Learn French: Il y en a une vingtaine ici. - There are about twenty of them here.

Il y en a une vingtaine ici.

There are about twenty of them here.

Breakdown of Il y en a une vingtaine ici.

of it / of them (quantity)

Questions & Answers about Il y en a une vingtaine ici.

How does the suffix "-aine" work in "une vingtaine"?

Adding -aine to a number turns it into an estimate. Here, vingt (twenty) becomes une vingtaine (about twenty). These approximation words are always feminine nouns, which is why it uses une.

Why do we need the word "en" in this sentence?

The pronoun en replaces the specific thing you are counting. In English, we say "There are about twenty of them," and en is the French equivalent for "of them." French requires en when a quantity is mentioned but the noun itself is left out.

Where exactly does "en" go in the expression "il y a"?

It always goes right before the verb a. The phrase il y a (there is / there are) is made of three words, and en slips between the pronoun y (there) and the verb a (has), creating il y en a.

Can I add "-aine" to any number to mean "about"?

No, it is mostly used with round numbers like multiples of ten (trentaine, quarantaine, cinquantaine) as well as centaine (about a hundred). You will also see it with a few specific numbers like douzaine (a dozen) and quinzaine (about fifteen).