• PlutoniumAcid@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Dane here. We don’t use half-third to say 2½ except for the time of day, like half-twelve is 11:30.

    The way we count is indeed that way though: halvfems is short for halvfemsindstyve, literally half-five-times-twenty, meaning ½5×20 = 4.5×20 = 90.

    We don’t use “fems” tough. That would mean femsindstyve which is 5*20 and we say a hundred of course.

    So we have this:

    • 10 = ti = ten
    • 20 = tyve = twenty.
    • 30 = tredive = thirty.
    • 40 = fyrre = forty.
    • 50 = halvtreds = short for half-three-times-twenty.
    • 60 = treds = short for three times twenty.
    • 70 = halvfjerds = short for half four times twenty.
    • 80 = firs = short for four times twenty.
    • 90 = halvfems = short for half five times twenty.
    • 97 syvoghalvfems = seven and half five times twenty.
    • 100 = et hundrede = One hundred.
    • nicolairathjen@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      There is a relic from this system still in use: halvanden (1 and a half). Though I doubt many people know the origin of the word.