Question 1

How do you form numbers like cuarenta y cinco (forty-five)?

Accepted Answer

For numbers from 31 to 99, you take the tens word (like cuarenta or cincuenta), add the word y (and), and then the single digit. So, forty-five is literally "forty and five" (cuarenta y cinco).

Question 2

Why are these written as three separate words? Aren't numbers in the twenties written as one word?

Accepted Answer

Exactly! Numbers in the twenties combine into a single word, like veinticinco (twenty-five). But starting at thirty-one (treinta y uno), all numbers up to ninety-nine are written as three separate words separated by y.

Question 3

The verb is cuesta, but isn't the dictionary form costar? Where does the "ue" come from?

Accepted Answer

Costar is a "stem-changing" verb. When you conjugate it for subjects like el vestido (it), the o in the middle changes to ue, making it cuesta. This is a very common pattern you will see in Spanish verbs.

Question 4

Does cincuenta ever change its ending to match masculine or feminine nouns?

Accepted Answer

No, tens numbers like cuarenta and cincuenta always end in "a". They do not change to match the gender of the noun. It is always cincuenta, whether you are counting dólares (masculine) or faldas (feminine).

El vestido cuesta cuarenta y cinco dólares y el reloj cuesta cincuenta.

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