this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2023
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[–] PM_ME_FEET_PICS@sh.itjust.works 46 points 1 year ago (4 children)

English is 90 + 2. Ninety is its own distinct word.

French is similar to English (base ten) but after 60 it gets weird and then at 80 switches to base 20 until 99.

70 in French is 60 + 10 80 and above in French is 4 Γ— 20 + what ever number is needed to get there.

[–] pinkdrunkenelephants@sopuli.xyz 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

So to say 102 in French, you'd say four-times-twenty-plus-twenty-two.

I don't believe you.

EDIT: What in the actual fuck. You were right. 😳

[–] dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 year ago

No. 102 in French is "cent deux".

[–] wkk@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

102 is "hundred-two" so it's only weird for 70 "sixty-ten", 80 "four-twenty" and 90 "four-twenty-ten"...

But the way I learned it each was like it's own word, even if it's not. Just don't think about it too much!

[–] pinkdrunkenelephants@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why don't they have separate words for seventy, eighty and ninety?

[–] zerofk@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They do, but they’re only used in some regions. Septante, huitante, nonante.

[–] pinkdrunkenelephants@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why are they only used in some regions? Is it like a French redneck thing or a French poncy thing or...?

[–] zerofk@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

I honestly don’t know the history. I just know that Belgian French uses septante and nonante, Swiss French uses huitante as well. I think it’s more comparable to the vocabulary differences between for example American and British English.

[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

In Belgium, it's Septante, Huitante, and Nonante.

[–] LaChaleurDeLaNuit@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Nonante, not neuvante but yes. In Switzerland and QuΓ©bec too if I'm not mistaken.

[–] ADTJ@feddit.uk 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I believe in quΓ©bΓ©cois French they use octante instead of huitante

[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

no, we say soixante, soixante-dix, quatre-vingt, quatre-vingt dix in Quebec :P

[–] ADTJ@feddit.uk 2 points 1 year ago

Ah my mistake, I thought you guys were sensible :P

[–] SolarMech@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

No, we use quatre-vignt dix (4x20+10), just like the French. If anyone is using octante or huitante, it is not common parlance to say the least.

[–] ADTJ@feddit.uk 1 points 1 year ago

You mean quatre-vingt, not quatre-vingt-dix right?

[–] ShiroTheSniper@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

In Quebec it's: 60: 60, 70: 60 10, 71: 60 11, 77: 60 10 7, 78: 60 10 8, 79: 60 10 9, 80: 4 20 (hehe), 81: 4 20 1, 90: 4 20 10, 97: 4 20 10 7, 98: 4 20 10 8, 99: 4 20 10 9

[–] Sigmatics@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Don't you dish French in Quebec?

Ah comme en France alors !

[–] Firipu@startrek.website 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Nobody says huitante in Belgium.

It's 60, 70, 4*20, 90.

edit: Downvote all you want. If you say huitante in Belgium, everyone will know you're not from Belgium.

Belgians say Soixante, Septante, Quatre-vingt, Nonante. Even in the dutch language part, that's how they learn french.

If you say Soixante-dix or Quatre-vingt-dix, everyone will know you're french and not Belgian. Pretty simple...

[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago

Interesting, I always thought huitante was common place there, thanks for correcting me

[–] Siegfried@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

In spanish is also 90 + 2

[–] Sigmatics@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Seriously, french counting from 20 to 99 is fucked up seven ways sideways.. what were they thinking