German Numbers: How To Count & Talk About Dates & Time In German

Numbers are an essential part of daily language, whether you're learning German or any other language. It doesn't matter if you're talking about the date, time, or counting physical objects, numbers are a critical aspect of communication.

German may have a reputation for having challenging grammar. But when you take German lessons, numbers are one of the first things you learn because they are one of the most straightforward aspects of the language!

Once you learn the German numbers zero through twelve, the rest will be a sinch.

This article will teach you how to strengthen your vocabulary by learning cardinal and ordinal numbers. You'll speak German fluently in no time.

I'll even break down the most challenging part learning German numbers requires, which involves choosing the appropriate case ending.

But don't worry, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve to help you remember which ending to use.

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German Numbers: How To Count

First, let's take a look at the cardinal numbers such as eins (one), zwei (two) and drei (three) which describe items by quantity.

German and English numbers have a lot in common, making them fun and easy to learn. First, I'll teach you how to count in German up to 99 quadrillion and beyond!

Later on, I'll explain how the German case system can complicate matters.

German Numbers: 0 To 12

The numbers zero through twelve are unique in German, so you'll have to learn them by heart.

Fortunately, many of the numbers 1 to 100 and beyond sound very similar to their English counterparts, as you can see in the chart above.

Remember that ‘z' is pronounced like the English ‘ts,' and ‘s' at the beginning of a word is pronounced ‘z.' Once you learn these first twelve digits, you'll have no trouble learning the rest.

German Numbers: 13 To 99

Want to know how to count to 20 in German and beyond? The numbers thirteen through nineteen follow a simple pattern that you'll grasp in no time. The table above shows you what I mean.

As you can see, you take the numbers three through nine and add a ten, or zehn to the end. For number sixteen, you need to remove the ‘s' ending, only taking the “stem” of the word, in this case, sech. Similarly with seventeen, you drop the –en ending and only take the sieb.

So far, the numbers have been straightforward, right? Next, I'll show you how easy it is to count to 99 in German. In English, we add a ‘ty' ending to form twenty, thirty, forty, etc. German has a similar approach, but with a zig ending.

The only exceptions are zwanzig (twenty), dreißig (thirty), and siebzig (seventy). These numbers change their stems before adding a –zig ending.

The most significant difference between English and German becomes evident when we start to combine ten and single units.

• Example: twenty-one becomes one and twenty, or einundzwanzig.

Germans say the smaller digit before the larger one, and connect both with the word und (and).

All the numbers up to 99 follow this rule without exceptions. Until you reach the millions, all German numbers written out are a single word.

How to Count to 100 in German and Beyond

Now actually comes the easiest part. You can already count to 99, so counting in German beyond one hundred is simply a matter of learning the names of larger numbers.

The good news is, the German translations are almost identical to the English equivalents.

The numbers after one million can be confusing. Unlike English, German alternates between -illion and -illiarde suffixes for the numbers million, trillion, billion, etc.

When you want to say a year up until 1999, the numbers are pronounced in tens of hundreds.

• For example: 1984 – Neunzehnhundertvierundachtzig

To say how many times, use the number and mal.

• Example: Wenn du das noch einmal machst! (If you do that one more time!)

Zweimal (twice), dreimal (three times), and neunundneunzigmal (99 times), follow the same pattern.

German Numbers: Ordinal vs Cardinal

So far, you've learned all the cardinal numbers, or numbers indicating quantity. Next, I'll dive into ordinal numbers. Ordinal numbers tell us where an item stands on a list.

For example, first, second, and third are all ordinal numbers. You'll be delighted to know that these digits are even easier to form in the German language. Well, at least the numbers in their nominative forms are simple.

All the ordinal numbers in German from one to 19 take a –te ending. Only the numbers one, three, and seven change their stems slightly before we add the ending. Figures 20 and above take a –ste ending.

When you write dates in German, use a ‘.' to indicate an ordinal number.

• For example: Dienstag, 2. April (Tuesday, the 2nd of April)

So far, German ordinal numbers have been straightforward. Unfortunately, ordinal numbers are also adjectives, which are affected by cases and require adjective endings.

How Cases Affect German Numbers

The ordinal numbers are considered adjectives in German grammar and require adjective endings. Which ending to use depends on whether you're using a definite “the” or indefinite “a” article.

Another factor you have to consider is the gender of the verb. You can use the following tables as a reference until you become familiar with the endings.

Numbers following indefinite articles take the following endings.

Numbers without articles are declined in the following way.

Remember that possessive pronouns are formed in the same way as indefinite articles. You can replace ein with dein, (your) mein, (my), ihr (her), sein, (his), or other pronouns, plus the corresponding adjective ending.

The plural form is created by adding an ‘n' ending.

Tips And Tricks to Master German Numbers and Cases

You probably noticed that there are a few differences between each table. I've summarized the main focus points to help accelerate your learning process.

• The feminine cases with definite and indefinite articles are the same.
• The masculine cases for definite and indefinite articles only differ in the nominative.
• The neuter cases for definite and indefinite articles differ in the nominative and accusative.

Endings for numbers before masculine words without articles are the same as the indefinite masculine endings, except that the dative case takes an –em ending instead of an –en ending.

Similarly, numbers before neuter words without articles are the same as the indefinite endings, except that the dative case takes an –em ending instead of an –en ending.

Feminine numbers without articles take -er endings in the dative and genitive cases.

• Example: Sie wohnt im vierten Stock. (She lives on the fourth floor.)
• Example: Deutsch ist meine dritte Fremdsprache. (German is my third foreign language.)

You can learn more about the German cases here.

How To Write Numbers in German

There are a couple of differences when it comes to writing numbers in German.

Hundreds are separated by periods or spaces:

• Example: 20,000 in English becomes 20.000 or 20 000 in German

Decimals are indicated by commas:

• Example: 2.5 million in English becomes 2,5 million in German

Prices use commas too:

• Example: $4.75 in English becomes $4,75 in German.

Remember that the German language uses commas and periods backward from the way we do in English.

Finally, you may be wondering how to express fractions, such as a half, third, or fourth.

All fractions add an ‘l' ending to the ordinal stem, except for die Hälfte, or half.

How to Tell the Time in German

Now you have a grasp of the German number system; you shouldn't find it to hard to tell the time in German.

When you learn a new language, being able to tell the time is pretty important so you can make arrangements to meet with native speakers.

Asking people for time is an easy way to get instant feedback when you're trying to speak German fluently. Why not try out your new skills next time you're in a Germany-speaking country or get the chance to interact with a German speaker?

This is how you tell the time in German:

• To say the time is on the hour, you say “Es ist X Uhr”
  • Example, “Es ist zehn Uhr” (it is ten o'clock)
    
• To say the time is quarter past the hour, you say “Es ist viertel nach X”
  • Example, “Es ist viertel nach zehn” (it is quarter past ten)
    
• To say it is quarter to the hour you say “Es ist viertel vor X”
  • Example, “Es ist viertel vor drei” (it is quarter to three)
    
• Saying half past the hour can get a little complicated if you're an English speaker because German requires you say it is “half before the hour”. So, to say half past three you would say “Es ist halb vier” (it is half an hour before four)

Remember it is very common to use the 24-hour clock in German, which makes it much easier now you've taken the time to learn numbers in the language! You can just say the literal numbers you see on your watch.

For example: 22.35 would be zweiundzwanzig Uhr funfunddreißig

Learn German Numbers: An Easier Aspect Of German

By now, you've realised that learning to count in German is a matter of learning the first 13 numbers, null through zwölf. All the other numbers are merely a combination of these digits. Who knew your new language would have some easy parts?

You've also learned that many numerical expressions are almost identical to their English equivalents. For example, hundert (hundred) tausend (thousand) and million (million) are basically the same in both languages.

Cardinal numbers are those that express a given quantity, such as one, ten, and twenty. Ordinal numbers, on the other hand, indicate a position in a list, such as first, tenth, and twentieth.

Despite the initial intimidating appearance of adjective endings, they share many similarities. Once you're familiar with these patterns, figuring out which one to use will become second nature.

Finally, German uses commas and periods opposite from the way we do in English. To express a fraction, add an ‘l' ending to the ordinal numbers.

I hope you've enjoyed learning about German numbers and this post helps you with your language learning process.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® 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 preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.