del uno al diez
/del uno al djeθ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "one to ten" is translated into Spanish as del uno al diez.
del uno al diez is used to express a range of numbers from one to ten.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a contraction of de el uno al diez, where del is the mandatory contraction of the preposition de and the article el. It literally means "from the one to the ten".
Which one should you use?
While de uno a diez is grammatically possible, del uno al diez is the standard way to express a range of numbers in Spanish.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, you may hear the number three (tres) pronounced as treh and the number six (seis) as seish.
How do you pronounce it?
/del uno al djeθ/
Did you know?
- The word uno is a cognate of the Russian word один ('odin'). Both languages inherited this term for 'one' from the same ancient ancestor.
- When using a scale del uno al diez in Spain, a rating of un siete is often considered a very good grade in school, whereas in English-speaking systems, 'seven' might feel mediocre.
- While del uno al diez is used for counting, Spanish has a specific word decena to describe a group of ten things. This is similar to how English uses 'dozen' for twelve.
Examples in context
- Ella puede contar del uno al diez.She can count from one to ten.This sentence is useful for describing the ability to count using del uno al diez.Tatoeba #1355728 by marcelostockle, translation #371929 by saeb
- Miguel, el artista del ligue, evalúa la apariencia de las mujeres del uno al diez, alegando que él sólo le entra a las que sean de ocho para arriba.Miguel, the pickup artist, rates women's looks on a scale from one to ten, claiming that he only hits on eights and up.This sentence shows how del uno al diez can be used when rating something on a scale.Tatoeba #855474 by sharin, translation #818457 by papabear
- Dos lápices rojos, por favor.Two red pencils, please.
- Mi hermano tiene cuatro perros.My brother has four dogs.
- Siete días es una semana.Seven days equals one week.
Example conversation
Daniel is helping Sofía study for a basic language test.
- DanielSofía, ¿puedes contar del uno al diez en español?Sofia, can you count from one to ten in Spanish?
- SofíaSí, es muy fácil.Yes, it is very easy.
- Daniel¿Entonces, dime los números del uno al diez ahora.Then, tell me the numbers from one to ten now.
- SofíaUno, dos, tres… diez.One, two, three… ten.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries del, diez, uno, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
