Rely in French from 1 to 100+ (with Audio)

As you possibly can see from the desk, all the things is hunky-dory from one to 69.

Issues get slightly difficult for 70, 80 & 90. We’ll have a look at them intently in a second. Don’t fret. If Napoleon may deal with French numbers, you possibly can, too!

1-100 in French. Whew! That’s an entire lotta numbers. Let’s see if we will discover some patterns.

Begin by studying the numbers for 1-15. That is the muse for all different numbers: un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix, onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze.
Memorize the numbers for the multiples of ten: vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante, soixante-dix, quatre-vingt, quatre-vingt-dix.

Language Hacks for Studying French Numbers

Don’t fear should you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by numbers in French. I’ve been there too, and I’m right here to assist!

Mundane memorization will be helped by incorporating motion into the classes. I nonetheless hear splashing water once I depend in French. Years in the past, I took my flashcards into the shallow finish of a pool. I memorized them out loud whereas hopping from one facet of the pool to the opposite. Hey, no matter floats your boat!

When you’ve memorized the above, you possibly can fill within the gaps with a easy components:

• For numbers from 16-19, take the rightmost digit and say “dix + (digit)”. E.g. 17 = dix + sept = dix-sept. That is like English: 17 is “seven + ten” i.e. “seventeen”.
• It’s fairly easy for 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 and 81. You merely add “and one” which is et un. E.G. 51 = “fifty and one” = cinquante-et-un. (The exceptions to this rule are 71 & 91.)
• The numbers from 22-29, 32-39 and so forth get contracted right into a single phrase – so as a substitute of vingt et huit, it’s vingt-huit. You merely add the only quantity to the tens quantity.

Two straightforward wins:

• zero = zéro: Add a elaborate accent and also you’ve received this one.
• 100 = cent: Simply keep in mind that 100 cents make a greenback.

A number of difficult numbers to grasp:

• 70 = soixante-dix which is “60 + 10”
• 80 = quatre-vingts which is “4 20s”
• 90 = quatre-vingt which is “4 20s + 10”

The nation of France is the place this wacky math comes into play. In Switzerland and Belgium, you need to use an easier model.

• 70 = septante
• 80 = huitante
• 90 = nonante

Of us in France would have the ability to perceive you should you use these numbers. However what enjoyable is talking in French and not using a little Parisian calculation?

As a result of 70 and 90 are 60 and 80 plus 10, they use teenagers to specific their digits from 71-79 and 91-99. For instance, 71 is soixante-et-onze (“60 + 11”) whereas 95 is quatre-vingt-quinze (“80 + 15”). You possibly can scroll again as much as the numbers desk to observe.

It sounds sophisticated however it’s not too dangerous. When you run by these just a few instances, you’ll have a stable grasp on the 70s and 90s. Or somewhat bell-bottoms and flannel plaid shirts.

And we at Fluent in 3 Months ought to know the way to hack French – we actually wrote the guide on it!

What’s the Phrase in French for 100?

We talked about it earlier however I didn’t need you to overlook it. So, right here it’s once more. The phrase for 100 in French is cent.

Right here is an fascinating truth. 100 and 1000 (cent and mille) by no means use the indefinite article (un). Whereas the opposite bigger numbers do. In English, we use the indefinite “a” and “an”. For instance, now we have 100 folks right here. Or now we have a thousand folks right here.

In French, we are saying, “We’ve got hundred folks right here.” or “We’ve got thousand folks right here.” The indefinite article (un) is barely omitted when utilizing the numbers cent and mille. Once we get to one million, the indefinite article is used once more. Let’s have a look at some examples.

Nous avons cent personnes ici. – “We’ve got hundred folks right here.”
Nous avons mille personnes ici. – “We’ve got thousand folks right here.”
Nous avons un million de personnes ici. – “We’ve got a million folks right here.”
Nous avons un milliard de personnes ici. – “We’ve got a billion folks right here.”

French Numbers 100-1000: The way to Rely to 1000 in French

We’ve coated 1-100 in French, now let’s depend 100-1,000! Bigger French numbers observe just a few easy guidelines:

For numbers from 100 to 199, use cent adopted by the remainder of the quantity:

105 = cent cinq
149 = cent quarante-neuf
181 = cent quatre-vingt-un

For numbers from 200 to 999, you’re going to be completely happy. They’re comparatively easy:

200 = deux cents
300 = trois cents
400 = quatre cents
500 = cinq cents
600 = six cents
700 = sept cents
800 = huit cents
900 = neuf cents

To fill within the gaps for the remaining numbers from 200-999, observe the identical patterns as 100:

501 = cinq cent un
508 = cinq cent huit
530 = cinq cent trente
531 = cinq cent trente-et-un
565 = cinq cent soixante-cinq
598 = cinq cent quatre-vingt-dix-huit

French Numbers from 1,000 to 1 Million

And now, on to the large numbers: Counting to 1,000 in French, and even 1,000,000 in French!

Nice information! You solely have to be taught two new phrases to have the ability to depend to 1,000,000. These important phrases are mille (1,000) and un millon (1,000,000).

The one time you’ll see un mille is in numbers like soixante et un mille (61,000). You’ll want to put an un on this quantity to distinguish it from soixante mille (60,000). When speaking about 1,000 with nothing within the “ten-thousands” column, write mille, with no un.

Forming new numbers with mille and un millon is pretty easy. It’s best illustrated by instance:

1,000 = mille
1,001 = mille et un
1,500 = mille cinq cents
1,766 = sept cent soixante-six
2,001 = deux mille un
40,000 = quarante mille
74,000 = soixante-quatorze mille
100,000 = cent mille
415,297 = quatre cent quinze mille deux cent quatre-vingt-dix-sept
1,000,000 = un million
3,000,000 = trois hundreds of thousands
6,492,000 = six hundreds of thousands quatre cent quatre-vingt-douze mille
8,841,932 = huit hundreds of thousands huit cent quarante et un mille neuf cent trente-deux

Once you’re utilizing un million or one million with a noun, you need to use de. “A million cats” is un millon de chats. Actually, you’re saying “a million of cats”. That may be one severe cat-lady.

Billions and Trillions in French

Counting massive numbers in French isn’t too tough, however there are some things to be careful for.

1,000,000,000 (one billion) = un milliard
1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) = un billion

Whereas English makes use of the French phrase for million, billion shouldn’t be a cognate. A cognate is a phrase that sounds or appears to be like much like one other phrase in one other language. Typically it is because they arrive from the identical household. Different instances, it’s as a result of the phrase is borrowed.

Un billion is French is what we name a false good friend. It appears to be like precisely the identical as our English phrase however it means one thing totally different. Un billion means a trillion in French. With slightly observe, you’ll have it down pat very quickly.

French Numbers Pronunciation

Right here’s a video I made that can show you how to pronounce French numbers.

There are two methods to pronounce six “six”, huit “eight”, and dix “ten”.

This bit of knowledge is for intermediate learners. In case you’re a newbie, it doesn’t damage to learn this part. Merely let the concepts stream over you for the primary time.

The pronunciation of six “six”, huit “eight”, and dix “ten” will depend upon the phrase that follows them in a sentence. Let’s have a look at just a few examples that will help you perceive the variations.

When Six, Huit or Dix Is the Final Phrase within the sentence

Let’s begin with the simplest pronunciation. That is the one we use once we are merely counting. We additionally use this pronunciation when the quantity comes on the very finish of a sentence.

Combien de billets avez-vous? – “What number of tickets do you might have?”

• J’en ai six. (“seese”) – “I’ve six of them.”
• J’en ai huit. (“weet”) – “I’ve eight of them.”
• J’en ai dix. (“deese”) – “I’ve ten of them.”

When Six, Huit or Dix Is Adopted by a Consonant

If six is adopted by a phrase beginning with a consonant akin to chiens (“canines”), it is going to be pronounced “see”. This rule applies to all three numbers.

• Six chiens (“see”)
• Huit chiens (“wee”)
• Dix chiens (“dee”)

When Six, Huit or Dix Is Adopted by a Vowel

If six or dix is adopted by a phrase beginning with a vowel, it is going to be pronounced with a Z on the tip.

• Six oranges (seez)
• Dix oranges (deez)

Ordinal Numbers in French

Let’s wrap this up with ordinal numbers.

What’s an ordinal quantity? It’s a quantity that explains a noun’s place in a sequence (e.g. the primary runner to cross the end line, the second home on the proper).

First issues first. Right here’s a desk to provide you a very powerful ordinal numbers. See if any of those phrases look acquainted to you. I wager you’ll see just a few phrases you already know.

Our second tip: In French, adjectives should agree with the gender of the noun it’s describing. I’ve some great information for you! Most ordinal numbers can be utilized for each masculine and female phrases.

The vital exception is first. It’s première for female nouns and premier for masculine nouns.

And third however not least, phrase order for ordinal numbers is much like English. The ordinal quantity comes earlier than the phrase. Nearly all of adjectives come after the noun in French. So, it is a little freebie for anglophones.

the primary canine = le premier chien
the brown canine = le chien brun

the fifth home = la cinquième maison
the clear home = la maison propre

[IMG: Montreal]
Studying French helped Benny navigate Montreal, Canada with ease, even assembly Jodi, his blogger good friend!

The place Can You Observe Talking French Numbers?

The very best a part of studying French (together with French numbers) is having actual conversations in French. If you would like to do that, you possibly can be part of me (and the opposite Fluent in 3 Months language coaches) within the Fluent in 3 Months Bootcamp.

We’ll show you how to discover what it takes to grasp your French numbers. And you will have a 15-minute dialog in French after simply 90 days of studying. Be a part of Bootcamp right here: Sure! I wish to have actual conversations in French in simply 90 days.

The place Can You Observe Talking French Numbers?

The very best a part of studying French (together with French numbers) is having actual conversations in French. In case you’d like to do that, you possibly can be part of me (and the opposite Fluent in 3 Months language coaches) within the Fluent in 3 Months Bootcamp.

We’ll show you how to discover what it takes to grasp your French numbers. And also you’ll have a 15-minute dialog in French after simply 90 days of studying.

The Napoleon of French Numbers – That’s you!

So, there you might have it. You now know the way to depend from one to infinity in French.

I like to recommend watching the pronunciation video just a few instances and repeating the phrases. And don’t overlook to behavior stack whilst you’re doing it. Pronunciation movies pair properly with senseless duties like strolling or menial chores.

And if the numbers appear too tough to you, I wish to level you in direction of some French-learning inspiration tales. Try the Language Hacking podcast, particularly episodes like Melanie’s about how she learnt French along with her seven kids. You’re going to get plenty of nice tips about studying to talk French in actual conversations:

I hope you loved this text. Á bientôt ! (“See you quickly!”)

Unique article by Elizabeth Bruckner. Final up to date by the Fluent in 3 Months staff February nineteenth 2024.

Elizabeth Bruckner

Language Coach

Elizabeth an acupuncturist, author and tenacious language learner. She tried to be taught a second language 10 freaking instances earlier than lastly greedy the artwork of studying.

Speaks: English, French

View all posts by Elizabeth Bruckner