dúzia
/ˈdu.zjɐ/feminine
The Portuguese word for "dozen" is dúzia.
dúzia is a noun used to represent the number twelve. When you want to specify what the dozen consists of, follow it with the preposition de. For example, to say "a dozen oranges", you would say uma dúzia de laranjas.
Meaning: twelve (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
dúzia is a feminine noun. To say "half a dozen", use the phrase meia dúzia. The plural form of the word is dúzias.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdu.zjɐ/. The word has two syllables and the stress is on the first syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because dúzia is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine article uma instead of the masculine um. Avoid saying um dúzia.
Did you know?
- In Brazil, the phrase meia dúzia is frequently used to describe a small group of people, acting as a cultural equivalent to the English expression 'a handful'.
- Beyond the standard dozen, Portuguese speakers use the word grossa to refer to a 'gross', which is a dozen dozen or 144 items.
- In certain regional Portuguese dialects, the expression uma dúzia can lose its mathematical precision and be used loosely to mean 'several' or 'a few'.
Examples in context
- Temos meia dúzia de ovos.We have a half-dozen eggs.This sentence is useful for practicing how to say "half-dozen" using dúzia.Tatoeba #1418645 by alexmarcelo, translation #1113266 by CM
- Dê-me uma dúzia de laranjas.Give me a dozen oranges.This sentence shows how to use dúzia to quantify a noun.Tatoeba #3658237 by carlosalberto, translation #2258226 by _undertoad
- Havia meia dúzia de vítimas.There was a half-dozen victims.This sentence demonstrates the use of dúzia when referring to a half-dozen of something.Tatoeba #8191207 by josivangoncalves, translation #8191117 by bpeel
- Uma dúzia de maçãsA dozen apples
- Uma dúzia de ovosOne dozen eggs
- Duas dúzias de rosasTwo dozen roses
- 58 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Juliana are at a bakery.
- RodrigoQuanto custa uma dúzia de pães?How much is a dozen breads?
- JulianaCusta cinco reais, Rodrigo.It costs five reais, Rodrigo.
- RodrigoVou levar uma dúzia, então.I'll take a dozen, then.
- JulianaCerto, Juliana já vai embalar.Right, Juliana will pack them now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dozen” translations and entries dúzia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
