diecinueve
/djeθiˈnwebe/
The Spanish word for nineteen is diecinueve.
diecinueve is a cardinal number.
Meaning: cardinal number (num)
Which one should you use?
Be careful not to confuse diecinueve (nineteen) with noventa (ninety), as these can sound similar to English learners.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a cardinal number, diecinueve does not change for gender. It is used for both masculine and feminine contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
/djeθiˈnwebe/
Did you know?
- Spanish uses a 'base-10' system for diecinueve, unlike the 'base-12' or 'vigesimal' systems found in some indigenous languages of the Americas that influenced regional Spanish.
- The 'v' in diecinueve is an example of 'betacism', where the sounds of 'b' and 'v' have merged in Spanish over centuries to become nearly identical.
- The transition from the Old Spanish dizenuef to the modern diecinueve involves a change in the final consonant from an 'f' to a 'v'.
Examples in context
- Me casé cuando tenía diecinueve años.I got married when I was nineteen.This sentence is useful for expressing someone's age.Tatoeba #2932043 by marcelostockle, translation #2540698 by CK
- Mi hija Meva cumple diecinueve años hoy.My daughter Meva is turning nineteen years old today.Tatoeba #2009246 by marcelostockle, translation #11071047 by Luornu
- ¿Dijiste noventa o diecinueve?Did you say ninety or nineteen?This sentence is useful for clarifying the difference between nineteen and ninety.Tatoeba #8923530 by carlosalberto, translation #8923520 by carlosalberto
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are talking about a book.
- ElenaEste libro tiene diecinueve capítulos.This book has nineteen chapters.
- AlejandroEs un libro muy corto entonces.It is a very short book then.
- ElenaSí, pero cada página es muy larga.Yes, but each page is very long.
- AlejandroVoy a leer los diecinueve hoy.I am going to read the nineteen today.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nineteen” translations and entries diecinueve, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries diecinueve, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
