Fractions and percentages vocabulary in Spanish, including terms and example sentences for expressing parts, ratios, and percentages.
Understanding how to express fractions and percentages in Spanish is essential for talking about parts of a whole, proportions, and comparisons. This lesson covers the most common vocabulary used to describe fractions (like 1/2 or 3/4) and percentages (like 50% or 25%) in Spanish.
- Fractions use cardinal numbers and the word "de" (of)
- Common fractions have special names (e.g., medio for 1/2)
- Percentages are expressed with "por ciento" or the % symbol
- Use "es" (is) or "son" (are) to link the fraction/percentage to the subject
Fractions in Spanish are formed by saying the numerator, then de, then the denominator (in ordinal form). For example, 3/4 is tres cuartos (literally "three fourths"). The numerator is a cardinal number, and the denominator is an ordinal number in plural.
- /2 = un medio or *una mitad
- /3 = *un tercio
- /4 = *un cuarto
Fractions can also be used in sentences like “tres cuartos de la clase” (three quarters of the class).
| Spanish Singular | Spanish Plural | English Singular | English Plural | Spanish Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medio/mitad | mitades | half | halves | Tomo medio vaso de agua. | I drink half a glass of water. |
| un tercio | tercios | a third | thirds | Comí un tercio del pastel. | I ate a third of the cake. |
| un cuarto | cuartos | a quarter | quarters | Ella tiene un cuarto de hora. | She has a quarter of an hour. |
| un quinto | quintos | a fifth | fifths | Le di un quinto del dinero. | I gave him a fifth of the money. |
| un sexto | sextos | a sixth | sixths | Tomamos un sexto de la botella. | We drank a sixth of the bottle. |
| un séptimo | séptimos | a seventh | sevenths | Es un séptimo del total. | It's a seventh of the total. |
| un octavo | octavos | an eighth | eighths | Quiero un octavo de pizza. | I want an eighth of the pizza. |
| un noveno | nuevos | a ninth | ninths | Tenemos un noveno de tiempo. | We have a ninth of the time. |
| un décimo | décimos | a tenth | tenths | Le di un décimo del premio. | I gave her a tenth of the prize. |
| un veinteavo | veinteavos | a twentieth | twentieths | Es un veinteavo del grupo. | It's a twentieth of the group. |
Tomo ___ vaso de agua.
What is the special Spanish word for 'half' when using a noun (like 'half a glass')?
medio
'Medio' is used before masculine singular nouns for 'half.' 'Mitad' is a noun but is not used directly before the noun.
Percentages in Spanish are expressed by stating the number followed by por ciento (meaning "per hundred") or using the % symbol. For example, 50% is cincuenta por ciento. Verb agreement depends on the subject that follows.
- % = *cien por ciento
- % = *cincuenta por ciento
- % = *veinticinco por ciento
Example: El 25% de los estudiantes (25% of the students).
| Spanish | English | Spanish Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| por ciento | percent | El diez por ciento está completo. | Ten percent is complete. |
| por ciento | percent | Veinte por ciento de las ventas fueron online. | Twenty percent of the sales were online. |
| por ciento | percent | El treinta por ciento faltó hoy. | Thirty percent were absent today. |
| por ciento | percent | Cuarenta por ciento es descuento. | Forty percent is a discount. |
| por ciento | percent | Tengo cincuenta por ciento de oportunidad. | I have a fifty percent chance. |
| por ciento | percent | Sesenta por ciento ya terminó. | Sixty percent is already finished. |
| por ciento | percent | Setenta por ciento está satisfecho. | Seventy percent is satisfied. |
| por ciento | percent | Ochenta por ciento aprobó el examen. | Eighty percent passed the exam. |
| por ciento | percent | Noventa por ciento está listo. | Ninety percent is ready. |
| por ciento | percent | El proyecto está cien por ciento terminado. | The project is 100 percent finished. |
Here are some example sentences using both fractions and percentages. Notice how de (of) is used to connect the fraction/percentage to a noun.
- Una cuarta parte de la población...* (A quarter of the population...)
- El 30% de los estudiantes...* (30% of the students...)
- Comí la mitad de la pizza.* (I ate half the pizza.)
- Solo el 10% respondió la encuesta.* (Only 10% answered the survey.)
| Spanish | English | --- | --- | Comí \un tercio\ del pastel. | I ate a third of the cake. | Ella se llevó \el 25 por ciento\ de las ganancias. | She took 25 percent of the profits. | \Medio\ vaso está lleno. | Half the glass is full. | El 40 por ciento \de los empleados\ trabaja desde casa. | Forty percent of the employees work from home. | Solo \un décimo\ terminó la tarea. | Only a tenth finished the homework. | El 80 por ciento \del público\ aplaudió. | Eighty percent of the audience applauded. | Tuvimos \un quinto\ más de ventas este mes. | We had a fifth more sales this month. | El 15 por ciento \de los clientes\ canceló su pedido. | Fifteen percent of the customers canceled their order. | Usamos \tres cuartos\ del presupuesto. | We used three quarters of the budget. | El 50 por ciento \de la comida\ se desperdicia. | Fifty percent of the food is wasted. |
|---|
Comí un tercio del pastel.
I ate a third of the cake.
The Spanish sentence means 'I ate a third of the cake.'
- Use cardinal numbers + de + ordinal plural for fractions: tres cuartos (3/4)
- Some fractions have special names: medio/mitad (1/2), tercio (1/3), cuarto (1/4)
- Percentages use number + por ciento or the % symbol
- Use de to link fractions/percentages to the noun they describe (e.g., un tercio de la clase)
- Verb agreement depends on the subject after the fraction/percentage (e.g., es 50%, son 30%)
Now you have the basic Spanish vocabulary for talking about fractions and percentages!
How do you link a fraction or percentage to a noun in Spanish?
Use 'de' (e.g., un tercio de la clase)
The preposition 'de' is used to link fractions or percentages to the noun they describe (e.g., 'un tercio de la clase').
Flashcards (1 of 20)
- English Singular: half
- English Plural: halves
- English Example: I drink half a glass of water.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
