Ordinal numbers describe the order of a noun. Ordinal numbers in French are formed using the suffix “-ième.”
The only exception is the ordinal number “first,” which has a masculine form “premier” and a feminine form “première.”
| un | 1 | premier/première | 1er/1ère |
| deux | 2 | deuxième | 2e |
| trois | 3 | troisième | 3e |
| quatre | 4 | quatrième | 4e |
| cinq | 5 | cinquième | 5e |
| six | 6 | sixième | 6e |
| sept | 7 | septième | 7e |
| huit | 8 | huitième | 8e |
| neuf | 9 | neuvième | 9e |
| dix | 10 | dixième | 10e |
| vingt | 20 | vingtième | 20e |
| trente | 30 | trentième | 30e |
| cent | 100 | centième | 100e |
| mille | 1,000 | millième | 1000e |
The most common way to abbreviate ordinal numbers is using the superscript “e,” except for “premier” and “première” which are abbreviated as “1er” and “1ère,” respectively.
Describing Dates in French
Unlike in English, where dates are described using ordinal numbers, e.g., “the 24th of October,” in French, dates are expressed using cardinal numbers, e.g., “le 24 octobre.”
A notable exception is the first day of the month, in which case the ordinal number is used, e.g., “le premier novembre” (the first of November).
Names of Kings & Queens
Numbers following the names of kings and queens, unlike in English, are cardinal, except for “premier” and “première,” which are ordinal, and do not use the definite article before the number.
For example, “Elizabeth Deux”(Elizabeth the Second), “Edouard Trois”(Edward the Third), “Louis Quatorze” (Louis the Fourteenth), “Benoît Premier” (Benedict the First), etc.
Fractional Numbers
To describe the fractional number 1/2 (half), we use the adjective “demi,” e.g., “un demi-kilo” (half a kilo), “une demi-heure” (half an hour), “une demi-douzaine” (half a dozen), etc.
We also use the feminine noun “moitié” to describe half the quantity of something, and it is often followed by “de,” e.g., “la moitié du terrain” (half of the land).
The main difference that you need to remember to distinguish between “demi” and “moitié” is that the former is often an adjective, whereas the latter is a noun, e.g., “la moitié de la classe” (half of the class).
The fractional number third is “tiers” in masculine and “tierce” in feminine, and the fractional number fourth is “quart,” e.g., “un tiers des produits” (a third of the products), “un quart des joueurs” (a fourth of the players), etc.
Fractional numbers from fifth and above are the same as the ordinal numbers, e.g., “un cinquième des ressources” (a fifth of the resources), etc. If the numerator is larger than one, the denominator is expressed in plural, e.g., 3/4 = “trois quarts.”
In numbers formed by an integer and a fraction, the “un” can be dropped only before 1/2 and 1/4, if preceded by an integer. For example, 1 ½ (un et demi), 3 ¼ (trois et quart), 2 1/3 (deux et un tiers), 5 ⅛ (cinq et un huitième). T
The collective numbers “une paire” (a pair) and “une douzaine” (a dozen) may also be used to describe quantities. The adjectives “double” and “triple” are used for “double” and “triple,” respectively.
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