos | 700 setecientos |
| 800 ochocientos | 900 novecientos |
Three are irregular: quinientos (not cincocientos), setecientos (not sietecientos) and novecientos (not nuevecientos).
- Cien is exactly 100. From 101 to 199, use ciento: ciento uno, ciento cincuenta.
- No y after the hundreds: ciento veinte (120), trescientos cuarenta y cinco (345). The y only goes between tens and units (Numbers 21–100).
Hundreds agree
From 200 to 900, the hundreds agree with a feminine noun: -cientas.
- En el pueblo viven doscientas personas.Two hundred people live in the village.
- El hotel tiene setecientas habitaciones.The hotel has seven hundred rooms.
- El billete de avión cuesta quinientos euros.The plane ticket costs five hundred euros.
Thousands and millions
Mil (1,000) never takes un and has no plural when counting: mil, dos mil, diez mil. Millón is a noun: un millón, dos millones, and it takes de before a noun.
- En mi colegio hay mil alumnos.There are a thousand pupils at my school.
- Madrid tiene más de tres millones de habitantes.Madrid has more than three million inhabitants.
- Estamos en dos mil veintiséis.It's 2026.
Years are read as ordinary numbers: 1999 is mil novecientos noventa y nueve, 2026 is dos mil veintiséis.
Writing numbers
Spain uses a point for thousands and a comma for decimals: 1.500 € is one thousand five hundred euros; 2,50 € is two euros fifty. (Mexico and some other countries use the English style.)
Prices
A euro has 100 céntimos. Say the euros, then con and the cents, or just the two numbers:
- ¿Cuánto cuesta este bolso?How much is this bag?
- Cuesta treinta y cinco euros con cincuenta.It costs thirty-five euros fifty.
- ¿Cuánto es?How much is it?
- Son dos euros con veinte.That's two euros twenty.
- La bicicleta cuesta ciento veinte euros.The bike costs a hundred and twenty euros.
In a café you will often hear just son tres cincuenta (3,50 €). See Ordering in a café or restaurant.
Latin America
Many countries use the peso (Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile…) and call cents centavos.
Common mistakes
cincocientos, sietecientos, nuevecientos→ quinientos, setecientos, novecientos.un mil→ mil. Un mil is never used for 1,000.ciento y veinte→ ciento veinte. No y after the hundreds.doscientos personas→ doscientas personas. Hundreds agree with feminine nouns.un millón personas→ un millón de personas.
Practice
- Write 500 in words: _____
Show the answer
quinientos — Quinientos is irregular: not cincocientos.
- Write 700 in words: _____
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setecientos — Setecientos is irregular: not sietecientos.
- Write 900 in words: _____
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novecientos — Novecientos is irregular: not nuevecientos.
- How do you say 1,000?Options: mil · un mil · miles
Show the answer
mil