

you add the unit after the ten and it's the same for all the other tens: Once you get the pattern, it's pretty simple.

Here is the answer:Ģ1 - VINGT-ET-UN (Add ' et' between the ten and the unit but for this one only) So how do we count in French from 20 to 69? (Yes, because things get a bit 'different' afterwards.). At that time, the French Academy rejected the words septante, octante, huitante and nonante, which had been dominant until then. Nobody knows exactly the reason why these terms appeared in the 17th century. Remember the various origins? The most likely explanation is that soixante-dix, quatre-vingts and quatre-vingt-dix come from the Celts who counted by 20s. We can clearly see that, in France, French numbers get a bit weird from 70 onwards. Some of these French numbers look rather complicated.ħ0 - SOIXANTE-DIX (SIXTY-TEN) or SEPTANTE (Belgium, Switzerland)Ĩ0 - QUATRE-VINGTS (FOUR-TWENTIES) or HUITANTE / OCTANTE (Belgium, Switzerland)ĩ0 - QUATRE-VINGT-DIX (FOUR-TWENTY-TEN) or NONANTE (Belgium, Switzerland) So far, so good! Let's continue with 2-digit numbers: Let's start with the numerals we need to build French numbers:
#FRENCH NUMBERS FOR FREE#
If you want to keep these numbers in your pocket, you might want to try French Translator & Dictionary + by downloading it for free on your We've compiled a list of the most important numbers to help you count in French. So what's the rule? Keep it simple, put a dash between each number, always! This is what the 1990 reform governing the new French number spelling recommends. Others suggest there should only be one for numbers below 100 (123: cent vingt-trois) like in English. Some say that there should be a dash between each number (123: cent-vingt-trois), others say there should not be any (123: cent vingt trois). You will understand later why all of these origins are important in learning French numbers.Īnother key point you should keep in mind when writing French numbers is the place of dashes. And just for your information, the Celts used a vigesimal numeral system i.e. But France has also been inhabited by, among others, the Gauls, the Normans and the Celts. The Romans used a decimal numeral system i.e. the language spoken by the Romans in ancient times. First of all, keep in mind that French is a Latin language, i.e. It will help you understand their construction and memorize them more easily. The big difference is that this system has been maintained in France while other countries abandoned it a long time ago.īefore we start learning French numbers, let's set the scene. And we all could agree on this! But historically, the French counting system developed in the same way as many other languages. You might think that some French numbers look quite weird.
