There are different ways that you can use to express fractions in Spanish depending on the size of the value as well as the formality of the speech. This lesson explains how decimals, percentages, and fractions can be expressed in Spanish.
How to say fractions in Spanish
Fractions in Spanish
Halves and thirds
The special forms la/una mitad and el/un tercio can be used to say half and third respectively.
For example:
Una mitad y otra mitad hacen uno - One half plus another half make one
Perdió un tercio de su valor en menos de dos años - It lost a third of its value in less than two years
Fourths to tenths
From fourths to tenths, you can use the masculine form of ordinal numbers in Spanish. Check out below:
1/4 = un cuarto
1/5 = un quinto
1/6 = un sexto
1/7 = un séptimo
1/8 = un octavo
1/9 = un noveno
1/10 = un décimo
Fractions smaller than a tenth
Any fraction smaller than a tenth (eleventh and beyond) is formed by adding the suffix -avo to the cardinal numbers in Spanish.
This suffix is the equivalent of -th in English. Sometimes the stems are shortened. For instance, both veintavo and veinteavo are used for one-twentieth and centavo is used for a hundredth.
Other common fractions
2/3 = dos tercios
3/4 = tres cuartos
For example:
Marta llegó tres cuartos de hora tarde - Marta arrived three quarters of an hour late
Me comí media manzana y ella se comió la otra mitad - I ate half an apple and she ate the other half
Note:
In everyday speech, it is also common to express fractions using feminine form of ordinal numbers followed by parte which is relevant to "part" or "portion" in English.
For example:
Ella posee siete octavas partes de la casa - She owns seven-eighths of the house
Sometimes parte is ommitted
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