French Numbers¶
Basic Numbers¶
One of the basics that you need to know to speak French is their number system. This will be useful for getting directions with distance, house or hotel room numbers, as well as well asking for the price of souvenirs, food or tours.
The first ten numbers in French, as well as zero, are:
| English Spelling | French Spelling | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Zero | zéro | 0 |
| One | un | 1 |
| Two | deux | 2 |
| Three | trois | 3 |
| Four | quatre | 4 |
| Five | cinq | 5 |
| Six | six | 6 |
| Seven | sept | 7 |
| Eight | huit | 8 |
| Nine | neuf | 9 |
| Ten | dix | 10 |
Further numbers that you should know would be the numbers between 0 and 100. Many numbers become a sum of their parts. For example, twenty one is 20 and one.
Some strange numbers to be aware of for this pattern are 70, which is 60 and 10, 80, which is four 20’s, and 90, which is four 20’s and ten.
| English Spelling | French Spelling | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Eleven | onze | 11 |
| Twelve | douze | 12 |
| Thirteen | treize | 13 |
| Fourteen | quatorze | 14 |
| Fifteen | quinze | 15 |
| Sixteen | seize | 16 |
| Seventeen | dix-sept | 17 |
| Eighteen | dix-huit | 18 |
| Nineteen | dix-neuf | 19 |
| Twenty | vingt | 20 |
| Twenty One | vingt et un | 21 |
| Thirty | trente | 30 |
| Forty | quarante | 40 |
| Fifty | cinquante | 50 |
| Sixty | soixante | 60 |
| Seventy | soixante-dix | 70 |
| Eighty | quatre-vingts | 80 |
| Ninety | quatre-vingt-dix | 90 |
| One hundred | cent | 100 |
| One hundred and one | cent un | 101 |
| Two hundred | deux cents | 200 |
| One thousand | mille | 1000 |
Most numbers become combinations of previous numbers that make sense when you see them. For example, 21 is vingt et un (twenty and one) and 31 is trente et un (thirty and one).
There are some interesting phrasings in the French numbers, specifically 70, 80, and 90. 70 is soixante-dix, which translates to sixty-ten. 80 is quatre-vingts, which is four-twenties and 90 is quatre-vingt-dix, or four-twenties-ten.
However, the good new is that once you know these, the numbers above follow the standard number names - for example, 81 is quatre-vingts un (eighty one). For 70 and 90, instead of 10, use the -teen number that would be appropriate, ie. 92 is quatre-vingt-douze, or four-twenty twelve or eighty twelve.
For audio pronunciation of these numbers and more: Quizlet