Spanish 2.9. Ordinal Numbers I

Level I 1. Alphabet & Pronunciation 1.1. Syllable Stress 2. Similarities to English 2.1. Plural 2.2. Negation 2.3. Punctuation & Written Accents 3. Cardinal Numbers 4. Subject Personal Pronouns 5. Present Indicative Tense I 6. The Articles 7. Prepositions 8. Interrogative Pronouns & Adjectives 9. Basic Phrases Level II 1. Gender of Nouns & Adjectives 2. Present Indicative Tense II – Irregular Verbs 3. The Verb “To Be”: “Ser” vs. “Estar” 4. Future Tense 5. Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns 6. Demonstrative Adjectives & Pronouns 7. Object Personal Pronouns 7.1. Combining Direct & Indirect Object Personal Pronouns 8. Relative Pronouns 9. Ordinal Numbers I 10. Times & Seasons Level III 1. Verbs Like “Gustar” 2. “Por” vs. “Para” 3. The Verb “To Know”: “Saber” vs. “Conocer” 4. Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns 5. Present Progressive Tense 6. Present Perfect Tense 7. Special Uses of “Haber” & “Tener” 8. Telling Time & Describing Weather 9. Adverbs 9.1. The Adverbs “Tan,” “Solo,” “También,” “Tampoco,” “Vez,” & “Veces” 9.2. Other Adverbs & Adverbial Phrases 10. Directions Level IV 1. Degrees of Comparison: Comparatives & Superlatives 2. Past Tense: Preterite vs. Imperfect 3. Conjunctions 4. Reflexive Pronouns & Verbs 5. The Verb “Soler” 6. Time Expressions: Todavía, Aún, Ya, Hace, Acabar, & Desde 7. Present Subjunctive Tense I 8. Personal “a” 9. Future Perfect Tense Level V 1. Irregular Verbs in The Preterite 2. Imperative Mood & Giving Commands 3. Expressions of Pain & Illness 4. Simple Conditional Tense 5. Present Subjunctive Tense II 6. Perfect Subjunctive Tense 7. Imperfect Subjunctive Tense 8. Past & Conditional Progressive Tenses 9. Interjections Level VI 1. Ordinal Numbers II 2. “Would/Should/Could Have …” 3. Pluperfect Indicative Tense 4. Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense 5. Use of “Aunque,” “Si Bien,” and “A Pesar de” 6. Verbs of Change 7. Reflexive Passive, Impersonal, & Accidental “Se” 8. Diminutives & Augmentatives 9. Use of “Vos” in Some Spanish-Speaking Countries 10. Uses of “Ojalá” in Spanish
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In Spanish, ordinal numbers describe the order of a noun. Thus, it is considered an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the noun. Here are the ordinal numbers from 1 to 10.

uno, una1primer(o), primera      1.o / 1.a
dos2segundo, segunda2.o / 2.a
tres3tercer(o), tercera3.o / 3.a
cuatro4cuarto, cuarta4.o / 4.a
cinco5quinto, quinta5.o / 5.a
seis6sexto, sexta6.o / 6.a
siete7séptimo, séptima7.o / 7.a
ocho8octavo, octava8.o / 8.a
nueve9noveno, novena9.o / 9.a
diez10décimo, décima10.o / 10.a

When the masculine form “primero” or “tercero” comes before a noun, we drop the final “o,” e.g., “Es el primero” (He is the first) versus “Es el primer atleta” (He is the first athlete).

Abbreviation

The ordinal numbers are abbreviated as follows:

1. Feminine:

cardinal number + “ . ” + “ a

e.g., “primera” (1.a), “cuarta” (4.a), “novena” (9.a).

2. Masculine:

cardinal number + “ . ” + “ o

e.g., “primero” (1.o), “cuarto” (4.o), “noveno” (9.o),

The exceptions are “primer” (1.er), and “tercer” (3.er), which use the superscript “er” instead of “o.”

Describing Dates in Spanish

Unlike in English, where dates are described using ordinal numbers, e.g., “the 24th of October, in Spanish, dates are expressed using cardinal numbers, e.g., “el 24 de octubre.”

A notable exception is the first day of the month, in which case we can use either the ordinal or the cardinal number, e.g., “el primero de noviembre” or “el uno de noviembre.”

The use of the ordinal number “primero” is more common in Latin America, whereas the use of the cardinal number “uno” is more common in Spain.

Fractional Numbers

Fractional numbers from fourth to tenth are the same as the ordinal number, e.g., “un cuarto de los jugadores” (a fourth of the players), “un quinto de los recursos” (a fifth of the resources).

To describe the fractional number 1/2 (half), we use the adjective “medio” (masculine) or “media” (feminine), e.g., “medio kilo(half a kilo), “media hora(half an hour), “medio camino(half way).

We also use the feminine noun “mitad” to describe half the quantity of something, and it is often followed by “de,” e.g., “la mitad de la tierra(half of the land).

The main difference that you need to remember to distinguish between “medio” and “mitad” is that the former is often an adjective, and in a few cases, can be an adverb, e.g., “a medias(halfway or half-finished). In contrast, the latter is always a noun, e.g., “la mitad de la clase(half of the class).   

The fractional number 1/3 (third) is “tercio” (not tercero), e.g., “un tercio de la población” (a third of the population).

The “un” can be dropped before 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 if preceded by an integer, e.g., 1 ½ (uno y medio), 5 ¼ (cinco y cuarto).

We cover higher ordinal numbers and fractions in Level VI, Lesson 1.

Quiz: Ordinal Numbers in Spanish I

Spanish: Ordinal Numbers I

1 / 16

1. The masculine form of the ordinal number tenth 10.o is:

SP:

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

2 / 16

2. a third of the population

un de la población

3 / 16

3. The masculine form of the ordinal number ninth 9.o is:

SP:

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

4 / 16

4. The feminine form of the ordinal number eighth 8.a is:

SP:

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

5 / 16

5. Match the correct answer to fill in the blanks meaning "third":

tercer, tercero, tercera?

 

Él es el .    (He is the third.)

 

Él es el cliente.    (He is the third client.)

 

Ella es la cliente.    (She is the third client.)

 

 

 

6 / 16

6. 5 ¼

SP: cinco y ___

7 / 16

7. the fifth of October

SP: el ___ de octubre

8 / 16

8. The masculine form of the ordinal number seventh 7.o is:

SP:

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

9 / 16

9. The feminine form of the ordinal number sixth 6.a is:

SP:

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

10 / 16

10. 1 ½

SP: uno y ___

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11. the first of November

SP: el ___ de noviembre

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12. Fill in the blanks:

He is the first.

SP: Es el .

He is the first athlete.

SP: Es el atelta.

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13. a fourth of the players

un de los jugadores

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14. a fifth of the resources

un  de los recursos

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15. Fill in the blanks with the correct word: "medio", "media", or "mitad"

  1. cubo    (half a cube)
  2. la de la tierra     (half of the land)
  3. hora     (half an hour)
  4. la de la clase    (half of the class)

16 / 16

16. 2 1/3

SP: dos y ___

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