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French Numbers
French numbers from 1 to 69 are mostly regular after you memorize 0 to 16. From 70 onward, French starts doing visible math: 70 is 60 + 10, 80 is 4 × 20, and 90 is 4 × 20 + 10.
That system feels strange once, then becomes logical. Learn the small memorized base, the joining rules, and the few pronunciation traps, and numbers stop being a list of one hundred separate words.
In short
- Memorize 0-16; build 17-69 with tens + units:
dix-sept,vingt-trois,soixante-neuf. - 70-99 uses math: soixante-dix = 60+10, quatre-vingts = 4×20, quatre-vingt-dix = 4×20+10.
- Use et in 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 (
vingt et un) and in 71 (soixante et onze) — but never in 81 (quatre-vingt-un) or 91 (quatre-vingt-onze).
regular number70/80/90 systemspelling or pronunciation· hover a highlighted word for its label
0 to 16: memorize the base
The first block is pure memory. These are the pieces that later numbers reuse, especially 70-79 and 90-99.
| Number | French |
|---|---|
| 0 | zéro |
| 1 | un / une |
| 2 | deux |
| 3 | trois |
| 4 | quatre |
| 5 | cinq |
| 6 | six |
| 7 | sept |
| 8 | huit |
| 9 | neuf |
| 10 | dix |
| 11 | onze |
| 12 | douze |
| 13 | treize |
| 14 | quatorze |
| 15 | quinze |
| 16 | seize |
There are twelve chairs in the room.
— Douze belongs to the memorized base.
She has sixteen messages.
— Seize is the last fully memorized teen before composition starts.
17 to 69: compose the number
From 17 on, French mostly combines pieces: dix-sept (10+7), vingt-quatre (20+4), trente-neuf (30+9). The tens you need are vingt 20, trente 30, quarante 40, cinquante 50, and soixante 60.
For 21, 31, 41, 51, and 61, French inserts et before un: vingt et un, trente et un, quarante et un, cinquante et un, soixante et un. Modern spelling often hyphenates all compound numerals, so you will also see vingt-et-un; this page sticks to the traditional spelling.
| Range | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 17-19 | dix + unit | dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf |
| 20s | vingt + unit | vingt, vingt et un, vingt-deux, vingt-neuf |
| 30s | trente + unit | trente, trente et un, trente-six |
| 40s | quarante + unit | quarante, quarante et un, quarante-cinq |
| 50s | cinquante + unit | cinquante, cinquante et un, cinquante-huit |
| 60s | soixante + unit | soixante, soixante et un, soixante-neuf |
I live at number twenty-one.
— Vingt et un uses et before un.
There are sixty-two students in the group.
— Soixante-deux is regular tens + unit.
70, 80, 90: the famous math
Standard French in France builds 70-99 with earlier numbers. Seventy is soixante-dix (60+10), 71 is soixante et onze (60+11), and 79 is soixante-dix-neuf (60+19). Eighty is quatre-vingts (4×20), and 90 is quatre-vingt-dix (4×20+10). The key et exceptions are 81 and 91: quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-onze.
The spelling detail: quatre-vingts takes an s when no smaller number follows, but loses it when another number follows: quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-deux.
| Number | French | Logic |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | soixante-dix | 60 + 10 |
| 71 | soixante et onze | 60 + 11 |
| 72-79 | soixante-douze ... soixante-dix-neuf | 60 + 12 to 19 |
| 80 | quatre-vingts | 4 x 20 |
| 81 | quatre-vingt-un | no et, no s |
| 82-89 | quatre-vingt-deux ... quatre-vingt-neuf | 80 + 2 to 9 |
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix | 80 + 10 |
| 91 | quatre-vingt-onze | no et |
| 92-99 | quatre-vingt-douze ... quatre-vingt-dix-neuf | 80 + 12 to 19 |
There are seventy-two participants.
— Soixante-douze means 60+12.
The ticket costs eighty euros.
— Quatre-vingts takes s when it stops at 80.
The plan costs ninety-nine euros.
— Quatre-vingt-dix-neuf packs the full 90s math into one word: 4×20 + 10 + 9.
100, 1000, and the s on cent
Cent means 100, and mille means 1000. Cent takes an s when it is multiplied and nothing follows: deux cents, trois cents. It loses that s when another number follows: deux cent un, trois cent vingt.
Mille is invariable in ordinary counting: deux mille, trois mille cinq cents. Unlike English, there is no un before either word: cent personnes, mille euros — never "un cent". This page focuses on 1-100, but these rules help you read prices, years, and addresses.
The room holds one hundred people.
— Cent is 100.
There are two hundred seats.
— Deux cents takes s because nothing follows.
Pronunciation traps: six, dix, huit
The final consonants in six, dix, and huit change depending on what comes next. Alone, you usually pronounce the final sound. Before a noun starting with a consonant, the final sound often disappears: six personnes, huit jours. Before a vowel, liaison appears: six amis, dix euros, huit heures.
Six friends are coming.
— Six amis links the x like a z sound before a vowel.
Ten people are waiting.
— Before a consonant, the final x of dix is usually not pronounced.
Ordinals: first, second, third
Most ordinal numbers add -ième: deuxième, troisième, quatrième, cinquième. The main exception is first: premier for masculine, première for feminine. Ordinals are essential for floors, ranks, and centuries. Dates work differently: French uses plain numbers (le deux mai) except for the first of the month (le premier mai) — see the dates and days guide.
She lives on the third floor.
— Troisième is the ordinal form of trois.
Common mistakes
✗Il y a soixante-dix-un participants.
✓Il y a soixante et onze participants.
71 keeps the et pattern with onze: soixante et onze, not soixante-dix-un.
✗Le billet coûte quatre-vingt euros.
✓Le billet coûte quatre-vingts euros.
Quatre-vingts takes s when it stands alone at 80.
✗J’habite au numéro vingt-un.
✓J’habite au numéro vingt et un.
Numbers ending in 1 take et from 21 through 71 (vingt et un … soixante et onze), but not in 81 or 91.
✗Il y a deux cents trois places.
✓Il y a deux cent trois places.
Cent loses its s when another number follows.
Check yourself
1 / 572 is ___.
2 / 580 by itself is spelled ___.
3 / 591 is ___.
4 / 5201 is spelled ___.
5 / 5The ordinal for "third" is ___.
Frequently asked questions
Why is 70 soixante-dix in French?
In standard French in France, 70 is built as 60 + 10, soixante-dix. Then 71-79 continue with 60 + 11 through 60 + 19.
Do French speakers really say quatre-vingt-dix for 90?
Yes, in France French. Belgium and Switzerland commonly use septante (70) and nonante (90), and parts of Switzerland use huitante (80). France uses soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, and quatre-vingt-dix.
When does quatre-vingts take an s?
It takes s only when it stands alone as 80: quatre-vingts. It loses the s when another number follows: quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-deux.
Are French numbers hyphenated?
Modern spelling allows hyphens throughout compound numbers, such as vingt-et-un and quatre-vingt-dix-neuf. You will also see the older style with spaces around et in many learning materials.
Are time and dates covered here?
This page teaches the number system itself. Clock time belongs in the telling time guide, and calendar dates belong in the dates and days guide.
Memory tip
Do not memorize the 90s as ten separate words. Read each one as math: quatre-vingt-dix-neuf = 4×20 + 10 + 9.
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