mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-quinze
The English phrase "nineteen ninety-five" is translated into French as mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-quinze.
This phrase is used to express the specific calendar year 1995.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to say dix-neuf cent quatre-vingt-quinze (nineteen hundred ninety-five) to express the year, but in French, you must use mille… (one thousand) for years in the 1900s.
Did you know?
- The phrase contains the word quatre-vingt, which is a remnant of a vigesimal or base-20 counting system used by the Celts before the Latin base-10 system became dominant.
- The word mille shares a common ancestor with the English word 'mile', as both originally related to the measurement of one thousand units.
- The word neuf in mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-quinze is a homonym. While it means 'nine' here, it also means 'new' in other contexts.
Examples in context
- C'était en mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-quinze.It was in nineteen ninety-five.
- Je suis né en mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-quinze.I was born in nineteen ninety-five.
- Ce film est sorti en mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-quinze.This movie came out in nineteen ninety-five.
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are looking at an old photo album.
- ChloéRegarde cette photo de mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-quinze.Look at this photo from nineteen ninety-five.
- GabrielC'était quand tu étais petite, Chloé ?Was that when you were little, Chloé?
- ChloéOui, j'avais quatre ans en mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-quinze.Yes, I was four years old in nineteen ninety-five.
- GabrielTu as beaucoup changé depuis !You have changed a lot since then!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cent, mille, neuf, CC BY-SA 4.0.
