Numbers in French are one of the first things you need to learn when starting a new language. They appear everywhere: in prices, dates, phone numbers, and everyday conversations. Knowing how to use them correctly will help you communicate more confidently from day one.
Here are a few quick examples to get started:
- 1 → un / une
- 5 → cinq
- 20 → vingt
- 100 → cent
The Main Elements of Numbers in French
French numbers follow a logical system, but there are a few surprising rules — especially after 60. Let’s break it all down into simple parts.
Numbers from 0 to 20
These numbers are individual words that you simply need to memorize. There is no shortcut here, but the good news is that they are short and easy to practice!
| Number | French | Pronunciation tip |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | zéro | ZEH-roh |
| 1 | un / une | UHN / OON |
| 2 | deux | DUH |
| 5 | cinq | SANK |
| 10 | dix | DEES |
| 15 | quinze | KANZ |
| 20 | vingt | VAN |
Numbers from 20 to 69
From 20 to 69, French numbers follow a pattern similar to English. You say the tens, then add the units.
- 21 → vingt et un (twenty and one)
- 32 → trente-deux (thirty-two)
- 45 → quarante-cinq (forty-five)
- 58 → cinquante-huit (fifty-eight)
Notice that for 21, 31, 41, 51, and 61, French uses ‘et’ (meaning ‘and’) between the tens and the one. For all other combinations, you just use a hyphen.
Numbers from 70 to 99 — the tricky part!
This is where French gets a little different. Instead of having unique words for 70, 80, and 90, French builds on the previous tens.
- 70 → soixante-dix (literally: sixty-ten)
- 75 → soixante-quinze (sixty-fifteen)
- 80 → quatre-vingts (four-twenties)
- 90 → quatre-vingt-dix (four-twenty-ten)
- 99 → quatre-vingt-dix-neuf (four-twenty-nineteen)
It sounds unusual at first, but with a little practice it becomes natural!
Numbers from 100 and beyond
Large numbers are easier than you think.
- 100 → cent
- 200 → deux cents
- 1 000 → mille
- 1 000 000 → un million
Important note: ‘cent’ takes an ‘s’ when it is a round number (deux cents), but not when followed by another number (deux cent cinquante).
Why Learning French Numbers Matters
You might think numbers are just for math class. But in real life, you use them all the time! Here is why learning French numbers early is so useful:
- Shopping: understanding prices and making payments (C’est combien ? — How much is it?)
- Dates and time: booking appointments, reading calendars (Le vingt mars — March 20th)
- Phone numbers: giving or asking for contact information
- Addresses: finding places and giving directions
- Age: introducing yourself or asking someone’s age (J’ai vingt ans — I am twenty years old)
Learning numbers from the start will make your daily French interactions much smoother and more natural.
Comparison with Other Languages
It helps to compare French numbers with languages you may already know. Here is a quick overview:
| Number | English | French | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | one | un / une | uno / una |
| 10 | ten | dix | diez |
| 20 | twenty | vingt | veinte |
| 70 | seventy | soixante-dix | setenta |
| 80 | eighty | quatre-vingts | ochenta |
| 90 | ninety | quatre-vingt-dix | noventa |
| 100 | one hundred | cent | cien |
As you can see, Spanish uses simple and direct words for 70, 80, and 90, just like English. French is the only one that uses these creative combinations. It is a fun quirk of the language that makes French unique!
A Complete Example
Let’s put it all together with a realistic situation. Imagine you are in a French bakery (‘une boulangerie’):
- The seller says: ‘C’est trois euros quatre-vingt-cinq.’ (That is three euros eighty-five.)
- You reply: ‘Je voudrais deux croissants, s’il vous plaît.’ (I would like two croissants, please.)
- The seller answers: ‘Ça fait sept euros cinquante.’ (That comes to seven euros fifty.)
In this short exchange, you used the numbers 2, 3, 7, 50, and 85. Numbers really are everywhere in French conversations!
Key Takeaways
- Numbers 0 to 20 must be memorized individually.
- Numbers 21 to 69 follow a regular pattern: tens + units (with ‘et’ for 1).
- Numbers 70 to 99 use a vigesimal system: 70 = 60+10, 80 = 4×20, 90 = 4×20+10.
- ‘Cent’ takes an ‘s’ only when it is a round number not followed by another digit.
- French numbers are used daily: prices, dates, ages, phone numbers, and more.
- Compared to English and Spanish, French numbers from 70 to 99 are unique and need a little extra attention.
Do not try to memorize everything at once. Start with 1 to 20, then move on step by step. Regular practice — even five minutes a day — will make a big difference!
Sources
- Bescherelle — La Grammaire pour tous, Hatier, 2019.
- Larousse — Grammaire du français, Éditions Larousse, 2018. Available at: www.larousse.fr
- TV5Monde — French language learning resources. Available at: apprendre.tv5monde.com