Approximate French

Approximate French Numbers When you want to make an estimate or take a guess, you can use approximate numbers. Most approximate French numbers are formed with the cardinal number, minus the final e (if any), plus the suffix -aine. une dizaine about ten (note that x in dix changes to z) une douzaine a dozen une quinzaine about fifteen une vingtaine about twenty une trentaine about thirty une quarantaine about forty une cinquantaine about fifty une soixantaine about sixty une centaine about a hundred un millier about a thousand

Approximate numbers are treated grammatically as expressions of quantity, and like all expressions of quantity, approximate numbers must be joined to the noun they modify with de. une dizaine d'étudiants about 10 students une quarantaine de livres about 40 books des centaines de voitures hundreds of cars des milliers de documents thousands of documents