dólares y centavos
/dolaɾes i θentabos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "dollars and cents" is translated into Spanish as dólares y centavos.
This phrase refers to the basic units of currency used in the United States and other countries that use the dollar. You can use the phrase dólares con centavos to mean "dollars and cents" as well. For example, if you want to specify an amount like "ten dollars", you would say diez dólares or for "fifty cents", you would say cincuenta centavos. When discussing decimal points in a numerical value, the term punto can be used to indicate the decimal point.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of dólares (dollars), y (and) and centavos (cents).
How does it change in a sentence?
The word centavo is a masculine noun, so if an adjective were used to describe it, it would take the masculine form.
How do you pronounce it?
/dolaɾes i θentabos/
Did you know?
- The word centavo is shared with Portuguese, but in some regions, it is used as a slang term for 'nothing' when used in the negative, such as saying you do not have a single centavo.
- In several Latin American countries, people use a comma instead of a punto (dot) as the decimal separator when writing dólares y centavos.
- The word y meaning 'and' is derived from the Latin word et.
Examples in context
- Tengo veinte dólares con quince centavos.I have twenty dollars and fifteen cents.
- El costo total es sesenta y dos dólares con cuarenta centavos.The total cost is sixty-two dollars and forty cents.
- Necesitamos contar cada uno de los dólares y centavos.We need to count every one of the dollars and cents.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are counting change for a purchase.
- AlejandroTengo algunos dólares y centavos aquí.I have some dollars and cents here.
- ElenaPerfecto, Alejandro, eso es suficiente.Perfect, Alejandro, that is enough.
- Alejandro¿Necesitas más dólares y centavos, Elena?Do you need more dollars and cents, Elena?
- ElenaNo, ya tengo todo lo necesario.No, I already have everything I need.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
