fünzig

Fünfzig is the cardinal number that denotes the value 50 in the German language. The standard modern spelling is fünfzig, with an umlaut over the u. A historically common variant without diacritics, funfzig, appears in older texts or in contexts where umlauts are not used.

Etymology and formation: The word is formed from the stem fünf (five) and the German suffix -zig, which marks multiples of ten. Thus fünfzig literally means five tens. This pattern is part of a broader system in German that includes zwanzig (20), dreißig (30), vierzig (40), and so on.

Spelling, pronunciation and forms: The preferred spelling in modern standard German is fünfzig. The ordinal form is fünfundfünfzig? No, the correct ordinal is fünfzigste (the fiftieth). In compound expressions, fünfzig Prozent means fifty percent, and fünfzig Euro denotes fifty euros. In Roman numerals, fifty is represented by L.

Usage and context: Fünfzig is used in everyday counting, ages, prices, measurements, dates, and statistics. It also serves as a benchmark in various phrases (e.g., reaching the fifty-mark) and appears in literature and media as a straightforward numerical value. The number is a common milestone in ages (e.g., a person turning fifty) and in anniversaries or celebrations.

See also: German numbers; list of German numerals; Roman numerals.