Let us learn the cardinal numbers and counting in Spanish. Here, we will learn how to count from 1 to 10 and beyond.
| uno, una | 1 | veintiuno | 21 | doscientos/-as | 200 |
| dos | 2 | veintidós | 22 | trescientos/-as | 300 |
| tres | 3 | veintitrés | 23 | cuatrocientos/-as | 400 |
| cuatro | 4 | treinta | 30 | quinientos/-as | 500 |
| cinco | 5 | treinta y uno | 31 | seiscientos/-as | 600 |
| seis | 6 | treinta y dos | 32 | setecientos/-as | 700 |
| siete | 7 | treinta y tres | 33 | ochocientos/-as | 800 |
| ocho | 8 | cuarenta | 40 | novecientos/-as | 900 |
| nueve | 9 | cuarenta y uno | 41 | mil | 1.000 |
| diez | 10 | cuarenta y dos | 42 | dos mil | 2.000 |
| once | 11 | cincuenta | 50 | tres mil | 3.000 |
| doce | 12 | cincuenta y uno | 51 | diez mil | 10.000 |
| trece | 13 | cincuenta y dos | 52 | cien mil | 100.000 |
| catorce | 14 | sesenta | 60 | cien mil uno | 100.001 |
| quince | 15 | setenta | 70 | cien mil diez | 100.010 |
| dieciséis | 16 | ochenta | 80 | un millón | 1.000.000 |
| diecisiete | 17 | noventa | 90 | dos millones | 2.000.000 |
| dieciocho | 18 | cien | 100 | diez millones | 10.000.000 |
| diecinueve | 19 | ciento uno | 101 | mil millones | 1.000.000.000 |
| veinte | 20 | ciento dos | 102 | dos mil millones | 2.000.000.000 |
The Number “0”
The number “0” in Spanish is “cero,” pronounced as “se-ro.”
“Un” vs. “Uno”
Before a masculine noun, “uno” becomes “un,” e.g., “un perro” (a dog), “un carro” (a car).
You will encounter a similar dropping of the final “o” with a few other words in Spanish, such as “bueno” (good), “malo” (bad), and “alguno” (some), e.g., “Este restaurante es bueno” (This restaurant is good), “Este es un buen restaurante” (This is a good restaurant).
Tens
Cardinal numbers 16-19 in Spanish are formed by contracting the combination of the tens and the units (diez + y + “seis, siete, … etc.”) into (dieciséis, diecisiete, … etc.), and converting “z” in “diez” into “c,” and “y” into “i.”
The conjunction “y” meaning “and” is used between tens and units, either explicitly as in “treinta y cuatro” (34) or in contracted form as in “veintitrés” (23), i.e., “veinte + y + tres.”
The conjunction “y” is not used between hundreds and tens or between thousands and hundreds, e.g., “cuatrocientos cincuenta y uno”(451), “mil novecientos” (1900).
Hundreds
The multiples of hundred (200-900) are formed by combining (dos, tres, … etc.) and “cientos” to form (doscientos, trescientos, … etc.), except for “quinientos” (500).
The multiples of hundred (200-900) can have a masculine “-os” or a feminine “-as” ending depending on the nouns they describe, e.g., “doscientos libros” (200 books), “doscientas manzanas”(200 apples).
The word “cien” does not have a “-to” or “-tos” ending when referring to the number 100 or thousand multiples of the number 100, e.g., “cien” (100), “cien mil” (100.000), “cien millones” (100.000.000).
Otherwise, if preceded or followed by a number, “ciento” or “cientos” must be used instead. For example, “ciento uno” (101), “trescientos” (300), etc.
Most, but not all, Spanish-speaking countries use a comma to separate decimals and a period to separate thousands in Spanish. For instance, the number 2.155,25 in Spanish is equivalent to 2,155.25 in English.
Thousands, Millions, and Beyond
In plural form, “mil” remains the same, e.g., “tres mil” (3.000), whereas “millón” becomes “millones.” For example, “ocho millones” (8.000.000), “cien millones” (100.000.000).
When describing items in millions, one must add “de” after “millón” or “millones.” For example, “un millón de estudiantes” (a million students), “dos millones de habitantes” (two million inhabitants).
To say a billion in Spanish, we use “mil millones,” that is, a thousand million. The word “billón,” in Spanish, is a trillion in English.
Notice that in Spanish, we cannot use the English way of expressing years, as in “nineteen eighty-three” (1983); that is, saying “diecinueve, ochenta y tres” is incorrect. The correct way is to say “mil novecientos ochenta y tres.”
Quiz: Cardinal Numbers in Spanish
Next: Subject Personal Pronouns
Other lessons in Level I:
