0 to 20
These are the building blocks. From 17, French builds by adding: dix-sept is literally “ten-seven”. Press any number to hear it.
21 to 69: tens plus units
Say the ten, then the unit, joined by a hyphen: vingt-deux (22), trente-cinq (35). The one exception is 1: each ten adds et un, “and one”, without a hyphen: vingt et un (21), quarante et un (41).
| Ten | Word | … and one | … and two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | vingt et un (21) | vingt-deux (22) | |
| 30 | trente et un (31) | trente-deux (32) | |
| 40 | quarante et un (41) | quarante-deux (42) | |
| 50 | cinquante et un (51) | cinquante-deux (52) | |
| 60 | soixante et un (61) | soixante-deux (62) |
70 to 99: counting in twenties
Above 69, France counts on from sixty and then from eighty, so the units run from 10 to 19. Choose a number to see how it is built.
100 and above
Cent (100) and mille (1,000) never take un in front: “hundred”, not “one hundred”. Large numbers are grouped in threes with a space, and the decimal point is a comma.
Numbers that change sound
Several numbers end in a consonant that behaves like other silent letters: said alone, dropped before a consonant, linked before a vowel. This matters most for prices and times.
| Number | Alone | Before a consonant | Before a vowel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 · cinq | |||
| 6 · six | |||
| 8 · huit | |||
| 10 · dix | |||
| 2 · deux |
Prices, phone numbers, ages and dates
Four places you will hear numbers every day. Every word has its English meaning underneath.
First, second, third: ordinal numbers
An ordinal number gives a position in a row: first, second, tenth. French adds -ième to the number, dropping a final e first: quatre → quatrième. Only “first” is different: premier, or première with a feminine noun. Ordinals are written 1er, 2e, 3e. Floors, arrondissements of Paris and centuries use them; dates do not, except the first of the month.