Learn Spanish (Latin America): Tengo ochenta y cinco dólares para la chaqueta. - I have eighty-five dollars for the jacket.

Tengo ochenta y cinco dólares para la chaqueta.

I have eighty-five dollars for the jacket.

Breakdown of Tengo ochenta y cinco dólares para la chaqueta.

Questions & Answers about Tengo ochenta y cinco dólares para la chaqueta.

Why is "eighty-five" written as three separate words (ochenta y cinco) instead of one?

In Spanish, numbers from 31 to 99 are formed by taking the tens word (ochenta), adding the word for "and" (y), and then the ones word (cinco). Only numbers from 16 to 29 are squeezed together into a single word (like veinticinco).

Since dólares is masculine, shouldn't it be ochento y cinco?

No, the words for tens like treinta, cuarenta, and ochenta always end in -a. They never change to match the gender of the noun they are counting.

Why does the word dólares have an -es at the end instead of just an -s?

To make a word plural in Spanish, you add -s if it ends in a vowel. But if the word ends in a consonant, like the r in dólar, you must add -es to make it plural.

Why do we use para instead of por to say "for the jacket"?

You use para when you are talking about a purpose, goal, or destination. Here, the specific purpose of having the money is to buy the jacket.