mil
/ˈmil/
In Spanish, 'a thousand' is mil.
mil is used to express the number a thousand. It is also used when referring to a specific year, such as the year 1000, without an article. Un millar is a formal way to say 'a thousand'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike English, the word mil does not require an article like 'un' before it when used as a number.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmil/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say un mil instead of just mil when counting.
Did you know?
- The distance of a 'mile' in English comes from the same Latin root mīlle as the Spanish mil, because a Roman mile was exactly one thousand paces.
- While 'a thousand' is mil, the word millón (million) follows a different pattern and requires the article un to function as a number.
- In Spanish, the phrase mil gracias is the standard way to say 'thanks a lot' or 'a thousand thanks', acting more as an idiom than a literal count.
Examples in context
- Te deben mil yenes.A thousand yen is owed to you.Tatoeba #1390631 by marcelostockle, translation #17573 by The_Shrike
- Costará más de mil yenes.It'll cost over a thousand yen.Tatoeba #455702 by Shishir, translation #454493 by CM
- Lloraré mil lágrimas más.I will cry a thousand tears more.Tatoeba #10065380 by manufrutos, translation #10064867 by meshbags
- Hay un millar de flores en el jardín.There are a thousand flowers in the garden.
- Necesitamos imprimir mil unidades de los informes.We need to print a thousand units of the reports.
- Compré mil papeletas para el concierto.I bought a thousand tickets for the concert.
- Ayer dibujé mil rayitas en el papel.Yesterday, I drew a thousand little lines on the paper.
- 48 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are discussing the cost of a new sofa.
- DanielEl sofá cuesta mil euros.The sofa costs a thousand euros.
- Elena¿Mil euros es mucho dinero?Is a thousand euros a lot of money?
- DanielPara mí, es un precio justo.For me, it is a fair price.
- ElenaEstá bien, lo compraremos.Okay, we will buy it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mil, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
