sesenta y ocho
/sesenta i ot͡ʃo/from spelling rules
The English phrase sixty eight is said in Spanish as sesenta y ocho.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally composed of sesenta (sixty), y (and) and ocho (eight).
How do you pronounce it?
/sesenta i otʃo/
Did you know?
- The word sesenta comes from the Latin sexāgintā, which originally meant 'threescore' or three groups of twenty.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the number 68 is often associated with the '68 movements' of 1968, a period of significant social and political upheaval.
- While 'sesenta y ocho' is the standard way to say the number, in very rapid speech, the 'y' can sometimes sound almost swallowed or merged with the surrounding vowels.
Examples in context
- Tengo sesenta y ocho años.I am sixty-eight years old.
- El libro tiene sesenta y ocho páginas.The book has sixty-eight pages.
- Ese camino mide sesenta y ocho metros.That path is sixty-eight meters long.
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are looking at a vintage collection of postcards.
- Elena¿Cuántas postales hay en la caja?How many postcards are in the box?
- MateoHay exactamente sesenta y ocho postales.There are exactly sixty-eight postcards.
- Elena¡Es un número muy interesante!That is a very interesting number!
- MateoSí, es una colección muy completa.Yes, it is a very complete collection.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ocho, sesenta, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
