centoj da / dekoj da
Hundreds of and Tens of
Cento, deko and miliono are nouns, so they take -j, -n and da.
How It Works
| Number noun | Meaning | With da |
|---|---|---|
| cento | a hundred | centoj da homoj (hundreds of people) |
| deko | a group of ten | dekoj da libroj (tens of books) |
| dekduo | a dozen | dekduo da ovoj (a dozen eggs) |
| miliono | a million | milionoj da infanoj (millions of children) |
The plain number words cent and mil describe a noun directly and take no da: cent homoj. When a number gets the ending -o, it becomes a noun. A noun does not describe another noun directly, so da joins them.
The plural -j gives a rough amount: centoj means many hundreds. The singular names one group: cento da invitoj is a hundred invitations.
When the amount is the object, the number noun takes -n: Mi vidis centojn da homoj. The thing counted never takes -n after da.
Examples (5)
- Centoj da esperantistoj venis al la kongreso.
Hundreds of Esperantists came to the congress.
Centoj is the subject, so it has no -n, and da joins it to esperantistoj.
- En la bazaro Omar vidis dekojn da vendistoj.
In the market Omar saw tens of sellers.
Dekojn has -n as the object, and vendistoj has none.
- Ĉiujare milionoj da infanoj komencas lerni fremdan lingvon.
Every year millions of children start to learn a foreign language.
Milionoj da infanoj is the subject of komencas.
- Greta aĉetis dekduon da ovoj por la kuko.
Greta bought a dozen eggs for the cake.
Dekduon is the object of aĉetis, and da joins it to ovoj.
- Ni sendis centon da invitoj al niaj gastoj.
We sent a hundred invitations to our guests.
Cento is singular here: it names one group of a hundred.
Common Mistakes
Putting -n after da.
Mi vidis centojn da homojn.Mi vidis centojn da homoj.The -n belongs to centojn, the object. A da phrase is never the object itself, so homoj takes no -n.
How It Connects
Learn This First
A number becomes a noun with -o and then takes da.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice centoj da / dekoj da in Bubblegum
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