# EN: million / millions



## Yunchi

Bonjour,

J'aimerais savoir si million est invariable en anglais ? 

-> up 3,620 million(s?) euros between 2005 and 2006

merci


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## Monsieur Hoole

oui, c'est invariable.

attn. 3.62 million 

M.H.


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## geostan

In your example yes, but the word is not always invariable.

...could be counted in the millions
Millions of animals could be exterminated if...


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## Yunchi

oh so it's invariable only when we talk about numbers ?


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## pyan

Yunchi said:


> oh so it's invariable only when we talk about numbers ?


It's invariable when we talk about exact numbers.  "Only use million in the plural form to refer to a large number that is not exact." (Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary.)  Geostan gives some good examples of these.


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## RenegadeX

Oui.

Si il y a une quantité, gamme ou estime spécifique, n'ajoutez pas un <<s>>.
ex: "Last year, the company made a profit of $3.62 million".
ex: "Last year, profits were in the $3.5 million to $5 million range".
ex: "Last year, profits were estimated to be approximately $4 million".

Pour une généralisation (sans numéro), ajoutez un <<s>> au mot unité.
ex: "Last year, profits were expected to be in the million*s*".
ex: "Last year, the company made million*s* of dollars in profit".

C'est la même ici:
- "The planet Earth has approximately 6.6 billion human inhabitants".
- "Billion*s* of people live on the planet Earth".

- "There were 5,000 people in attendance".
- "There were thousand*s* of people in attendance".

- "There were 456 people at the party last night".
- "There were hundred*s* of people at the party last night".


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## Yunchi

ah meme pour hundred et thousand on met pas de s ?

-> I have two hundred euros / I have two thousand euros ?


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## patuliac

Yunchi said:


> ah meme pour hundred et thousand on met pas de s ?
> 
> -> I have two hundred euros / I have two thousand euros ?



yep, that's right.


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## pyan

Yunchi said:


> ah meme pour hundred et thousand on met pas de s ?
> 
> -> I have two hundred euros / I have two thousand euros ?


Exactly!  You would also say "I have thousands of Euros."


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## Fandeceline

Hello !

I have a little grammar question about the use of 'million'.

I know that the word 'million' does not take an 's' if used as an adjective. For exemple : "two million people".

But I have a doubt in this case : 'parmi eux (les handicapés), 2 millions sont aveugles".

Is this "Among them, 2 millions are blind" ?

Thanks in advance for your answer !


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## Kekepop

No, it still does not take an s.  The only way I can think of where it would is, for example : Millions of people are blind.


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## geostan

I believe that British English would use millions, while North American English would not.


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## JeanDeSponde

Geostan, my understanding was that _million_ has no "s" when preceded by a number (two million, etc.), be it in BE or AE — was I wrong?


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## AnnieF

I agree with JeanDeSponde; in BE we would say 'million' without the 's' in this phrase ...


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## geostan

I defer to AnnieF, but I was almost sure there was a situation re: million/s, where British and North American usage differed.


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## CapnPrep

geostan said:


> I defer to AnnieF, but I was almost sure there was a situation re: million/s, where British and North American usage differed.


I think the situation is that the use of plural _millions_ with a numerical quantifier (and no immediately following noun) was standard until the early 20th century, when it was overtaken by the unmarked form _million_. These n-gram plots show more or less the same evolution for British and American usage: _two million _vs._ two millions_ (American English, British English).

Here are some relevant examples from older American English (taken from COHA):

What has Hearst done thus far? He has created what was essential to his  work, a powerful machine for influencing public opinion. He has built  his newspapers up to a daily circulation of *two* *millions*.  And that circulation is increasing constantly. Every day Hearst is able  to talk with *two million* American families scattered everywhere in this  country. (_North American Review_, Sep 1906)
In this country it is agreed that the majority of voters shall rule. What fundamental principle gives to *two* *millions* the absolute right to rule over *two millions* less one? (_Century_, Aug 1894)
The original cost of the Cochituate Water Works, bringing water a  distance of about twenty miles for the supply of the city of Boston, was  about *four millions* of dollars. Of this sum, *two* *millions* were borrowed in London for the term of twenty years … (_Atlantic_, Dec 1876)


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