mil
/ˈmil/
One thousand in Spanish is mil.
mil is used to denote the number that is ten times one hundred. In more formal or technical contexts, you may encounter Mil unidades to mean one thousand units or El número mil when referring specifically to the number itself.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Buenos Aires and other parts of Argentina, una luca is used informally to mean one thousand.
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike the English phrase 'one thousand', the Spanish word mil does not include a word for 'one' (un/uno) when it is used as a number.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmil/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying un mil when counting. Instead, use just mil.
Did you know?
- The word mil shares a distant linguistic root with the English word 'mile', as the Roman mile was defined as one thousand paces.
- The Spanish word mil is a direct descendant of the Latin mīlle, which is why the Roman numeral for one thousand is the letter 'M'.
- While mil is used for numbers, Spanish has a distinct word millar to refer to a group or set of one thousand items.
Examples in context
- Tengo mil quinientas vacas.I have one thousand and five hundred cows.This sentence shows how to use mil when counting cows.Tatoeba #1247007 by wallebot, translation #1247011 by wallebot
- ¿Mil yenes son suficientes?Is one thousand yen enough?This sentence uses mil to ask about an amount of yen.Tatoeba #5114867 by don_ramon, translation #73497 by CK
- Les di mil yenes a cada uno.I gave them one thousand yen each.This sentence shows mil being used to describe a gift of yen.Tatoeba #2067240 by marcelostockle, translation #252453 by CK
- Tengo mil amigosI have one thousand friends
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are discussing the price of a new phone.
- DanielEste teléfono cuesta mil euros.This phone costs one thousand euros.
- Sofía¡Es demasiado caro, Daniel!It is too expensive, Daniel!
- DanielPero tiene una cámara excelente.But it has an excellent camera.
- SofíaNo vale mil euros.It is not worth one thousand euros.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mil, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mil, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
