Cents: comma or period? Understand the difference.

You know those rules that end up being left aside in everyday life because we believe they are not really important, like the use of the whys of the Portuguese language? Believe me, some of them can end up proving useful even in our daily lives. If you were to write or type the number “thousand” or the price of gas right now, for example, you would use comma or period to separate cents and units of thousands? This may not matter on your personal expense list for the month, but knowing when to use symbols shows your mastery of writing and can even be a tool in the job market.

Read also Symbols in Google Docs and Word, carrier code e old technologies.

International standard

There are many aspects in common between countries that are very far apart, but differences in language can end up becoming obstacles in communication. So that nothing is lost in translation, there are systems such as International Measurement System (SI), approved by the member countries of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), to unify some global aspects.

But you've probably already noticed that, while in Brazil we measure temperature in Celsius, in the US degrees are represented in Fahrenheit. In the same way that the country prefers to measure distances in miles, and not in kilometers, as we do. This happens because some cultural and historical aspects are preserved respecting the sovereignty of each country. Another case can be seen when writing large monetary values ​​and separating cents.

In the book Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne, for example, Brazilian editions bring phrases such as “its specific weight is of 1.170“, which in the US editions was translated as “its specific weight being 1,170“. In that case, is there right and wrong? What is the rule, exactly?

When to use a comma or period

O new orthographic agreement of the Portuguese language, decreed in 2008, does not present rules or prohibitions regarding the use of commas, or periods, in numerals. The International System of Measurements reinforces the importance of following a standard when producing written documents. That is, do not start using a comma to separate cents (or decimal places in general) and then change to the period. Keep the coherence text.

The important thing, then, is to analyze the context. If you are writing a text in Portuguese, for Brazilians, it is recommended to follow the local custom. If you are writing in English, for Americans, think about how they are used to seeing numbers in everyday life. The rule also applies for you to understand international texts. Generally, in English, you will find decimals separated by dots and units of thousands separated by commas, as in the image above, where the amount of shares was represented by numbers like 10,000 and rising or falling indices by numbers such as 0.332.

Conclusion

In Portuguese: separate thousands places with a dot and decimal places with a comma.

Example:
A. In 2021, the estimated population of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro was 6.775.561 people. GDP per capita in 2019 was R$52.833,25
B. Recent official estimates as of July 2015 indicate that New York City has a population of 19.795.791 population. This estimate represents an increase of 2,1% since 2010

In English: separate thousands places with a comma and decimal places with a period.

Example:
A. The official estimates from 2021 put Rio de Janeiro's population at 6,775,561. The GDP per capita was registered as R$52,833.25 in 2019
B. The recent official estimates from July 2015 put New York's population at 19,795,791🇧🇷 This estimate represents a 2.1% increase since 2010

As we mentioned, however, there is no rule that prevents you from writing a text in Portuguese separating decimals with a period. But keep coherence! Choose the most appropriate way according to your goal and don't change halfway. If you are reading or interpreting, pay attention to the origin of the text so as not to confuse the numbers. Germany, for example, follows the same custom as Brazil, while Sweden separates thousands with a space, not a comma or period. The important thing is that we understand each other in the end!

Sources: Ambra College, BEEP, Federal Government of Brazil, IBGE, World Population Review, Public domain, Project Gutenberg.

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