French numbers
French numbers are similar to English numbers, but they are pronounced differently. Here are the numbers from 1 to 20 in French:
1 – un
2 – deux
3 – trois
4 – quatre
5 – cinq
6 – six
7 – sept
8 – huit
9 – neuf
11 – onze
14 – quatorze
16 – seize
17 – dix-sept
18 – dix-huit
19 – dix-neuf
After twenty, French numbers are constructed by combining the tens and units digits. For example, 21 is “vingt et un” (twenty and one), 22 is “vingt-deux” (twenty-two), 30 is “trente” (thirty), and so on.
Here are some other important French numbers:
100 – cent 1000 – mille 1,000,000 – un million
To form larger numbers, French uses a similar system to English. For example, “two hundred and fifty” in French would be “deux cent cinquante” (literally “two hundred fifty”). “One thousand two hundred and thirty-four” would be “mille deux cent trente-quatre” (literally “a thousand two hundred thirty-four”).
When counting, French speakers often use the word “et” (and) between the tens and units digits, as in “quatre-vingt-dix-neuf” (literally “four twenties ten nine”), which means 99.
That’s a brief overview of French numbers. Practice and repetition can help improve your skills, and there are many resources available online to help with learning French numbers.
