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Tengo siete u ocho primos.

Tengo siete u ocho primos.
I have seven or eight cousins.
From Lesson 88:Family and partners (el suegro, casarse)·Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of Tengo siete u ocho primos.

o
or
tener
to have
siete
seven
ocho
eight
el primo
the cousin

Questions & Answers about Tengo siete u ocho primos.

Why does this sentence use u instead of o for "or"?
The Spanish word for "or" is normally o. However, when the word immediately following it starts with an "o" sound (like ocho), the o changes to u. This is done so the two words do not blend into one long "o" sound, similar to why we use "an" instead of "a" before a vowel sound in English.
Would I still use u if the next word started with the letter "h"?
Yes, if that "h" is followed by an "o"! Because the letter "h" is always silent in Spanish, a word like hoja (leaf) or horno (oven) starts with a spoken "o" sound. Therefore, you must use u before these words just like you do before ocho.
Does the word primos mean that I only have male cousins?
Not necessarily. In Spanish, masculine plural words are used as the default for mixed-gender groups. Primos could mean you have a mix of male and female cousins, or it could mean they are all male. You would only use the feminine plural primas if every single cousin were female.

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