• PM_ME_FEET_PICS
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      49
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      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 × 20 + what ever number is needed to get there.

        • wkk@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          1 year ago

          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!

            • zerofk@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              6
              ·
              1 year ago

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

                • zerofk@lemm.ee
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  7
                  ·
                  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.

        • Firipu@startrek.website
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          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…

      • Sigmatics@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

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