| This lesson will help you understand the numbers
in Spanish (cardinal and ordinal numbers), and enables you to use real examples
shown below. If you have any question let us know by clicking on the “Contact
us” button, this lesson is very important since it covers a very widely used
element in Spanish which is the numerals.
Cardinal Numbers in Spanish
Cardinal numbers (cardinales) are the numbers used for
counting; of course they look the same in Spanish as well as in English:
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Spanish
Numbers
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0
cero
1 uno/a
2 dos
3 tres
4 cuatro
5 cinco
6 seis
7 siete
8 ocho
9 nueve
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10
diez
11 once
12 doce
13 trece
14 catorce
15 quince
16 dieciséis
17 diecisiete
18 dieciocho
19 diecinueve
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In
Spanish uno
becomes un when used in front of a masculine noun: un perro,
veintiún perros. To refer to a feminine noun una is used: una
mujer, treinta y una mujeres. Uno is used only when counting (uno, dos, tres) or for
numerals refering to a masculine noun but does not precede that noun: ¿Cuántos
hijos tienes? - Uno (or else we simply write) - un hijo
20
veinte
21 veintiuno/a
22 veintidós
21-29
are usually a single word composed as follows: omit the last e
from veinte and add i instead then add the digit =
veintiuno, the rest 30-99 can be formed up to three words: treinta y uno.
30
treinta
31 treinta y uno/a
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More Cardinal Numbers
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40 cuarenta
50 cincuenta
60 sesenta
70 setenta
80 ochenta
90 noventa
100 cien(to)
101 ciento uno
200 doscientos/as
300 trescientos/as
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400 cuatrocientos/as
500 quinientos/as
600 seiscientos/as
700 setecientos/as
800 ochocientos/as
900 novecientos/as
1.000 mil
1.500 mil quinientos
2.000 dos mil
1.000.000 un millón
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So
in short, uno in compound numbers loses the -o before masculine
nouns, whether singular or plural: cuarenta y un días (forty-one days).
Dates (months and years) are cardinal numbers in Spanish, except for the first
of the month: El 8 (ocho) de mayo de 1987 (mil novecientos ochenta y siete)
(the eight of may, 1987). But: Hoy es el primero de enero (Today is
January first).
Ordinal numbers in Spanish
Ordinal
numbers are used for positions, we say in English “first” “second” when
referring to the position of someone/ something… same thing in Spanish:
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Spanish
Ordinal Numbers
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primer(o)/a
(first)
segundo/a (second)
tercer(o)/a (third)
cuarto/a (fourth)
quinto/a (fifth)
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sexto/a
(sixth)
séptimo/a (seventh)
octavo/a (eighth)
noveno/a (ninth)
décimo/a (tenth)
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After
ten, cardinal numbers are generally used to indicate the ordinal numbers which
makes it very easy for Spanish learners:
Luis trece (Lewis the Thirteenth)
el siglo veintiuno (the twenty first century)
Note
that Spanish reverses the English usage of commas and periods in numbers: 1.250
kilómetros = 1,250 kilometers; 1,25 litros = 1.25 liters.
I
hope you benefited from this lesson (the Spanish numbers), please check our
other lessons to take advantage of the other useful information they may
contain.
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Spanish Numbers