Let us learn the cardinal numbers and counting in Portuguese. Here, we will learn how to count from 1 to 10 and beyond in Portuguese.
| um, uma | 1 | vinte e um | 21 | duzentos/-as | 200 |
| dois, duas | 2 | vinte e dois | 22 | trezentos/-as | 300 |
| três | 3 | vinte e três | 23 | quatrocentos/-as | 400 |
| quatro | 4 | trinta | 30 | quinhentos/-as | 500 |
| cinco | 5 | trinta e um | 31 | seiscentos/-as | 600 |
| seis | 6 | trinta e dois | 32 | setecentos/-as | 700 |
| sete | 7 | trinta e três | 33 | oitocentos/-as | 800 |
| oito | 8 | quarenta | 40 | novecentos/-as | 900 |
| nove | 9 | quarenta e um | 41 | mil | 1.000 |
| dez | 10 | quarenta e dois | 42 | dois mil | 2.000 |
| onze | 11 | cinquenta | 50 | três mil | 3.000 |
| doze | 12 | cinquenta e um | 51 | dez mil | 10.000 |
| treze | 13 | cinquenta e dois | 52 | cem mil | 100.000 |
| quatorze | 14 | sessenta | 60 | cem mil e um | 100.001 |
| quinze | 15 | setenta | 70 | cem mil e dez | 100.010 |
| dezesseis | 16 | oitenta | 80 | um milhão | 1.000.000 |
| dezessete | 17 | noventa | 90 | dois milhões | 2.000.000 |
| dezoito | 18 | cem | 100 | dez milhões | 10.000.000 |
| dezenove | 19 | cento e um | 101 | mil milhões (or) um bilhão | 1.000.000.000 |
| vinte | 20 | cento e dois | 102 | dois bilhões | 2.000.000.000 |
The Number “0”
The number “0” in Portuguese is “zero,” pronounced as “ze-ro.”
Numbers 1-999
The numbers “one” and “two” have distinct forms for masculine and feminine.
Numbers 16-19 are formed by contracting the combination of the tens and the units (dez + e + “seis, sete, … etc.”) into (dezesseis, dezessete, … etc.). Notice the doubling of the “s” in “dezesseis” and “dezessete,” and the dropping of “e” in “dezoito.”
The multiples of hundred (200-900) can have a masculine “-os” or a feminine “-as” ending depending on the nouns they describe, e.g., “duzentos livros” (200 books), “duzentas maçãs”(200 apples).
The word “cem” refers to the number 100 or thousand multiples of the number 100, e.g., “cem” (100), “cem mil” (100.000), “cem milhões” (100.000.000), etc.
Otherwise, if preceded or followed by a number, “cento” or “centos” must be used instead, e.g., “cento e um” (101), “trezentos” (300), etc.
The conjunction “e” meaning “and” is used between tens and units, either explicitly as in “trinta e quatro” (34) or in contracted form as in “dezenove” (19), i.e., “dez + e + nove.”
The conjunction “e” is used between hundreds and tens and between thousands and hundreds, e.g., “quatrocentos e cinquenta e um”(451), but not bewteen thousands and hundreds, e.g., “mil novecientos e cinquenta” (1950). However, we insert an “e” if the number is an exact multiple of one hundred, e.g., “mil e novecientos” (1900).
Thousands, Millions, and Beyond
In plural form, “mil” remains the same in singular and plural forms, e.g., “três mil” (3.000), whereas “milhão” becomes “milhões,” e.g., “oito milhões” (8.000.000), “cem milhões” (100.000.000), etc.
We use a comma to separate decimals and a period to separate thousands in Portuguese. For instance, the number 2.155,25 in Portuguese is equivalent to 2,155.25 in English.
When describing items in millions or billions, one must add “de” after “milhão,” “milhões,” “bilhão,” or “bilhões,” e.g., “um milhão de estudantes” (a million students), “dois milhões de habitantes” (two million inhabitants), etc.
Notice that in Portuguese, we cannot use the English way of expressing years, as in “nineteen eighty-three” (1983); that is, saying “dezenove, oitenta e três” is incorrect. The correct way is to say “mil novecentos e oitenta e três.”
Next: Subject Personal Pronouns
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