# how to read years



## jancho

How would you express these years using words? (=how would you read them)

1992 = 
2004 = 

Thank you.


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## apuquipa

Spanish:

1992 = mil novecientos noventa y dos
2004 = dos mil cuatro


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## Hakro

Finnish:

1992 = tuhatyhdeksänsataayhdeksänkymmentäkaksi
 2004 = kaksituhattaneljä


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## Welshie

German:

1992 = neun-zehn hundert zwei und neunzig
2004 = zwei tausend vier


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## brian

Italian:

1992 = _millenovecentonovantadue_
2004 = _duemilaquattro / duemila e quattro_*

*See this thread for discussion of the use of _e_.

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English:

1992 = _nineteen ninety-two_
2004 = _two-thousand four / two-thousand and four_

NB: 1904 is _nineteen O four_, where _O_ is pronounced like the letter, or the word _oh_; 2004 is usually *not* pronounced _twenty O four_, but after 2009 it *is*, e.g. 2010 = _twenty ten / two-thousand (and) ten_, 2043 = _twenty forty-three / two-thousdand (and) forty-three_, etc.


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## MaxJ

In *Dutch:*
1992 = negentientweeennegentig or negentienhonderdtweennegentig (or but very unusual (een)duizend negenhonderdtweeennegentig )
2004 = tweeduizend vier


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## amikama

*Hebrew*:

1992 = אלף תשע מאות תשעים ושתיים
2004 = אלפיים וארבע


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## Outsider

*Portuguese*:

1992 = mil novecentos e noventa e dois
2004 = dois mil e quatro


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## sokol

In *Slovenian *standard language you pronounce them like you would pronounce ordinary numbers, thus:
1992 = tisoč devet sto dvaindvadeset = "a thousand - nine hundred - twoandninety"
2004 = dva tisoč (in)*) štiri "two thousand - (and) four"

*) I am not sure what would be more idiomatic - to use "in" or not to use it; as I didn't take any Slovenian courses in the 2000's I actually never used a 2000's year in Slovenian.

The formation of "tens" like 92 as "two-and-ninety" is specific to Slovenian (= like in German), I think most other Slavic languages would use "ninety-(and)-two" (= like in English and Romance languages).


Further, there's another possibility which has been loaned from (I guess) *Serbian *for Jani Kovačič's song (which is in Slovenian, but the name of that fly is taken from Serbian/Croatian - in Slovenian you don't read years like that): Let YU-985 = read (in Slovenian) devet osem pet = *nine-eight-five.*
*Edit: see that thread here - the wording for 914 = equals 1914 would be "devetsto četrnaest", and this actually is only used rarely nowadays, usually only historical (like 1914 = begin of World War I). And while this is true, the reference to that song is not - see over there.*

(In that song the number 985 didn't actually refer to a flight number but to the year 1985 - troubled times for Yougoslavia, with hyperinflation and economic crisis; "Let YU-985" was a metaphor from the artist referring, indirectly, to that crisis.)

This was an alternative (and rather exotic) way to read the year in old Yougoslavia, and it might be used still.
As I said, this is *not *Slovenian style, and I also think that it is not typical for Croatian - but that it is rather Serbian; we would need native speakers confirmation here.


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## TriglavNationalPark

sokol said:


> In *Slovenian *standard language you pronounce them like you would pronounce ordinary numbers, thus:
> 1992 = tisoč devet sto dvaindvadeset


 
Very close:

1992 = tisoč devetsto dvaindva*j*set

EDIT: Wrong year. Please see post #12.



sokol said:


> *) I am not sure what would be more idiomatic - to use "in" or not to use it; as I didn't take any Slovenian courses in the 2000's I actually never used a 2000's year in Slovenian.


 
I don't know if using "in" is actually incorrect in this context, but it's usually omitted.


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## jancho

In *Czech:*
1992 = devatenáct set devadesát dva
2004 = dva tisíce čtyři


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## TriglavNationalPark

Oops!

I corrected Sokol's spelling without noticing that the year was incorrect. The year 1992 is actually *tisoč devetsto dvaindevetdeset*; I suppose this is what Sokol intended to write in post #9. *Tisoč devetsto dvaindvajset *is 1922.

Sorry!


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## jancho

Welshie said:


> *German*:
> 
> 1992 = neun-zehn hundert zwei und neunzig
> 2004 = zwei tausend vier



Shouldn't it be together? Like:

zweitausendvier


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## akaAJ

Apparently no one has answered for French, which seems to follow the other Romance languages

1992 mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-douze*
2004 deux mille quatre

*I am told the only time the French use the English style, nineteen ninety-two is in reference to the beer Kronenbourg 1664 --- seize cent soixante-quatre.


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## Outsider

ArrogantJew said:


> Apparently no one has answered for French, which seems to follow the other Romance languages [...]


Except for the _quatre-vingt douze_ bit.  
The French version, literally translated, is:

(a) thousand nine hundred four-twenty-twelve


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## Volcano

*In Turkish

1992 = Bin Dokuz Yüz Doksan İki
2004 = İki Bin Dört

There is no difference whether it is date or number, in Turkish.*


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## sokol

jancho said:


> Welshie said:
> 
> 
> 
> *German*:
> 
> 1992 = neun-zehn hundert zwei und neunzig
> 2004 = zwei tausend vier
> 
> 
> 
> Shouldn't it be together? Like:
> 
> zweitausendvier
Click to expand...

You're right of course; in German, in correct spelling (that is, if I am not mistaken; with the recent spelling reforms I am not at all sure if, according to the newest rules, the whole number should be written as one word):

1992 = neunzehn(hundert)zweiundneunzig (= "nineteen (hundred) and ninety-two); _(short version)_ zweiundneunzig
2004 = zweitausend(und)vier (= "two thousand (and) four")

Please note: the parts in parentesis (meaning "hundert = a hundred" and "und = and") are omitted usually, but if you want to put emphasis on a year you might use them: so both versions are used.
The short form "zweiundneunzig" was very common in the 1900's but no similar short form has emerged from the 2000's (so far).

(PS - Triglav: it was me who is responsible for that confusion; I somehow "merged" numbers: I wanted to write "dvaindevetdeset" but somehow reduplicated "dva" and ended up writing "dvaindvadeset". )


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## Adam S.

In Kazakh:

1992 = мың тоғыз жүз тоқсан екі [mıng toghız jüz toqsan yeki]
2004 = екі мың төрт [yeki mıng tört]

In Russian:

1992 = тысяча девятьсот девяносто два [tısyaça devyatsot devyanosto dva]
2004 = две тысячи четыре [dve tısyaçi çetıre]


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## Flaminius

*Japanese*:
Years are read just the same as numbers.  So, years have to have the suffix 年 (_nen_) lest misunderstandings should occur.

1992年: sen kyūhyaku kyūjū ni nen
2004年: nisen yo nen


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## jana.bo99

Croatian:

1992: tisuću devetsto devetdeset dva

2004: dvije tisuće četiri


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## Wilma_Sweden

Swedish:
1992: nittonhundranittiotvå ('nineteen-hundred-ninety-two')
2004: tvåtusenfyra or tjugohundrafyra ('two-thousand-four/twenty-hundred-four') - both versions are used and equally correct, and I prefer the two-thousand version.

/Wilma


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## Fred_C

ArrogantJew said:


> Apparently no one has answered for French, which seems to follow the other Romance languages
> 
> 1992 mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-douze


For 1992, there are 6 ways :
Mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-douze
Mil neuf cent quatre-vingt-douze
dix-neuf cent quatre-vingt douze
Mille neuf cent nonante-deux
Mil neuf cent nonante-deux
dix-neuf cent nonante-deux.

For 2004 you can only write "deux mille quatre".



> *I am told the only time the French use the English style, nineteen ninety-two is in reference to the beer Kronenbourg 1664 --- seize cent soixante-quatre.


 
No. "seize cent soixante-quatre" does not use the English style.
It would if it was spelt "seize soixante-quatre" which is wrong.


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## Grop

Also, [dix-neuf cent quatre-vingt-douze] wouldn't be a reference to the beer.

(Now I think of it, the 1664 beer is sometimes called "seize soixante-quatre", which I wouldn't do about the year).

What's more, reading 92 as quatre-vingt-douze or nonante-deux would depend on speakers (mostly their place), not on how they fancy at the moment. I would consistently say quatre-vingt-douze.


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## sokol

Fred_C said:


> Mille neuf cent nonante-deux
> Mil neuf cent nonante-deux
> dix-neuf cent nonante-deux.


In school*) they told us that only Francophones from Belgium and Switzerland use "nonante", but never people from France - is this (still) true? (And what about Québec?)

*) That was (for me) in the 1980ies - so two decades ago. 

Edit: thanks, Grop, and sorry - I could have thought myself about using the search function. Here [is one] link (and yes, there are more):
 septante, huitante, nonante / soixante-dix,  quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix - http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=390071&highlight=nonantein Belgium and Switzerland / "octante" only used in Switzerland (and even there only rarely) and not at all in Belgium.


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## brian

Quebeckers do not. The Swiss (and I think Belgians) still do.


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## kusurija

jancho said:


> In *Czech:*
> 1992 = devatenáct set devadesát dva
> 2004 = dva tisíce čtyři


 
1992 = devatenáct set devadesát dva: this is shortened/simplified form, but used absolutely often. 

Very rare is non-simplified form: tisíc devětset devadesát dva. (answering to question "When?" - roku tisícího devítistého devadesátého druhého - usually in *very* official documents only)


In Lithuanian:
1992 m. = tūkstantis devyni šimtai devyniasdešimt antrieji metai [=year - in plural!]
2004 m. = dutūkstančiai ketvirtieji metai.


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## Scherle

In Tagalog:

1992 - Taong isang libo siyam na raan siyam na pu't dalawa
2004 - Taong dalawang libo at apat


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## Encolpius

Hm, so we can say that Czechs, English, Germans and Swedes use the "nineteen hundred...19-100" system only....

1992 - ezer|kilencszáz|kilencven|kettő 
2004 - kétezer|négy


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## ahmedcowon

In Arabic, there are classical and modern form:

Classical (less used):
1992 = الثاني والتسعون بعد التسعمائة والألف /_ath-thani wat-tes3oon ba3da at-tes3oma'ate wal-alfe_/ (the ninety second after the nine hundreds and the one thousand)
2004 = الرابع بعد الألفين /_ar-raabi3u ba3da al-alfayn_/ (the fourth after the two thousands)

Modern (common usage):
1992 = ألف وتسمعائة واثنان وتسعون /_alfun wa tes3oma'atun wa ithnan wa tes3oon_/ (one thousand and nine hundreds and two and ninety)
2004 = ألفان وأربعة /_alfaan wa arba3ah_/ (two thousands and four)


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

*1970*
Classical Greek: «χιλιοστόν καὶ ἐνακοσιοστόν καὶ ἑβδομηκοστόν (ἔτος)» 
xĭlĭŏ'stŏn kæ ĕnăkŏsĭŏ'stŏn kæ hĕbdŏmēkŏ'stŏn (ĕtŏs)
lit. "one-thousandth and nine-hundreth and seventieth (year is omitted)"
Modern Greek: «χίλια εννιακόσια εβδομήντα» ['çiʎa eɲa'kosi.a evðo'minda] (in the Peloponnesian regiolect: [eɲa'koʃa]) lit. "one-thousand, nine-hundred, seventy"
*2013*
Classical Greek: «δισχιλιοστόν καὶ τρεισκαίδεκα (ἔτος)» 
dĭsxĭlĭŏ'stŏn kæ treis'kædĕkă (ĕtŏs)
lit. "two-thousandth and three-and-ten (year is omitted)"
Modern Greek: «Δύο χιλιάδες δεκατρία» ['ði.o çi'ʎaðes ðeka'tri.a] lit. "two thousand, thirteen"


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## fdb

Except that the ancient Greeks did not count the years of any era, but dated according to Olympiads.


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## Hakro

Encolpius said:


> Hm, so we can say that Czechs, English, Germans and Swedes use the "nineteen hundred...19-100" system only...


Also Finns say sometimes "yhdeksäntoistasataa..." (nineteen hundred...) but today it's considered a bit archaic.


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## apmoy70

fdb said:


> Except that the ancient Greeks did not count the years of any era, but dated according to Olympiads.


Obviously, I just used the way Plato counts years in the Republic (when he counts the years of  just punishment, the soul of tyrant Ardiaeus  of Pamphylia received for his crimes): Plato's Republic 615C-616A


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## arielipi

Hebrew:
2004 alpayim ve'arba אלפיים וארבע
1992 elef t(ch)sha me'ot tish'im ve'shta'yim אף תשע מאות תשעים ושתיים


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## lamdathoa

Vietnamese:
1992: năm một ngàn chín trăm chín mươi hai.
2004: năm hai ngàn không trăm lẻ (linh) bốn. 

Year is put at the beginning. Linh (lẻ) is ok.


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## Gavril

In Welsh, there are at least two ways of reading out a year: as a regular number, or simply digit by digit (the latter system is used mainly by younger speakers).

Thus,

1992 = _mil naw cant naw deg dau_ ("1,992") or _un naw naw dau_ ("1-9-9-2")
2004 = _dwyfil a phedwar_ ("two thousand and four") or _dau dim dim pedwar_ ("two nought nought four")

(Note: the numbers 2-4 have separate masculine and feminine forms in Welsh. I have used the masculine forms _dau _("2") and _pedwar _("4") above, but I'm not absolutely sure they are correct because the word for "year" in Welsh is feminine. I will correct this post if I learn otherwise.)


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## Dymn

*Catalan*:
1992 - _mil nou-cents noranta-dos_
2004 - _dos mil quatre_


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