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

Word

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

Meaning

I need about ten or twenty boxes.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

French

Lesson

Approximative numbers (-aine)

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

une

a / an (feminine)

of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)

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?