Numbers in French from 1 to 10 are un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix. From 70 French counts in twenties: 70 is soixante-dix (sixty-ten), 80 is quatre-vingts (four twenties) and 90 is quatre-vingt-dix. In Belgium and Switzerland, 70 and 90 are septante and nonante.
0 to 69
0 to 20
In the pronunciation column, (n) marks a nasal vowel: the n itself is not pronounced. “uh” is said with rounded lips, and the French r is made at the back of the throat.
| French | Number | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| zéro | 0 | zay-ROH |
| un | 1 | uh(n) |
| deux | 2 | duh |
| trois | 3 | trwah |
| quatre | 4 | katr |
| cinq | 5 | sa(n)k |
| six | 6 | seess |
| sept | 7 | set |
| huit | 8 | weet |
| neuf | 9 | nuhf |
| dix | 10 | deess |
| onze | 11 | o(n)z |
| douze | 12 | dooz |
| treize | 13 | trez |
| quatorze | 14 | ka-TORZ |
| quinze | 15 | ka(n)z |
| seize | 16 | sez |
| dix-sept | 17 | dee-SET |
| dix-huit | 18 | dee-ZWEET |
| dix-neuf | 19 | deez-NUHF |
| vingt | 20 | va(n) |
The p of sept and the gt of vingt are silent. Deux and douze are easily confused in listening: the vowel of deux is the “u” of British “fur”, that of douze the “oo” of “food”.
21 to 69
| French | Number |
|---|---|
| vingt et un | 21 |
| vingt-deux | 22 |
| trente | 30 |
| trente et un | 31 |
| quarante | 40 |
| cinquante | 50 |
| soixante | 60 |
| soixante et un | 61 |
The x of soixante is pronounced like an s: “swa-SAH(N)T”. The units 1 are joined with et (21, 31, 41, 51, 61); all the others with a hyphen.
70 to 99: counting in twenties
| France | Number | Belgium and Switzerland |
|---|---|---|
| soixante-dix | 70 | septante |
| soixante et onze | 71 | septante et un |
| soixante-douze | 72 | septante-deux |
| soixante-dix-neuf | 79 | septante-neuf |
| quatre-vingts | 80 | quatre-vingts; huitante in some Swiss cantons |
| quatre-vingt-un | 81 | quatre-vingt-un; huitante et un |
| quatre-vingt-dix | 90 | nonante |
| quatre-vingt-onze | 91 | nonante et un |
| quatre-vingt-dix-neuf | 99 | nonante-neuf |
From 70, France adds 10 to 19 to soixante: 77 is soixante-dix-sept, “sixty-seventeen”. 80 is “four twenties”, and 90 to 99 are “four twenties plus ten to nineteen”.
Septante and nonante are standard in Belgium and Switzerland. Huitante is used in the Swiss cantons of Vaud, Valais and Fribourg; elsewhere, Belgians and Swiss say quatre-vingts. Quebec uses the same forms as France. Teach the French forms for production, but mention the others: pupils find them logical, and they may hear them.
Hundreds, thousands and millions
| French | Number |
|---|---|
| cent | 100 |
| cent un | 101 |
| deux cents | 200 |
| deux cent cinq | 205 |
| mille | 1,000 |
| mille un | 1,001 |
| deux mille | 2,000 |
| cent mille | 100,000 |
| un million | 1,000,000 |
| deux millions | 2,000,000 |
| un milliard | 1,000,000,000 |
Spelling rules
- Et only with 1 and 11, and only up to 71. vingt et un, soixante et onze, but quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-onze, cent un.
- Quatre-vingts takes an s only at the end. quatre-vingts, but quatre-vingt-trois.
- Cent takes an s when multiplied and at the end. deux cents, but deux cent trois. The s stays before millions: deux cents millions.
- Mille never changes. deux mille, dix mille.
- No “un” before cent or mille. “One hundred” is cent, “one thousand” is mille.
- Million and milliard are nouns. They take an s and de before a noun: deux millions d’habitants.
- A billion is un milliard. The French un billion is a million million.
Hyphens: traditionally, hyphens join only numbers below 100 (vingt-deux, deux cent trois). The 1990 spelling reform allows hyphens between all parts, et included: vingt-et-un, deux-cent-trois. Both spellings are correct; choose one and be consistent.
Liaisons and silent letters
Final consonants change according to what follows, which is why numbers sound different in six, six livres and six ans.
- six and dix: “seess” on their own, “see” before a consonant (six livres), “seez” before a vowel (six ans).
- huit: “weet” on its own and before a vowel, often “wee” before a consonant (huit jours).
- neuf: “nuhf”, but “nuhv” in neuf ans and neuf heures.
- vingt: the t is heard from 21 to 29 (vingt-deux: “va(n)t-duh”) and before a vowel (vingt ans), but not in quatre-vingt-un.
- deux, trois: a z sound before a vowel: deux ans, “duh-ZAH(N)”.
- un: an n sound before a vowel: un an, “uh-NAH(N)”.
Decimals, phone numbers and ordinals
French uses a decimal comma: 3,5 is trois virgule cinq. Thousands are separated by a space: 10 000. Prices are read without the comma: 3,50 € is trois euros cinquante.
French phone numbers are read in pairs: 06 12 34 56 78 is zéro six, douze, trente-quatre, cinquante-six, soixante-dix-huit. It is excellent practice for 70 to 99.
Ordinals add -ième: deuxième, troisième. Watch premier / première, cinquième (with a u) and neuvième (f becomes v).
Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners
- Age with être: “je suis douze ans”. Age uses avoir: J’ai douze ans.
- “Cent et un”: a calque of “a hundred and one”. It is cent un.
- “Un cent”, “un mille”: it is cent and mille.
- “Soixante-dix-et-un”: it is soixante et onze.
- Quatre-vingts and cents with the s in the wrong place.
- Silent letters pronounced: the p of sept, the t of vingt and cent on their own.
- Billion: translating “a billion” as un billion.
In class: a number routine
Numbers are forgotten fast if they are not used, and 70 to 99 need practice all year. Five numbers at the start of each lesson keep them alive.
- Show a number in figures on the board.
- The class says it aloud, all together or one pupil at a time.
- Reveal the number written in words, so pupils can check hyphens, s and et.
- Repeat with four more numbers, each a little harder than the last.
- Now and then, reverse it: say a number, pupils write the figures on mini whiteboards.
This is exactly what a daily routine does: little, often, and slightly harder each time.
Adapting to your class
- A10 to 100, with a focus on 70 to 99.
- A2Up to 1,000, with the s of cents.
- B1Up to 100,000, with decimals: trois virgule cinq.
- B2Up to 9,000,000, with millions de.
The “Le nombre” module does it for you
A number appears, the class says it, the written form is revealed: five draws, getting harder each time, at your class’s level. No preparation needed: try everything free for 15 days of use.
Frequently asked questions
How do you count to 10 in French?
Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix. Zero is zéro.
Why is 70 soixante-dix in French?
French in France counts partly in twenties from 60 upwards: 70 is “sixty-ten”, 80 is “four twenties” (quatre-vingts) and 90 is “four twenties and ten” (quatre-vingt-dix).
Where do people say septante and nonante?
In Belgium and Switzerland. Some Swiss cantons (Vaud, Valais, Fribourg) also say huitante for 80. France and Quebec use soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix.
Does quatre-vingts take an s?
Only when nothing follows: quatre-vingts, but quatre-vingt-trois. The same rule applies to cents: deux cents, but deux cent trois.
Is it vingt et un or vingt-et-un?
Both are correct. Vingt et un is the traditional spelling; vingt-et-un follows the 1990 spelling reform.
How do you say your age in French?
With avoir: J’ai douze ans, literally “I have twelve years”. “Je suis douze ans” is a typical English-speaker mistake.