1. Topic Introduction
Numbers are essential in French because they are used every day in:
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- dates
- prices
- phone numbers
- addresses
- time
- counting
- quantities
French numbers must be learned carefully because some parts are very regular, while others follow special patterns.
Compare:
| French | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| trois livres | three books | trwah leevr |
| vingt étudiants | twenty students | van ay-tu-dyan |
French numbers are especially important because after 60, the system changes and becomes less direct than English.
2. Numbers 0–10
These first numbers must be memorised completely because they are the foundation of all larger numbers.
| Number | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | zéro | zay-ro |
| 1 | un | uh(n) |
| 2 | deux | duh |
| 3 | trois | trwah |
| 4 | quatre | katr |
| 5 | cinq | sank |
| 6 | six | sees |
| 7 | sept | set |
| 8 | huit | weet |
| 9 | neuf | nuhf |
| 10 | dix | dees |
Example Sentences
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| J’ai deux livres. | I have two books |
| Elle a cinq stylos. | She has five pens |
3. Numbers 11–16
These numbers are special forms and must be memorised directly.
| Number | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | onze | onz |
| 12 | douze | dooz |
| 13 | treize | trez |
| 14 | quatorze | ka-torz |
| 15 | quinze | kanz |
| 16 | seize | sez |
Example Sentences
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Il a douze ans. | He is twelve years old |
| Nous avons quinze minutes. | We have fifteen minutes |
4. Numbers 17–19
These begin combining dix + unit.
| Number | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | dix-sept | dees-set |
| 18 | dix-huit | deez-weet |
| 19 | dix-neuf | deez-nuhf |
Structure
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| dix + unit | ten + unit |
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| J’ai dix-sept euros. | I have seventeen euros |
| Elle a dix-neuf livres. | She has nineteen books |
5. Numbers 20–29
The base number is vingt.
| Number | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | vingt | van |
| 21 | vingt et un | van ay uh(n) |
| 22 | vingt-deux | van-duh |
| 23 | vingt-trois | van-trwah |
| 24 | vingt-quatre | van-katr |
| 25 | vingt-cinq | van-sank |
| 26 | vingt-six | van-sees |
| 27 | vingt-sept | van-set |
| 28 | vingt-huit | van-weet |
| 29 | vingt-neuf | van-nuhf |
Important Rule: et un
Only numbers ending in 1 use et un at 21, 31, 41, 51, 61.
| Number | Form |
|---|---|
| 21 | vingt et un |
Not:
vingt-un in standard formal counting.
6. Numbers 30–69
These follow a regular pattern.
Main Tens
| Number | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | trente | trahnt |
| 40 | quarante | ka-rahnt |
| 50 | cinquante | sank-ahnt |
| 60 | soixante | swa-sahnt |
Example Pattern
| Number | French |
|---|---|
| 31 | trente et un |
| 32 | trente-deux |
| 41 | quarante et un |
| 52 | cinquante-deux |
| 68 | soixante-huit |
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Il a trente ans. | He is thirty years old |
| Nous avons quarante livres. | We have forty books |
| Elle a cinquante euros. | She has fifty euros |
7. Numbers 70–79
French changes system after 69.
70 is built as:
60 + 10
Structure
| Number | French | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | soixante-dix | sixty-ten |
| 71 | soixante et onze | sixty and eleven |
| 72 | soixante-douze | sixty-twelve |
Full Table
| Number | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | soixante-dix | swa-sahnt-dees |
| 71 | soixante et onze | swa-sahnt ay onz |
| 72 | soixante-douze | swa-sahnt-dooz |
| 73 | soixante-treize | swa-sahnt-trez |
| 74 | soixante-quatorze | swa-sahnt-ka-torz |
| 75 | soixante-quinze | swa-sahnt-kanz |
| 76 | soixante-seize | swa-sahnt-sez |
| 77 | soixante-dix-sept | swa-sahnt-dees-set |
| 78 | soixante-dix-huit | swa-sahnt-deez-weet |
| 79 | soixante-dix-neuf | swa-sahnt-deez-nuhf |
Important:
71 uses et onze.
8. Numbers 80–89
80 is built as:
4 × 20
Structure
| Number | French | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | quatre-vingts | four twenties |
Important Rule
At exactly 80, vingts takes s.
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| quatre-vingts | exactly 80 |
But after another number follows, s disappears.
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| quatre-vingt-un | 81 |
Full Table
| Number | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | quatre-vingts | katr-van |
| 81 | quatre-vingt-un | katr-van-uh(n) |
| 82 | quatre-vingt-deux | katr-van-duh |
| 83 | quatre-vingt-trois | katr-van-trwah |
| 84 | quatre-vingt-quatre | katr-van-katr |
| 85 | quatre-vingt-cinq | katr-van-sank |
| 86 | quatre-vingt-six | katr-van-sees |
| 87 | quatre-vingt-sept | katr-van-set |
| 88 | quatre-vingt-huit | katr-van-weet |
| 89 | quatre-vingt-neuf | katr-van-nuhf |
9. Numbers 90–99
French builds these as:
80 + 10
Structure
| Number | French | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix | four-twenty-ten |
Full Table
| Number | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix | katr-van-dees |
| 91 | quatre-vingt-onze | katr-van-onz |
| 92 | quatre-vingt-douze | katr-van-dooz |
| 93 | quatre-vingt-treize | katr-van-trez |
| 94 | quatre-vingt-quatorze | katr-van-ka-torz |
| 95 | quatre-vingt-quinze | katr-van-kanz |
| 96 | quatre-vingt-seize | katr-van-sez |
| 97 | quatre-vingt-dix-sept | katr-van-dees-set |
| 98 | quatre-vingt-dix-huit | katr-van-deez-weet |
| 99 | quatre-vingt-dix-neuf | katr-van-deez-nuhf |
10. Number 100
| Number | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | cent | sahn |
Example
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cent euros | One hundred euros |
Important:
When larger numbers come later, pronunciation remains stable.
11. Numbers Used in Age
French age uses avoir.
Structure
| Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| avoir + number + ans | to be … years old |
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| J’ai vingt ans. | I am twenty years old |
| Elle a trente-cinq ans. | She is thirty-five years old |
12. Numbers Used with Nouns
When counting nouns:
| Number + noun | Example |
|---|---|
| trois livres | three books |
| quatre tables | four tables |
Plural noun usually follows.
13. Frequent Errors to Avoid
| Incorrect | Correct | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| vingt-un | vingt et un | 21 rule |
| quatre-vingts-un | quatre-vingt-un | no s after 80 when followed |
| soixante-onze | soixante et onze | 71 special form |
14. Vocabulary
| French Word | Gender | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| le livre | masculine | book | luh leevr |
| la table | feminine | table | lah tabl |
| l’euro | masculine | euro | lœ-ro |
| l’année | feminine | year | lah-nay |
| le stylo | masculine | pen | luh stee-lo |
| la minute | feminine | minute | lah mee-nut |
| le sac | masculine | bag | luh sak |
| la voiture | feminine | car | lah vwa-tyur |
15. Mini Paragraph
J’ai vingt-trois livres dans ma chambre. Mon frère a trente ans. Nous avons soixante-douze euros aujourd’hui. Cette école a quatre-vingt-dix élèves.
Meaning:
I have twenty-three books in my room. My brother is thirty years old. We have seventy-two euros today. This school has ninety students.
16. Memory Practice
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| J’ai onze livres. | I have eleven books |
| Elle a vingt et un ans. | She is twenty-one years old |
| Nous avons trente-cinq euros. | We have thirty-five euros |
| Il a soixante-dix ans. | He is seventy years old |
| Cette classe a quatre-vingt élèves. | This class has eighty students |
| Ils ont quatre-vingt-dix-neuf livres. | They have ninety-nine books |
Summary Notes
| Concept | Key Rule |
|---|---|
| 0–16 | basic forms must be memorised |
| 17–19 | built with dix + unit |
| 21, 31, 41, etc. | use et un |
| 70s | built from 60 + teen numbers |
| 80 | quatre-vingts with s only at exact 80 |
| 81–99 | quatre-vingt without s |
| 90s | built from 80 + teen numbers |
| age | use avoir + number + ans |
| noun counting | plural noun usually follows |
| key learning point | French numbers after 60 follow special construction |
The most important lesson today is this: French numbers are regular until 69, then special construction begins and must be learned carefully through repetition.