Numbers - Spanish vs English

Different patterns but logical once you see them

En espaรฑol decimos "treinta y uno" (30 and 1), pero en inglรฉs se dice "thirty-one" (sin "and" entre decenas y unidades). Nota: con centenas/decimales sรญ oirรกs "and" a vecesโ€”"one hundred and five", "two hundred five and a half".

Basic Numbers 1-20

one
uno
wun
โ†ป
"One coffee" (counting) / "A coffee" (natural order)
Ambas correctas; "a coffee" suena mรกs natural al pedir
thirteen
trece
thur-TEEN
โ†ป
First -TEEN number
Estrรฉs en TEEN (final)
fourteen
catorce
for-TEEN
โ†ป
4 + teen
Pattern: number + TEEN
fifteen
quince
fif-TEEN
โ†ป
Not "fiveteen"
FIF not five + teen
twenty
veinte
TWEN-ty
โ†ป
First -TY number
Estrรฉs en TWEN (inicio)
thirty
treinta
THUR-ty
โ†ป
3 + ty
Estrรฉs al inicio, NOT final
forty
cuarenta
FOR-ty
โ†ป
Not "fourty"
No 'u' in forty
fifty
cincuenta
FIF-ty
โ†ป
5 + ty
Like fifteen: FIF
thirty-one
treinta y uno
THUR-ty wun
โ†ป
No "and" between parts
Sin "y" entre decenas y unidades
forty-five
cuarenta y cinco
FOR-ty fahyv
โ†ป
Hyphen in writing
Pattern: TY-number
Sofia's Teen vs Ty Rule:
TEEN = 13-19 (stress on TEEN: fourTEEN). TY = 20-90 (stress on first part: THIRty). This is the #1 confusion for Spanish speakersโ€”practice the stress!
Stress Matters:
thirTEEN (estrรฉs final) โ‰  THIRty (estrรฉs inicial). When unclear, confirm: "14 or 40?" by saying "One-four" or "Four-zero".

Common Spanish Speaker Mistakes

I made ALL of theseโ€”now you don't have to!

We add 'e' before 's' words ("espeak" instead of "speak"), forget articles ("I am student"), and mess up word order. These aren't stupid mistakesโ€”they're natural Spanish patterns appearing in English!

The Extra 'E' Problem & Missing Articles

โŒ "I am student"
Soy estudiante
โ†ป
โœ“ "I am A student"
English needs article before job/role!
โŒ "Espanish"
Espaรฑol
โ†ป
โœ“ "Spanish"
No 'e' before 's' in English
โŒ "I have 25 years"
Tengo 25 aรฑos
โ†ป
โœ“ "I am 25 years old"
Age uses 'be' not 'have' in English
โŒ "Is no good"
No es bueno
โ†ป
โœ“ "It's not good"
Need 'it' subject in English
โŒ "The Monday"
El lunes
โ†ป
โœ“ "On Monday"
No 'the' with days in English
โŒ "I no understand"
No entiendo
โ†ป
โœ“ "I don't understand"
Use 'don't' for negative, not 'no'
โŒ "More easy"
Mรกs fรกcil
โ†ป
โœ“ "Easier"
Short adjectives add -er, not "more"
โŒ "People is"
La gente es
โ†ป
โœ“ "People are"
"People" es plural en inglรฉs โ†’ "are"

Ordering Food & Drinks

From "quiero" to polite English requests

En inglรฉs "I want a coffee" suena directo/blunt. Mejor usa "I'd likeโ€ฆ" o "Could I haveโ€ฆ?" en situaciones formales; en mostradores rรกpidos "Can I getโ€ฆ?" es muy comรบn. Elige segรบn la situaciรณn.

Polite Ordering Phrases

Could I have...?
ยฟPodrรญa tener...?
kud ahy hav
โ†ป
"Could I have water?"
Muy cortรฉsโ€”formal situations
I'd like...
Quisiera...
ahyd lahyk
โ†ป
"I'd like a coffee"
Cortรฉsโ€”most common polite form
Can I get...?
ยฟPuedo tener...?
kan ahy get
โ†ป
"Can I get a menu?"
Casualโ€”very common at counters
I'll have...
Tomarรฉ...
ahyl hav
โ†ป
"I'll have the sandwich"
Neutralโ€”decision made
Small/Medium/Large
Chico/Mediano/Grande
โ†ป
"Large coffee", "Medium latte"
La mayorรญa usa estos; marcas tienen nombres propios
For here or to go?
ยฟPara aquรญ o para llevar?
โ†ป
Common question
Answer: "For here" / "To go"
With milk
Con leche
โ†ป
"Coffee with milk"
Same structure as Spanish!
No ice
Sin hielo
โ†ป
"Water, no ice"
Simple request
Politeness Ladder:
"Could I haveโ€ฆ?" (muy cortรฉs) โ†’ "I'd likeโ€ฆ" (cortรฉs) โ†’ "Can I getโ€ฆ?" (casual) โ†’ "I wantโ€ฆ" (directo; evita en servicio formal).

Pronunciation Fixes

Sounds that don't exist in Spanish

The 'th' sound, the 'z' buzz, the difference between 'b' and 'v'โ€”these don't exist in Spanish! I practiced in the mirror. Put your tongue between your teeth for 'th'. It feels weird but it works!

Problem Sounds for Spanish Speakers

TH sound
No existe
โ†ป
"Three" not "tree" or "free"
Tongue between teethโ€”practice!
Z sound
Diferente de 's'
โ†ป
"Zoo" /zuห/ (sonora), no "soo"
/z/ = vibraciรณn; /s/ = sin vibraciรณn
V vs B
ยกSon diferentes!
โ†ป
"Very" /หˆvษ›ri/ vs "berry" /หˆbษ›ri/
/v/: dientes superiores en labio inferior
Short I
Entre 'i' y 'e'
โ†ป
sit /sษชt/ (corta) vs seat /siหt/ (larga)
/ษช/ relajada, no /iห/ tensa
-ED endings
3 sonidos
โ†ป
wanted (-id), walked (-t), played (-d)
/t/ o /d/ final โ†’ /ษชd/; sorda โ†’ /t/; sonora โ†’ /d/
SH sound
Como "ch" suave
โ†ป
"Shop" not "chop"
Softer than CH
Silent letters
ยกNo se pronuncian!
โ†ป
Walk, knife, hour
L, K, H silent in these
Word stress
Patrรณn diferente
โ†ป
hoTEL not HOtel
English stress varies more than Spanish

Shopping & Money

Dollars and centsโ€”different from pesos

El separador decimal cambia: $1,000.50 (inglรฉs) = $1.000,50 (espaรฑol). En EE. UU. los precios normalmente NO incluyen impuestos; la tasa varรญa por estado/ciudad (~0โ€“10%+).

Money & Shopping Phrases

$10.50
10 dรณlares 50
โ†ป
"Ten fifty" (not "ten point fifty")
Se dice "ten fifty" en conversaciรณn
$1,000
Mil dรณlares
โ†ป
"One thousand dollars"
Comma = thousands separator
Plus tax
Mรกs impuesto
โ†ป
Not included in price!
Impuesto varรญa segรบn la zona (~0-10%+)
Do you take cards?
ยฟAceptan tarjeta?
โ†ป
"Do you accept credit cards?"
Pregunta tรญpica en tiendas
Receipt
Recibo
rih-SEET
โ†ป
"Can I have a receipt?"
Always ask for one
Cash back?
ยฟRetirar efectivo?
โ†ป
At checkout (debit)
ยฟPuedo retirar efectivo con esta compra?
On sale
En oferta
โ†ป
Discounted price
Look for "SALE" signs
Return policy
Polรญtica de devoluciรณn
โ†ป
Usually 30 days
Keep receipt to return!
Cultural Noteโ€”Tipping in US:
Restaurantes con mesa 15-20% (antes de impuestos), taxis 15-20%. En mostradores/cafรฉs: propina pequeรฑa opcional (p. ej., $0.50-$2 o 10%). Verifica prรกcticas locales.

Ready to Order in English with Confidence?

ยกYa tienes las herramientas! You have the tools! Rememberโ€”those "mistakes" are just Spanish patterns. Once you know them, you can fix them. Practice with me and soon English numbers and ordering will feel natural. ยกVamos!

Talk to Sofia โ†’