Numbers 0–20

Why it matters

Numbers come up constantly: prices, phone numbers, ages, dates, addresses, bus routes. And French numbers have a sneaky habit: some of them change their sound depending on the word that follows.

The good news: 0 to 20 is the easy part. Learn these twenty words properly today and the rest (Lesson 16) is mostly adding them together.

Counting to twenty

1. Zero to ten

One is the only number with a gender. It’s un before a masculine noun and une before a feminine one: un livre, une pomme. That stays true inside bigger numbers: vingt et une filles (21 girls).

2. Eleven to sixteen: the -ze squad

Six numbers, each a single word, all ending in -ze:

Each one is a worn-down version of the small number inside it: douze hides deux, treize hides trois, quatorze hides quatre, seize hides six. If you blank, look for the little number.

3. Seventeen to twenty

From seventeen, French stops inventing words and just adds: ten-seven, ten-eight, ten-nine. Always with a hyphen.

Notice that the x of dix sounds different in each: an “s” in dix-sept, a “z” in dix-huit and dix-neuf. Just learn them as whole words.

4. The endings that change

This is the part that makes French numbers sound French. Six numbers end in a consonant that you normally say: cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix. What happens to that last sound depends on what follows:

The pattern: six, dix and huit drop their last sound before a consonant, and bring it back before a vowel (six and dix turn their x into a z). Sept never changes. Neuf only changes before four words: ans, heures, hommes and autres, where its f becomes a v.

Liaison works with the smaller numbers too: deux‿euros (duh-zuh-roh), trois‿enfants (trwa-zahn-fahn), un‿ami (uh-nah-mee).

No l’ before huit and onze. Even though they start with a vowel sound, French treats them as if they started with a consonant: le huit mai, le onze juin, never “l’huit” or “l’onze”.

5. First, second, third

To say “first”, “second” and so on, add -ième to the number:

Dates use plain numbers, except the 1st. Le premier mai (May 1st), but le deux mai, le quinze juin, le vingt juillet. Written: le 1er mai, le 2 mai. The month gets a small letter (Lesson 2).

6. Phone numbers, prices and sums

Phone numbers. In Québec, people read phone numbers digit by digit: 418 is quatre un huit. That’s exactly why this lesson is enough to say yours. In France, numbers are read in pairs: 06 45 59 14 24 is zéro six, quarante-cinq, cinquante-neuf, quatorze, vingt-quatre. You’ll be ready for that after Lesson 16.

Prices. French writes a decimal comma and puts the currency symbol after the number, with a space: 12,50 $ or 3,50 €. When you say it, the currency goes in the middle: douze dollars cinquante, trois euros cinquante.

Simple sums. Deux et trois font cinq (two and three make five). Dix moins quatre font six (ten minus four makes six). Useful for checking your change.

Examples

• J'ai deux enfants.I have two children. (liaison: duh-zahn-fahn)
• Il y a six chaises et dix assiettes.There are six chairs and ten plates. (see chairs, deez plates)
• Le bus quinze arrive dans huit minutes.The 15 bus arrives in eight minutes. (huit before a consonant: wee)
• J'ai dix-neuf ans.I'm nineteen. (age uses avoir, Lesson 8)
• Il est neuf heures.It's nine o'clock. (nuh-vuhr)
• Un café et une crêpe, s'il vous plaît.A coffee and a crêpe, please. (un / une)
• Ça fait douze dollars cinquante.That's $12.50. (written 12,50 $)
• Mon anniversaire, c'est le premier mars.My birthday is March 1st. (premier for the 1st)
• Le cours commence le onze septembre.The course starts on September 11th. (le onze, not l'onze)
• J'habite au troisième étage.I live on the third floor.
• Deux et deux font quatre.Two and two make four.
• Mon numéro, c'est le quatre un huit, cinq cinq cinq, zéro un sept trois.My number is 418 555-0173. (digit by digit, the Québec way)
• Il y a vingt et une étudiantes.There are 21 (female) students. (vingt et une)

Memory tricks

Don’t get French fried