catorce
/katoɾθe/from spelling rules
catorce is the Spanish word for the number fourteen.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In parts of Latin America, the word catorceavo may be used to indicate the fourteenth item in a series.
How does it change in a sentence?
catorce is an invariable numeral, which means it does not change its form to reflect gender or number.
How do you pronounce it?
/katoɾθe/
Did you know?
- The word catorce is related to the English word 'fourteen' through a shared Proto-Indo-European root, *kʷetwṓr, which evolved into both the Latin quattuor and the Germanic roots of English.
- Spanish uses a distinct set of ordinal numbers for the teens, and while catorceavo is common, the prescriptive term for 'fourteenth' is actually decimocuarto.
- In some Caribbean dialects, the 'r' in catorce is softened or dropped in rapid speech, which can make it sound similar to other numbers to an untrained ear.
Examples in context
- La segunda planta tiene catorce habitacionesThe second floor has fourteen rooms
- El producto viene en cajas de catorce unidadesThe product comes in boxes of fourteen units
- Compré catorce pares de calcetinesI bought fourteen pairs of socks
- Tengo catorce cosas en mi lista de comprasI have fourteen things on my shopping list
- Lo he dicho catorce vecesI have said it fourteen times
- El tren sale a las catorce horas.The train departs at fourteen o'clock.
- El proyecto se divide en catorce etapas.The project is divided into fourteen stages.
- Tengo catorce años.I am fourteen years old.
- Compré catorce huevos hoy.I bought fourteen eggs today.
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are counting pieces of fruit.
- JavierElena, ¿cuántas manzanas hay aquí?Elena, how many apples are here?
- ElenaCreo que hay catorce manzanas.I think there are fourteen apples.
- JavierDéjame contar otra vez para estar seguro.Let me count again to be sure.
- ElenaSí, son catorce exactamente.Yes, there are exactly fourteen.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries catorce, CC BY-SA 4.0.
