Question 1

Why is veintidós written as one word instead of veinte y dos?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, numbers from 21 to 29 are combined into a single word. To do this, you change the final e in veinte to an i, and attach the second number. That is why veinte and dos become veintidós. (Numbers from 31 upwards, like treinta y dos, stay as separate words).

Question 2

Why does veintidós have an accent mark on the ó?

Accepted Answer

When you join veinte and dos into one word, the spoken stress naturally falls on the dos part. Spanish spelling rules require a written accent if the stress is on the final syllable and the word ends in a vowel, n, or s. Because veintidós ends in an s, it needs an accent! You will also see this on veintitrés (23) and veintiséis (26).

Question 3

The English translation says "I walk for twenty-two minutes". Why is there no word for "for" in the Spanish sentence?

Accepted Answer

In English, we usually use "for" to talk about the duration of an action. In Spanish, you generally don't need a preposition for this. You just place the amount of time directly after the verb. While you could say por veintidós minutos, it is much more natural to just say veintidós minutos.

Question 4

Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The "I" is built right into the verb! Camino is the "I" form of the verb caminar (to walk). Because the -o ending already tells us that "I" am doing the action, you don't need to use the pronoun yo (I), unless you want to add special emphasis.

Camino veintidós minutos.

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