Learn Spanish (Latin America): Iban a llegar hoy, pero solo llegó una veintena. - They were going to arrive today, but only about twenty arrived.

Iban a llegar hoy, pero solo llegó una veintena.

They were going to arrive today, but only about twenty arrived.

Breakdown of Iban a llegar hoy, pero solo llegó una veintena.

Questions & Answers about Iban a llegar hoy, pero solo llegó una veintena.

What is the difference between saying veinte and una veintena here?

Veinte means exactly twenty. When you use the collective noun una veintena, it usually implies an approximate amount, meaning a group of about twenty. It is similar to saying 'a score' or 'roughly twenty' in English.

Since twenty people or things arrived, why is the verb llegó in the singular?

The verb llegó agrees with its grammatical subject, which is una veintena. Even though it refers to multiple items, una veintena itself is a singular feminine noun, so the verb must be conjugated in the third-person singular.

If I wanted to specify that it was a group of twenty people, how would I add that to the sentence?

You would use the preposition de, making it una veintena de personas. Collective numerals like decena, docena, and veintena always require de before the specific noun they group together.

Why does the sentence use the imperfect iban instead of the preterite fueron for 'they were going to'?

The imperfect tense in the phrase iban a llegar is used to describe a past plan or intention that was ultimately interrupted or unfulfilled. Using the preterite fueron a llegar sounds unnatural here because the preterite focuses on a completed action of going, rather than the ongoing plan to arrive.