Multiplicative numbers in Spanish
Multiplicative numbers, also known as proportional numerals, or multipliers, are numerals that express the idea of multiplication, or how many times something is repeated (as in double bed, triple bypass, think twice, etc.).
Here’s the basic list of Spanish multiplicative numbers. Each of them can function either as a noun, or as an adjective:
| English | Spanish | |
|---|---|---|
| x2 | double | doble |
| x3 | triple | triple |
| x4 | quadruple | cuádruple |
| x5 | quintuple | quíntuple |
| x6 | sextuple | séxtuple |
| x7 | septuple | séptuple |
| x8 | octuple | óctuple |
| x9 | nonuple | nónuplo |
| x10 | decuple | décuplo |
| x11 | undecuple | undécuplo |
| x12 | duodecuple | duodécuplo |
| x13 | tredecuple | terciodécuplo |
| x100 | centuple | céntuplo |
As in English, only the lowest multipliers are really frequent. For the largest numbers, people normally use expressions such as siete veces más (seven times more), ocho veces mayor (eight times bigger), etc.
For the first seven multipliers (2-8), there are also (very seldom used) variants ending in -plo (duplo, triplo, cuádruplo, etc). Even rarest are the forms dúplice and tríplice (equivalents of doble and triple, respectively).
When they qualify a noun, multipliers must agree in gender and number with it. In the following table, you can see every possibility acknowledged by the Real Academia Española:
| x2 | doble / dupl / dúplice |
| x3 | triple / tripl / tríplice |
| x4 | cuádruple / cuádrupl |
| x5 | quíntuple / quíntupl |
| x6 | séxtuple / séxtupl |
| x7 | séptuple / séptupl |
| x8 | óctuple / óctupl |
| x9 | nónupl |
| x10 | décupl |
| x11 | undécupl |
| x12 | duodécupl |
| x13 | terciodécupl |
| x100 | céntupl |
Verbs and adverbs
Using multipliers you can also form the corresponding verbs (to double, to triple…) and adverbs (doubly, triply, twice, twice as…).
To form verbs, simply change the suffix -plo in the previous table to -plicar:
| x2 | to double | duplicar |
| x3 | to triple | triplicar |
| x4 | to quadruple | cuadruplicar |
To form adverbs, use the adverbial ending -mente:
| x2 | doubly | doblemente |
| x3 | triply | triplemente |
| x4 | quadruply | cuádruplemente |
As for the adverbs once, twice, thrice, in Spanish one simply use the corresponding cardinal numeral, along with the feminine noun vez:
| x1 | once | una vez |
| x2 | twice | dos veces |
| x3 | thrice | tres veces |
| x4 | four times | cuatro veces |
Sentences with multipliers
Nuestra habitación tiene dos camas dobles.
Ella batió el récord mundial de triple salto.
Esa casa costaba el doble o el triple hace dos años.
Desarrollaron un cepillo de dientes que podría durar el doble que uno normal.
El año pasado mi empresa duplicó sus beneficios, y este año su tamaño se ha triplicado.
Es doblemente difícil ser indigente e inmigrante en Nueva York.
Tu casa es el doble de grande que la mía.
¡No te lo pienses dos veces y hazlo!
