mil novecientos cuarenta
/mil nobeθjentos kwaɾenta/from spelling rules
The English phrase nineteen forty is expressed in Spanish as mil novecientos cuarenta.
mil novecientos cuarenta is used to refer to the year 1940.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to the year 1940, you use the cardinal number mil novecientos cuarenta instead of a specialized ordinal form.
How do you pronounce it?
/mil nobeθjentos kwaɾenta/
Did you know?
- While English speakers might say 'the forties' to describe the decade, Spanish speakers use los años cuarenta, omitting the mil novecientos entirely.
- The word mil follows a long linguistic journey from the Proto-Indo-European root *sem-, which originally related to the concept of oneness or togetherness.
Examples in context
- En los archivos históricos se registra que el conflicto ocurrió en mil novecientos cuarenta.In the historical archives it is recorded that the conflict occurred in nineteen forty.
- Ese libro es de mil novecientos cuarenta.That book is from nineteen forty.
- La casa se construyó en mil novecientos cuarenta.The house was built in nineteen forty.
- Fue en mil novecientos cuarenta, no en mil novecientos cincuenta.It was in nineteen forty, not in nineteen fifty.
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are looking at an old photograph.
- MateoMira esta foto de mi bisabuela.Look at this photo of my great-grandmother.
- Elena¿De qué año es la fotografía?What year is the photograph from?
- MateoFue tomada en mil novecientos cuarenta.It was taken in nineteen forty.
- ElenaEs una imagen muy bonita.It is a very beautiful image.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuarenta, mil, CC BY-SA 4.0.
