# What do you call sums smaller than a Euro? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 25, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-sums-smaller-than-a-euro/318632 "2005-08-25T22:00:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-sums-smaller-than-a-euro/318632/21 "2005-08-26T13:58:11Z")
**yojimbo** …have you seen those annoying ring-tone ads that promise you “the latest ring-tones direct to your phone for only 5 Yoyos a week!” Or some such rubbish. Yoyo is gaining popularity because finding the Euro symbol on a keyboard or mobile phone apparently takes too long. ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-sums-smaller-than-a-euro/318632/22 "2005-08-26T14:09:36Z")
> [@seosamh](#): > > I believe the French were warned by the European Central Bank **NOT** to call them centimes but since when have the French people ever done what they are told? Centime is therefore entirely unofficial. ‘They’ got that decision overturned on appeal due to the problems using the word ‘cent’ to mean 100 in French (no cite as saw it on the telly) 🙂 I only use the term ‘euro’ in France but when I get back home to Ireland, I’ll often say ‘quid’ meaning euro though I don’t know if it’s an accepted thing or not. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-sums-smaller-than-a-euro/318632/23 "2005-08-26T16:22:31Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > Eurine? 😛 Gives new meaning to the phrase “pissing away your money”. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-sums-smaller-than-a-euro/318632/24 "2005-08-26T16:39:05Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > Yoyo is gaining popularity because finding the Euro symbol on a keyboard or mobile phone apparently takes too long. Curious … is it called “yoyo” because of the shape of the Euro symbol? Or no? ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-sums-smaller-than-a-euro/318632/25 "2005-08-26T18:17:12Z")
As you know, it’s the cent - and in Germany…it’s the cent. Der Cent, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-sums-smaller-than-a-euro/318632/26 "2005-08-26T20:57:01Z")
Don’t the Germans pronounce it “oi-ro,” as in “oil”? I don’t recall them ever actually saying cent. They’ll just say “zwei euro, vier und funfzig, bitte.” When I was staying there last year, I never knew it was called “cent.” I thought us Americans were just calling it that. ---
**Author:** ![Pixisis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Pixisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixisis)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-sums-smaller-than-a-euro/318632/27 "2005-08-26T21:36:08Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Don’t the Germans pronounce it “oi-ro,” as in “oil”? > > I don’t recall them ever actually saying cent. They’ll just say “zwei euro, vier und funfzig, bitte.” When I was staying there last year, I never knew it was called “cent.” I thought us Americans were just calling it that. yes, it’s pronounced oi-ro (I was told as in spoil, same diff). I am in Germany now, and some people add cent, and others don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-sums-smaller-than-a-euro/318632/28 "2005-08-27T10:03:15Z")
Since we’ve slipped into pronunciation - in French you drop the ‘y’ sound English speakers naturally add at the start of the word. Italian pronunciation is an exercise for your face muscles they clearly separate the first two vowel sounds - “ay-oo-ro”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-sums-smaller-than-a-euro/318632/29 "2005-08-27T14:36:57Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Don’t the Germans pronounce it “oi-ro,” as in “oil”? > > I don’t recall them ever actually saying cent. They’ll just say “zwei euro, vier und funfzig, bitte.” When I was staying there last year, I never knew it was called “cent.” I thought us Americans were just calling it that. Make sense. How often do you, in English, say “one dollar, 27 cents.” Normally, it’s “a dollar twenty-seven.” Most (if not all) European languages have this shortcut too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-sums-smaller-than-a-euro/318632.md?page=1)