Multipliers define multiples of a given thing or person. Let’s have a look at a few:
- duplodouble
- dobrodouble, twice
- triplotriple
- quádruploquadruple
- quíntuploquintuple
- sêxtuplosextuple
- sétuploseptuple
Multiplier numbers are always preceded by the definite article o, and they’re paired with the preposition de (or its prepositional contractions).
Tenho agora o dobro da tua idade.I am now twice your age.
Montemor tem agora o quádruplo dos habitantes.Montemor now has four times as many inhabitants.
For multiples above four, instead of using a multiplier number, we usually use a cardinal number and the word vezestimes . This makes it quite a bit simpler when you’re talking about large quantities!
Isso é cinco vezes mais do que precisamos!That’s five times more than we need!
O vosso campo é oito vezes maior que o nosso.Your field is eight times bigger than ours.
Notice that when we use this construction (cardinal number + vezes) the definite article is no longer used.
Do we have a unit teaching us how to speak the Portuguese alphabet? So we can spell names, etc, out loud?
We don’t have a unit yet, but there’s a helpful Learning Note here: The Alphabet
Qual é a diferença entre “duplo” e “dobro” por favor? Não há exemplo com duplo nesta lição.
Olá, Matthieu. Entre “duplo” e “dobro”, a principal diferença é gramatical; por regra, usamos “duplo” como adjetivo, mas “dobro” como substantivo masculino (precedido de artigo definido). Alguns exemplos:
– Tenho o dobro do talento dele! (I have twice his talent!)
– Elas têm o dobro dos clientes (They have twice as many clients)
– É um encontro duplo (It’s a double date)
– Nós tivemos sorte dupla (We had double luck)
Hi! This site has been tremendously helpful. Thank you for all of your work on it. In the lesson, you provided the words for five, six and seven times (quintuplo, sextuplo, setuplo) but then later say that above four, use the number and “vezes”. So, would it be fair to say that one would normally not use quintuplo, sextuplo and setuplo, or are there contexts where that would be more appropriate than, for example, cinco vezes. Muito obrigada!
Absolutely! I’d even dare to say that even quádruplo is not very common. You’d say dobro (double) and triple (triplo) quite a lot but, besides that, you’d just say “4 vezes” (4 times), “5 vezes” (5 times) and so on…
In context of Maths classes – or Maths in general – you’d still use the terms “quíntuplo”, etc.