forty
gb/fˈɔɹti/ us/fˈɔɹti/
A1
Inglese
~ 7800
Accezioni
0 accezioni
adjective
A1
property
1
the cardinal number 40
The number 40, written in words.
Schema d'uso:
forty [countable plural noun]
Errore comune:
Learners often misspell "forty" as "fourty" and sometimes confuse it with "fourteen" in listening. Also, they may mix up "forty" (40) with "fortieth" (40th, the ordinal form).
Sinonimi
40 (The digit form; used in writing numbers, especially in technical or informal contexts.)
Contrari
thirty (A smaller nearby number often contrasted with forty in everyday talk.)
Collocazioni
forty years
|forty minutes
|forty people
|forty dollars
|forty percent
Temi
numbers
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
|quantity
Esempi
- She invited about forty people to the party.
- The drive takes around forty minutes without traffic.
- He lost forty dollars at the casino last night.
- The company has over forty employees now.
- Only forty percent of the students passed the exam.
Esempi per chi studia
- There are forty students in my class.
- My father is forty years old.
- We waited for forty minutes.
- She bought forty eggs for the big dinner.
- The bus is late by forty minutes.
Sostantivo
A2
quantity
2
the number 40 itself
The number 40 when you talk about it as a thing, like in math or counting.
Schema d'uso:
the number forty
Errore comune:
Learners may confuse the noun "forty" with the adjective use. When it is the subject (e.g., "Forty is an even number"), it is functioning as a noun.
Sinonimi
the number 40 (Explicit phrase often used in teaching or explanations.)
Contrari
the number 0 (Represents no quantity, the opposite end of a scale from forty.)
Collocazioni
the number forty
|Forty is
|divided by forty
|page forty
Temi
numbers
|education
|core_vocabulary
|quantity
Esempi
- Forty is an even number.
- If you add ten to thirty, you get forty.
- The answer should be exactly forty, not forty-one.
- Forty is four times ten.
- Please turn to page forty in your books.
Esempi per chi studia
- Forty is an even number.
- Ten times four is forty.
- Thirty plus ten is forty.
- Forty comes after thirty‑nine.
- The teacher wrote "forty" on the board.
Sostantivo
B1
state
3
ages between 40 and 49
The years of life from 40 to 49 years old.
Schema d'uso:
in [someone]'s forties
Errore comune:
Learners sometimes say "in his forty" instead of the correct "in his forties." Also, they may confuse "in his forties" (age) with "in the forties" (years in a century).
Sinonimi
middle age (Covers a wider range of ages, not only forty to forty‑nine.)
Contrari
twenties (Refers to being much younger, from 20 to 29.)
Collocazioni
in your forties
|early forties
|late forties
|mid-forties
Temi
age
|daily life
|time
|daily_life
Esempi
- She started learning Spanish in her early forties.
- By the time he was in his forties, he had changed careers twice.
- Many people feel more confident in their forties than in their twenties.
- He looks like he’s in his mid‑forties.
- In your forties, health checks become more important.
Esempi per chi studia
- My dad is in his forties.
- She looks like she is in her early forties.
- He lost a lot of weight in his forties.
- Many people get new hobbies in their forties.
- People often think about health more in their forties.
Sostantivo
B2
quantity
4
the decade 40–49 in a century
The years from 40 to 49 in a century, especially the years 1940–1949.
Schema d'uso:
in the forties
Errore comune:
Learners sometimes confuse "in the forties" (time period in a century) with "in his forties" (a person’s age). The article "the" is important for the decade meaning.
Sinonimi
the 1940s (More specific and explicit, especially in historical writing.)
Contrari
the 1950s (The following decade, often contrasted with the forties in history or culture.)
Collocazioni
the forties
|early forties
|late forties
|during the forties
Temi
history
|time
Esempi
- My grandparents got married in the forties.
- The city was heavily bombed during the early forties.
- Fashion in the forties was affected by the war.
- In the late forties, the economy began to recover.
- Many classic films were made in the forties.
Esempi per chi studia
- He was born in the forties.
- Life was hard in the forties.
- There was a big war in the early forties.
- Many changes came in the late forties.
- Music in the forties sounded very different from today.
Sostantivo
slang
C1
entity
5
40‑ounce bottle of alcohol
(Informal US) A large bottle with 40 ounces of beer or malt liquor.
Schema d'uso:
a forty of [beer/malt liquor]
Errore comune:
Learners may not realize that "a forty" here is slang and refers to a bottle size, not just the number 40. It is mainly used in North American informal speech.
Sinonimi
forty‑ounce (More explicit about the size; can be used as a noun or adjective.)
Contrari
small bottle (A general opposite in size; refers to a typical single beer bottle, not a 40‑ounce one.)
Collocazioni
drink a forty
|buy a forty
|open a forty
|a forty of malt liquor
Temi
drinks
|slang
|food_drink
|daily_life
Esempi
- He picked up a forty on the way to the party.
- They were sitting on the steps, passing around a forty.
- The store doesn’t sell forties after midnight.
- He showed up with two forties and a bag of chips.
- You can’t drink a forty in the park; it’s against the rules.
Esempi per chi studia
- He bought a forty from the corner shop.
- They shared a forty outside the store.
- You cannot drink a forty on the street here.
- He finished a whole forty by himself.
- She put the forty in the fridge to get cold.
Grammatica
Forma base
forty
IPA
GB/fˈɔɹti/
US/fˈɔɹti/
Sillabe e accento
forty (1 sillaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (forty)
Forme flesse
Adjective
- Base: forty
- Comparative: fortier
- Superlative: fortiest
Noun
- Base: forty
- Plural: forties
Famiglia di parole
Espressioni
forty-something
1/fˈɔɹti sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
person aged between 40 and 49
A man or woman who is between 40 and 49 years old.
Esempi
- The company is looking for a forty-something with management experience.
- She’s a stylish forty-something who runs her own business.
life begins at forty
1/lˈaɪf bɪɡˈɪnz ˈæt fˈɔɹti/
fixed phrase
idea that life improves at forty
People say this to mean that life can become happier, more free, or more interesting when you are around forty years old.
Esempi
- She got divorced, changed careers, and started traveling—life begins at forty, as they say.
- He likes to joke that life begins at forty because that’s when he finally found a job he loves.
forty winks
1/fˈɔɹti wˈɪŋks/
idiom
informal
a short, light sleep
A short sleep, usually taken during the day or when you are a little tired, not for the whole night.
Esempi
- I’m exhausted; I just need forty winks before we go out.
- I’m going to grab forty winks before the party starts.
- He grabbed forty winks on the sofa during his lunch break.
- He lay down on the sofa for forty winks after lunch.
- Let me have forty winks, then I’ll finish the report.
- You look exhausted—try to get forty winks while the baby is sleeping.