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la

feminine

/di.zɛn/

#3193 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

about ten, a group of ten

Word origin

From dix ('ten') plus the collective suffix -aine, the same pattern as douzaine and centaine, ultimately from the Latin ending -ena used for round numbers.

Origin
Latin
Root
dix + -aine

Grammar

Genderfeminine
Pluraldizaines

Examples

.

There were about ten people in the room.

.

She received about ten messages this morning.

.

We waited for about ten minutes.

is grammatically singular but behaves like the plural quantity it names: "une dizaine de personnes attendaient" takes a plural verb, agreeing with the people, not with the word dizaine itself. The same pattern holds for douzaine, vingtaine and centaine.

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French · Free printables

dizaine: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the French word "dizaine" (about ten, a group of ten): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson .