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J'ai besoin d'une dizaine ou d'une vingtaine de boîtes.

J'ai besoin d'une dizaine ou d'une vingtaine de boîtes.
I need about ten or twenty boxes.
From Lesson 229:Approximative numbers (-aine)·French

Questions & Answers about J'ai besoin d'une dizaine ou d'une vingtaine de boîtes.

What exactly does the suffix -aine do in dizaine and vingtaine?
Adding -aine to a number turns it into an approximate quantity or a collective group. So dix (ten) becomes une dizaine (about ten, or a group of ten), and vingt (twenty) becomes une vingtaine (about twenty).
Are words ending in -aine always feminine?
Yes! All approximative numbers ending in -aine are feminine nouns. That is why we say une dizaine and une vingtaine in this sentence.
Why is there a d' before both une dizaine and une vingtaine?
This comes from the expression avoir besoin de (to need). In French, when you have multiple items joined by ou (or) or et (and), you usually have to repeat the preposition de before each one.
Why is it de boîtes and not des boîtes at the end of the sentence?
Because une dizaine and une vingtaine act as expressions of quantity. Just like with beaucoup de (a lot of) or un kilo de (a kilo of), you use a simple de without the plural article les, which means you do not combine them into des.

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