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Approximate quantities with 数词 + 多 + 量词
Use 数词 + 多 + 量词 to give an approximate quantity that is above the stated number. Learn where 多 goes, how the following noun works, and how to choose this pattern instead of 数词 + 量词 + 多.
今天来了十多个人。
Correct example. 多 follows 十 and precedes the measure word 个, giving an approximate count above ten.
× 今天来了十个人多。
For the intended count of a little over ten people, put 多 after 十 and before 个: 今天来了十多个人. The incorrect sentence leaves 多 after the whole noun phrase 十个人.
Corrected example: 今天来了十多个人。
Read the full explanation and examples
Meaning and formation
In the ordinary pattern 数词 + 多 + 量词, use a rounded numeral such as 十, 二十, 三百 or 一千. 多 places the estimate above that amount without naming the exact quantity. For a count of whole people, 十多个人 normally means eleven to nineteen people, not twenty-five or an unrestricted number above ten. Approximation does not remove the ordinary scale of the expression.
Put 多 immediately after the numeral and before the measure word: 十多个人, not 十个人多 for this meaning. Add the noun after the measure word when it is useful or needed to identify what is being counted. In some contexts, the noun is understood and can be left out. Choose a measure word that fits the thing or unit you are describing, such as 个 for people, 本 for books, and 块钱 for an amount of money.
Everyday quantities
Use this pattern when an exact figure is unknown, unnecessary, or deliberately left approximate. It works for counts and measured amounts in everyday contexts: people arriving, books in a shop, a price, a distance, or time spent waiting. The unit after 多 shows what is being estimated. The examples below use different units so you can practise keeping the measure word connected to the kind of quantity.
今天来了十多个人。
Correct example. 多 follows 十 and precedes the measure word 个, giving an approximate count above ten.
书店里有二十多本中文书。
Correct example. 本 is the measure word for books; the exact number is not specified.
这件衣服三百多块钱。
Correct example. 块钱 gives the unit for the approximate price.
从这里到车站有一千多米。
Correct example. The unit 米 follows 多, and the distance is approximate.
我们等了二十多分钟。
Correct example. 分钟 is the time unit; the duration is above twenty minutes, not an exact figure.
Compare the position of 多
Compare 三十多块钱 with 三块多钱. The first places 多 before 块 and means thirty-something yuan; the second places it after 块 and means three yuan plus a smaller fraction of a yuan. Thus word position changes the amount being approximated, rather than merely changing style. The next outline point teaches the unit-before-多 pattern.
- First decide what number or amount you want to estimate.
- Choose a suitable rounded numeral ending in zero for this basic form, and the unit required by the quantity. Do not mechanically form 三多个学生 for “a few more than three students.”
- Place 多 between them: 数词 + 多 + 量词.
- Add the noun when it clarifies the thing being counted; omit it only when the context makes it clear.
A common word-order error
In 今天来了十个人多, 多 has been placed after the whole phrase 十个人, including the noun 人. For the intended teen-sized count, say 今天来了十多个人. This does not mean that the different pattern 数词 + 量词 + 多 is always wrong; it has its own quantity restrictions.
× 今天来了十个人多。
For the intended count of a little over ten people, put 多 after 十 and before 个: 今天来了十多个人. The incorrect sentence leaves 多 after the whole noun phrase 十个人.
Corrected example: 今天来了十多个人。
Frequently asked questions
Can I leave out the noun after the measure word?
Yes, when the context makes clear what is being counted or measured. Include the noun when it helps identify the quantity.
Does 十多 always mean a number below twenty?
For an ordinary count of whole people, 十多个人 normally indicates eleven to nineteen. It is approximate because the exact number is unstated, not because it can mean any number above ten. Use 二十多个人 for a twenty-something count.
How can I remember where 多 goes in this lesson?
For this target pattern, place 多 after the numeral and before the measure word: 数词 + 多 + 量词.
