doce
/ˈdoθe/
The English phrase twelve is translated into Spanish as doce.
doce is the cardinal number 12.
Meaning: cardinal number 12 (num)
How does it change in a sentence?
The number doce is invariable in gender, so it remains the same regardless of whether it modifies a masculine or feminine noun. When you are specifically referring to twelve o'clock (noon or midnight), you must use the phrase las doce because it refers to the feminine plural concept of hours (las doce horas or las doce campanadas).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdoθe/
Did you know?
- In Spanish culture, the 'twelve grapes' (las doce uvas) are eaten at midnight on New Year's Eve for good luck.
- The word doce comes from the Latin duodecim, which literally means 'two and ten'.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, if you are referring to the number of people in a group, you might hear 'una docena' instead of just 'doce' to emphasize a full set of twelve.
Examples in context
- Son casi las doce.It's almost twelve o'clock.This sentence is useful for expressing that it is almost twelve o'clock using doce.Tatoeba #776403 by Shishir, translation #10195316 by CK
- Almorcé a las doce.I had lunch at twelve o'clock.This sentence is useful for stating a time for an action, such as having lunch, using doce.Tatoeba #13704782 by ecorralest101, translation #13704778 by Babelball
- Nací con doce dedos.I was born with twelve fingers.This sentence is useful for counting a quantity of body parts using doce.Tatoeba #1624748 by marcelostockle, translation #1624902 by marcelostockle
- ¡Son las doce!It's twelve o'clock!
- Necesito una docena de huevos.I need a dozen eggs.
- 96 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are talking about their ages.
- MateoMi sobrino tiene doce años.My nephew is twelve years old.
- MaríaÉl ya es muy grande.He is already very big.
- MateoSí, empezó la escuela hace doce meses.Yes, he started school twelve months ago.
- MaríaQué rápido pasa el tiempo.How fast time flies.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “twelve” translations and entries doce, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries doce, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
