
When you start learning French one of the first things you need to learn is the French numbers. Without knowing how to count in French, you wonโt be able to buy things in a shop, try on clothes or shoes, order drinks, ask about public transport โ or a whole range of other things.
To be honest, French numbers are not the easiest in the world โ but nor are they excessively hard โ so to help you get started, hereโs everything you need to know about counting in French.
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French Numbers 1-10

Letโs jump right in โ hereโs how to count to ten in French:
Un, une | 1 |
Deux | 2 |
Trois | 3 |
Quatre | 4 |
Cinq | 5 |
Six | 6 |
Sept | 7 |
Huit | 8 |
Neuf | 9 |
Dix | 10 |
There are several points to note about these numbers.
First, you will notice that there are two words for โoneโ โ un is used with masculine nouns while une is used with feminine nouns, like this:
- Un cochon (One pig)
- Une vache (One cow)
The same word is also used for โaโ โ in French, there is no distinction between โaโ and โoneโ, but the meaning is always clear from the context.
Second, there are three possible ways to pronounce six and dix, depending on the word that follows.
When used alone (like when counting), the French pronunciation of six is very similar to the English word โceaseโ. Dix sounds the same โ except that it starts with a โdโ.
However, if the number is followed by a word beginning with a consonant, the โxโ is not pronounced, so they are pronounced โseeโ and โdeeโ:
- Six vaches (sounds like โsee vashโ) (Six cows)
Finally, if the French number is followed by a vowel or an unaspirate โhโ, the โxโ at the end of the number is pronounced like the โzโ in โsneezeโ, so they sound like โseezโ and โdeezโ:
- Dix animaux (sounds like โdeezanimoโ) (Ten animals)
With neuf, if it comes before ans (years) or heures (hours), the pronunciation is like a โvโ โ but before other words beginning with a vowel or unaspirate โhโ, it is pronounced as an โfโ.
French Numbers 11-19
Now you can count to 10 in French, letโs move onto 11-19. Here they are:
Onze | 11 |
Douze | 12 |
Treize | 13 |
Quatorze | 14 |
Quinze | 15 |
Seize | 16 |
Dix-sept | 17 |
Dix-huit | 18 |
Dix-neuf | 19 |
Thereโs nothing too difficult about these numbers in French. The numbers from 11 to 16 all have a unique word in French, but 17, 18 and 19 are formed by combining the word for โtenโ and the word for โsevenโ, โeightโ or โnineโ. This means you are literally saying โten-sevenโ, โten-eightโ and โten-nineโ โ although itโs best just to remember them as single words.
Notice that when written, dix-sept, dix-huit and dix-neuf are hyphenated.
Counting To 69 In French

French counting up to 69 is easy in French, but from 70, things get a bit more complicated โ so letโs do the easy part first. Here are the French numbers by โtensโ from 20 to 60:
Vingt | 20 |
Trente | 30 |
Quarante | 40 |
Cinquante | 50 |
Soixante | 60 |
And hereโs how to count in French from 20 to 29:
- Vingt et un(e) 21
- Vingt-deux 22
- Vingt-trois 23
- Vingt-quatre 24
- Vingt-cinq 25
Etc.
As you can see here, these numbers are made by simply adding the โunitโ to vingt โ and attaching the words with a hyphen when written.
The exception is 21 โ for this, instead, you add et un (with no hyphen) โ so literally, you say โtwenty and oneโ. Also, notice that 21 agrees with the gender of the thing you are counting:
- Vingt et un cochons (21 pigs)
- Vingt et une vaches (21 cows)
With vingt, the โtโ is usually silent, but it is pronounced when followed by a vowel or unaspirate โhโ. The exception to this rule is when expressing dates:
- Vingt-huit (sounds like โvantweetโ) 28
- Vingt animaux (sounds like โvantanimoโ) 20 animals
- Le vingt avril (โle vang avrilโ with a nasal โngโ) The 20th of April
The numbers in French follow the same pattern, like this:
- Trente et un(e) 31
- Trente-deux 32
- Trente-trois 33
- Quarante et un(e) 41
- Quarante-deux 42
- Cinquante et un(e) 51
- Cinquante-deux 52
Etc.
70, 80 And 90 In French

The numbers for 70, 80 and 90 in French are a bit strange.
70 in French is soixante-dix, which literally means โsixty-tenโ. Following this, 71 is soixante et onze โ literally, โsixty and elevenโ (with no hyphens).
Then you have soixante-douze (sixty-twelve), soixante-treize (sixty-thirteen), soixante-quatorze (sixty-fourteen) and so on, all attached by hyphens.
In a way, this follows the same logic of the numbers from 20 to 60 โ but it still might take a bit of getting used to at first.
Next, letโs look at 80, which, in French, is quatre vingts (no hyphen) โ or literally, โfour twentiesโ. Again, slightly odd, but in old fashioned or literary English, you might sometimes see โfour scoreโ, so itโs not totally strange.
After this, 81 is quatre-vingt-un, 82 is quatre-vingt-deux and so on. Notice that the โsโ is dropped from vingt and that all the words are joined by hyphens. Also, notice that there is no et in quatre-vingt-un โ this time, itโs just the same as all the other numbers.
Remember too that quatre-vingt-un agrees with what you are counting:
- Quatre-vingt-un cochons (81 pigs)
- Quatre-vingt-une vaches (81 cows)
With the โeightiesโ, the โtโ in vingt is NEVER pronounced โ and the same is true of the โsโ in quatre vingts.
Finally 90, which, in French is quatre-vingt-dix. This literally means โfour-twenty-tenโ, and at this point, you might start wondering if the French didnโt set out with the deliberate intention of creating the most perverse way of counting they could come up with. Well maybe, but thatโs just how it is, so thereโs no point in complaining!
From there, 90 is quatre-vingt-onze (four-twenty-eleven), 92 is quatre-vingt-douze (four-twenty-twelve) and so on, all hyphenated.
Remember to pay attention to the pronunciation of French numbers. With the โninetiesโ, the โtโ is also not pronounced.
Here are all the French numbers weโve just covered for reference:
70
- Soixante-dix 70
- Soixante et onze 71
- Soixante-douze 72
- Soixante-treize 73
- Soixante-quatorze 74
Etc.
80
- Quatre vingts 80
- Quatre-vingt-un(e) 81
- Quatre-vingt-deux 82
- Quatre-vingt-trois 83
Etc.
90
- Quatre-vingt-dix 90
- Quatre-vingt-onze 91
- Quatre-vingt-douze 92
- Quatre-vingt-treize 93
Etc.
French Numbers Belgium, Switzerland And Canada

The system above is used in France as well as in Canada, but if youโre thinking this way of counting seems a bit contrived, maybe youโre not alone โ because French speakers in Belgium and Switzerland donโt use it either!
Instead, they use more sensible words for 70, 80 and 90.
In Belgium, they replace soixante-dix with the much more reasonable septante, and nonante is used instead of quatre-vingt-dix.
French speakers in Switzerland also have octante instead of quatre vingts โ although Belgians use the same number for 80 as in France.
However, the system you should learn is the regular/international version we covered above โ unless you are living in Switzerland or Belgium where the alternatives are used.
Note that all the other rules apply to these numbers, so it works like this:
- Septante 70
- Septante et un(e) 71
- Septante-deux 72
Etc.
Bigger Numbers

The bigger numbers written in French are simple. Here they are:
Cent | 100 |
Cent un(e) | 101 |
Deux cents | 200 |
Deux cent un(e) | 201 |
Trois cents | 300 |
Trois cent deux | 302 |
Mille | 1,000 |
Deux mille | 2,000 |
Cinq mille huit cent trente-deux | 5,832 |
Un million | 1,000,000 |
Deux millions | 2,000,000 |
Un millard | 1,000,000,000 |
Deux milliards | 2,000,000,000 |
Points to note here are that mille doesnโt take an โsโ but million and milliard do โ this is because, technically speaking, million and milliard are nouns.
Cent takes an โsโ only when not followed by another number โ deux cents but deux cent un(e).
Also, there is no un before cent or mille โ but it is used with un million and un milllard.
Million and milliard also need de (โofโ) if followed directly by the thing being counted:
- Un million de livres (1,000,000 books)
But
- Un million cinq cent mille livres (1,500,000 books)
Unlike in English, there is no et after cent, mille, million or milliard:
- Cent un (One hundred and one)
- Deux mille deux (Two thousand and two)
Etc.
Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers are the numbers like โfirstโ, โsecondโ and โthirdโ. Ordinal numbers in French are very easy โ you just add -iรจme to the cardinal (โregularโ) number. If the cardinal number ends with an โeโ, you also need to remove that first.
There are just three exceptions โ premier (first) (or premiรจre because it agrees with the noun it is used with), cinquiรจme (fifth) and neuviรจme (ninth).
Here are the first ten ordinal French numbers:
Premier/premiรจre | First |
Deuxiรจme | Second |
Troisiรจme | Third |
Quatriรจme | Fourth |
Cinquiรจme | Fifth |
Sixiรจme | Sixth |
Septiรจme | Seventh |
Huitiรจme | Eighth |
Neuviรจme | Ninth |
Dixiรจme | Tenth |
And itโs the same for bigger numbers too:
- Centiรจme (Hundredth)
- Trois mille quatre cent dix-huitiรจme (3,418th)
Like with English, there are abbreviations for these numbers. You simply add a small โeโ next to the number to indicate an ordinal number โ or a small โerโ (or โรจreโ) for โfirstโ:
- 1er/1รจre 1st
- 2e 2nd
- 3e 3rd
Etc.
Finally, note that a less common alternative to deuxiรจme is second/seconde.
Fractions And Decimals In French

In French, โa halfโ is un demi, โa quarterโ is un quart and โa thirdโ is un tiers. For other fractions, itโs the same as in English โ the number on top of the fraction is said as a cardinal number and the number on the bottom as an ordinal number:
- Un huitiรจme 1/8 (An eighth)
- Cinq huitiรจmes 5/8 (Five eighths)
- Deux tiers 2/3 (Two thirds)
Note that if the top number is higher than 1, the bottom number is plural, like in English.
Donโt confuse demi with demie. The first means โhalfโ and is attached to what it describes with a hyphen. The second means โhalf an hourโ and is used when expressing โhalf past the hourโ:
- Une demi-heure (Half an hour)
- Une heure et demie (Half past one)
- Deux heures et demie (Half past two)
However, in normal speech, to express half of something, you use la moitiรฉ:
- La moitiรฉ du temps (Half the time)
- La moitiรฉ dโun gรขteau (Half a cake)
โQuarter toโ the hour and โquarter pastโ the hour are expressed as moins le quart and et quart:
- Six heures moins le quart (A quarter to six)
- Six heures et quart (A quarter past six)
You use a comma โ virgule- for decimals in French, rather than a dot:
- 1,2 Un virgule deux (1.2 One point two)
To separate thousands, you use a space โ although before, it was normal to use a dot (so the opposite of English):
- 1 000 000 1,000,000
The French word for โzeroโ is the same as English, zรฉro.
Using French Numbers

Finally, letโs have a look at a couple of examples of when the usage of English numbers to French differs.
Dates
When saying the date, you use the French cardinal number rather than the ordinal number. The exception is for the first of the month, when you use premier:
- Le premier juin (the first of June)
- Le quatre mai (May 4th)
With dates including the numbers 8 and 11, the le is said separately:
- Le huit septembre (The 8th of September)
- Le onze septembre (The 11th of September)
For years, you just say the number โ you donโt split the number in two, unlike in English:
- Mille neuf cent quatre vingts 1980 (we say โnineteen eighty)
- Deux mille un 2001
- Deux mille vingt et un 2021
Telephone Numbers
When saying numbers 1-10 in French on the telephone, the numbers are said in pairs, so the telephone number 12345678 would be spoken like this:
- Douze, trente-quatre, cinquante-six, soixante-dix-huit 12, 34, 56, 78
Kings And Queens
Kings and queens follow the same pattern as dates โ premier/premiรจre is used for โfirstโ, and after that, you just use the cardinal number. In French, you donโt use le.
- Guillaume I Guillaume premier (William I)
- Henri VI Henri six (Henry IV)
Not So Hard After All
As you can see, when counting in French, there are a couple of tricky points to remember โ but on the whole, itโs still relatively easy to learn French numbers. The best advice is just to try to remember things like 70, 80 and 90 as individual words rather than trying to โwork them outโ each time you say them.
With numbers, itโs one thing to be able to count when you have time to think, but itโs something else to be able to produce them on the spot. For this reason, I recommend you practise all the numbers in French by creating drills for yourself โ and then when you find yourself in a situation where you need them, you will be able to produce them quickly and naturally.
At the same time, you'll also learn how to pronounce numbers in French as as you immerse yourself in French daily, whether that's by reading and listening to a short story in French, listening to French podcasts or watching French movies. Count on numbers coming up as you make contact with the language!
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Olly Richards
Creator of the StoryLearningยฎ Method
Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearningยฎ method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.
Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.
When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preachesโhe speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.