десетина / стотина
Approximate Numbers
Десетина = about ten, стотина = about a hundred: Дојдоа десетина луѓе. (About ten people came.) Чини стотина денари. (It costs about a hundred denars.)
How It Works
The pattern. Approximate number + noun:
- Дојдоа десетина луѓе. (About ten people came.)
- Во салата имаше стотина гости. (There were about a hundred guests in the hall.)
- До училиштето има дваесетина минути пешки. (It is about twenty minutes to the school on foot.)
Count forms. As after other numbers, masculine nouns for things take the count form: десетина дена (about ten days). See count forms. The verb is usually plural: Дојдоа десетина луѓе.
Other ways to say "about". You can also put околу before an exact number: околу десет луѓе. See approximate quantities. Two numbers side by side also give an estimate: два-три дена (two or three days).
Hundreds of. For a large, vague number, use десетици (dozens, tens of) and стотици (hundreds of): Стотици луѓе чекаа на плоштадот.
Do not mix it up with fractions. A tenth is десеттина, with two т, as in fractions. Десетина with one т means "about ten".
Examples (6)
- Дојдоа десетина луѓе.
About ten people came.
Word by Word: Came about-ten people.
- Чини стотина денари.
It costs about a hundred denars.
Word by Word: Costs about-hundred denars.
- Останавме десетина дена.
We stayed about ten days.
Word by Word: We-stayed about-ten days(count).
Дена is the count form of ден, used after numbers.
- Во салата имаше стотина гости.
There were about a hundred guests in the hall.
Word by Word: In hall-the there-were about-hundred guests.
- До училиштето има дваесетина минути пешки.
It is about twenty minutes to the school on foot.
Word by Word: To school-the has about-twenty minutes on-foot.
- Стотици луѓе чекаа на плоштадот.
Hundreds of people were waiting in the square.
Word by Word: Hundreds people were-waiting on square-the.
Common Mistakes
Putting од between десетина and the noun.
Дојдоа десетина од луѓе.Дојдоа десетина луѓе.Десетина works like a number, so the noun follows it directly, just as in десет луѓе. Use од only for part of a known group: десетина од нив (about ten of them).
How It Connects
Learn This First
Approximate numbers follow approximate quantities.
Related Patterns
- Numbers Above Ten
The exact numbers that дваесетина, триесетина and педесетина are built from.
Level 2 - два дена / три часаCount Forms After Numbers
Masculine nouns take the count form after these words too: десетина дена.
Level 2 - половина / третина / четвртинаFractions
Fractions also use -ина, but a tenth is десеттина with two т.
Level 3 - неколку / некои / многуминаQuantities of People and Things
Other words for a vague number of people and things.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice десетина / стотина in Bubblegum
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