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How to Say ‘Grandma's ninetieth birthday’ in French

Les quatre-vingt-dix ans de Mamie

leh ka-truh-van-DEES ahn duh mah-MEE

[leh ka-truh-van-DEES ahn duh mah-MEE]

💬 Usage Tip: French has no 's for ownership. It uses de instead: la maison de Paul "Paul's house".

Phrase Breakdown

Les quatre-vingt-dix ans

leh ka-truh-van-DEES ahn

The ninetieth birthday (the ninety years)

'Quatre-vingt-dix' is 4×20+10 = 90. Link 'dix ans' as 'di-zan' (liaison with a z sound).

Example

Il fête ses quatre-vingt-dix ans.

He is celebrating his ninetieth birthday.

Words in this phrase

Les

[leh]

the

Used before plural nouns to denote particularity.

Example

Les années passent vite.

The years pass quickly.

quatre-vingt-dix

[ka-truh-van-DEES]

ninety

The number 90, literally 'four twenties ten'.

Example

Il a quatre-vingt-dix ans.

He is ninety.

ans

[ahn]

years

A plural time noun used to talk about duration.

Example

Trois ans d'expérience sont demandés pour ce poste.

Three years of experience are required for this position.

de Mamie

duh mah-MEE

of Grandma

'Mamie' is an affectionate word for grandmother. Stress the last syllable lightly: 'ma-MI'.

Example

C'est la maison de Mamie.

It's Grandma's house.

Words in this phrase

[duh]

Expressing the relationship between part and a whole.

Example

Un verre de lait.

A glass of milk.

Mamie

[mah-MEE]

granny

Affectionate word for grandmother.

Example

Je rends visite à ma mamie.

I'm visiting my granny.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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