soixante et un
The phrase soixante et un is how you say sixty one in French.
This phrase refers to the number that comes after sixty.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally composed of soixante (sixty), et (and) and un (one).
How does it change in a sentence?
The form soixante et un is used when the number modifies a masculine noun or stands alone. However, when the number modifies a feminine noun, the un changes to une to become soixante et une.
Did you know?
- The spelling of et was actually changed back to include the letter 't' in the 12th century to better match its original Latin root.
- While the number 61 uses the conjunction et (and), most other numbers in the sixties, like 62 or 65, do not use it. You say soixante-deux instead of 'soixante et deux'.
Examples in context
- Le total est soixante et un.The total is sixty one.
- Il y a soixante et une pommes.There are sixty one apples.
- J'ai soixante-une idées.I have sixty one ideas.
- Elle a soixante et un ans.She is sixty one years old.
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are counting items in a box.
- EmmaCombien de cartes y a-t-il ?How many cards are there?
- HugoIl y en a soixante et un.There are sixty-one.
- EmmaC'est beaucoup trop !That is way too many!
- HugoOui, Hugo est d'accord avec toi.Yes, Hugo agrees with you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries et, soixante, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
