douzaine
/du.zɛn/feminine
The English phrase "dozen" is translated into French as douzaine.
douzaine is a feminine noun used to refer to a group or a set consisting of twelve items.
Meaning: twelve (noun)
Which one should you use?
Use douze when you are counting and referring specifically to the number twelve. Use douzaine when you are referring to a collection or a group of twelve items, such as "a dozen eggs".
How does it change in a sentence?
When using douzaine to indicate a quantity of something, it must be followed by the preposition de (or d' before a vowel) to link it to the noun it is quantifying.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /du.zɛn/ and has two syllables.
Did you know?
- The suffix -aine is a powerful tool for creating 'fuzzy' numbers. Beyond douzaine, you can create dizaine for 'about ten', vingtaine for 'about twenty', or even centaine for 'about a hundred'.
- In a traditional French bakery, you might see une douzaine of pastries, but the 'baker's dozen' (thirteen) does not have a specific single-word equivalent like douzaine.
- The word douzaine traces its lineage back to the Latin 'duodecim'. This makes it a linguistic cousin to the English 'dozen', sharing the same ancient roots.
Examples in context
- Tom veut une douzaine d'œufs.Tom wants a dozen eggs.This sentence is useful for showing how to express wanting a specific quantity of eggs with douzaine.Tatoeba #7306683 by manou85, translation #7306671 by CK
- J'ai acheté une douzaine d'œufs.I bought a dozen eggs.This sentence is useful for expressing the action of buying a specific quantity of eggs with douzaine.Tatoeba #1151862 by sacredceltic, translation #10136126 by DJ_Saidez
- On achète les œufs à la douzaine.We buy eggs by the dozen.This sentence is useful for showing how to say items are sold by the dozen using douzaine.Tatoeba #331156 by Lumpawurump, translation #41247 by CK
- une douzaine d'œufsA dozen eggs
- 43 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a bakery, Gabriel and Manon are ordering pastries.
- GabrielJe voudrais une douzaine de croissants, s'il vous plaît.I would like a dozen croissants, please.
- ManonD'accord, une douzaine de croissants pour vous.All right, a dozen croissants for you.
- GabrielC'est tout pour aujourd'hui, merci.That is all for today, thank you.
- ManonMerci à vous, bonne journée !Thank you, have a good day!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dozen” translations and entries douzaine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries douzaine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
