Treintena

[Tomisimo]

I overheard the word treintena today: "Tengo una treintena de alumnos". My question is, (1) how common is this usage,as opposed to saying "Tengo (unos) treinta alumnos", and (2) can you use this with other numbers-- cuarenta, cincuenta, sesenta, setenta etc? One problem would be cuarentena, which has another meaning.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

"Decena", "veintena"... "centena" are rather commonly used and correct.

The original meaning of "cuarentena" is "cuarenta días", "una cuarentena de días".

"Una cuarentena de alumnos" would also be correct.

[Tomisimo]

"Decena", "veintena"... "centena" are rather commonly used and correct.

The original meaning of "cuarentena" is "cuarenta días", "una cuarentena de días".

"Una cuarentena de alumnos" would also be correct.
Would this mean 40 students or quarantine?

Had another look at some dictionaries, and here's some related vocab:

decena = ten, about ten
docena = dozen
docena del fraile = baker's dozen
veintena = a score, twenty, about twenty
treintena = thirty, about thirty
cuarentena = quarantine, Lent, forty, about forty.
cincuentena = fifty, about fifty
centena = one hundred
centenada = one hundred
centenar = one hundred

[Ambarina]

Would this mean 40 students or quarantine? Both

Had another look at some dictionaries, and here's some related vocab:

decena = ten, about ten
docena = dozen
docena del fraile = baker's dozen
veintena = a score, twenty, about twenty
treintena = thirty, about thirty
cuarentena = quarantine, Lent, forty, about forty.
cincuentena = fifty, about fifty
centena = one hundred
centenada = one hundred
centenar = one hundred

Like Angelica said, it is quite common to use centena, treintena, etc to mean "about+number". e.g. Está en la treintena - He's in his thirties.

Though I don't agree that you'd use "una cuarentena de días" as "cuarentena" implies "días". It was the amount of time that a ship was held at port to avoid transmitting infections onshore, i.e. 40 days.
Cuaresma=Lent. Never heard "cuarentena" used for Lent.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

"Cuarentena" by itself means quarantine. "Cuarentena de (algo)" means a group of forty (something).


I agree with Ambarina that "cuarentena" is never used as "cuaresma".

And it's true, we never use "una cuarentena de días", but I only used to clarify the notion.