Do you know how to count in French? You may probably have heard that French numbers are tricky. Well, there is some truth in that.
Compared to English numbers, French numbers follow some logic that many of us quite don’t understand. They’re not as straightforward and even require we do some math. We will get into that later.
Adding to the confusion, we have to deal with the fact that numbers can vary a little between French-speaking countries. As if the numbers weren’t difficult enough, we can’t forget their pronunciation. They say in French you only pronounce half of the written word lol.
French numbers are tricky, but they’re not impossible to learn. Are you ready? Let’s jump right in!
Counting from 0 to 10
When we learn a new language, the first two things we always learn first are the alphabet and numbers. They’re the foundation for any new language learner.
Regarding numbers, the ones from 0 to 10 are not that complicated. If anything, people struggle with pronunciation, but other than that, they’re easy to learn. You can find them below.
0 – zéro
1 – un
2 – deux
3 – trois
4 – quatre
5 – cinq
6 – six
7 – sept
8 – huit
9 – neuf
10 – dix
Simple, right? Let’s continue.
Counting from 11 to 20
English numbers just add -teen at the end, except for eleven and twelve. Well, French teens are different. They rebel against such a rule.
Let’s take a look at them below.
11 – onze
12 – douze
13 – treize
14 – quatorze
15 – quinze
16 – seize
17 – dix-sept
18 – dix-huit
19 – dix-neuf
20 – vingt
As you can see, the only numbers that follow a similar pattern are the numbers between 17 and 19. They all use dix + another number (10 + 7, 10 + 8, 10 + 9). That makes sense.
Now, did you notice that some numbers are hyphenated? In 1990, the Académie française established this hyphenation rule for some compound numbers.
Counting from 21 to 69
The good news is these numbers follow a more uniform pattern as compared to the numbers preceding them. Let’s take a look.
21 – vingt et un
22 – vingt-deux
23 – vingt-trois
24 – vingt-quatre
25 – vingt-cinq
26 – vingt-six
27 – vingt-sept
28 – vingt-huit
29 – vingt-neuf
Did you notice that all numbers are hyphenated except for 21? In this case, we use et (and) instead of a hyphen. The same rule applies to 31, 41, 51, and 61. None of them is hyphenated.
What about the rest?
30 – trente
40 – quarante
50 – cinquante
60 – soixante
Let’s do a little exercise. With the information you just learned, how do you say 31? What about 43? 57? 68? You can see the answers at the bottom of this post.*
Counting from 70 to 79
Now, this is where things get a little bit more complicated. We saw some consistency between 21 and 69, but things change dramatically moving past 69.
70 – soixante-dix
71 – soixante et onze
72 – soixante-douze
73 – soixante-treize
74 – soixante-quatorze
75 – soixante-quinze
76 – soixante-seize
77 – soixante-dix-sept
78 – soixante-dix-huit
79 – soixante-dix-neuf
This is where many French learners get confused. These numbers don’t follow the pattern we saw previously. Instead, you have to do some math.
For starters, take a look at 70. Did you notice it’s a combination of 60 and 10? The same applies to the numbers following 70. Instead of adding 1, 2, or 3, we add 11, 12, 13, etc. to the base number.
Counting from 80 to 89
If you didn’t think things could get more complicated, I’m sorry to burst your bubble. The French number system is peculiar in this respect. Let me explain.
If 79 is soixante-dix-neuf, we could assume 80 is soixante-vingt, right? Wrong!
We have to do more math. 80 is quatre-vingts (four times twenty or 4×20). English had a similar equivalent: fourscore. It fell out of use in English, but the French preserved it.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the numbers.
80 – quatre-vingts
81 – quatre-vingt-un
82 – quatre-vingt-deux
83 – quatre-vingt-trois
84 – quatre-vingt-quatre
85 – quatre-vingt-cinq
86 – quatre-vingt-six
87 – quatre-vingt-sept
88 – quatre-vingt-huit
89 – quatre-vingt-neuf
Did you notice 80 has the plural form of 20? It’s not pronounced, but we don’t use the singular form here. For the rest, drop the s.
Also, did you notice we don’t use et for 81? Instead, we just hyphen it as we do with other compound numbers.
Counting from 90 to 99
With so many exceptions, you may now be wondering what these numbers are like. I don’t blame you.
We still have to do some math, but the good news is numbers past 89 don’t change dramatically. In fact, they are somewhat consistent with their predecessors. Let’s take a look.
90 – quatre-vingt-dix
91 – quatre-vingt-onze
92 – quatre-vingt-douze
93 – quatre-vingt-treize
94 – quatre-vingt-quatorze
95 – quatre-vingt-quinze
96 – quatre-vingt-seize
97 – quatre-vingt-dix-sept
98 – quatre-vingt-dix-huit
99 – quatre-vingt-dix-neuf
As you can see, the numbers here start adding 11, 12, 13, etc. The base number is 80 (4×20), and then we add another number to it. Based on this, 90 is 4×20+10, 91 is 4×20+11, 92 is 4×20+12, and so on.
As a recap, you can watch the video below to practice what you just learned.
Numbers in Other French-Speaking Countries
Although French is spoken in 29 countries, there are some differences when it comes to their number system. In countries like Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg, they count numbers differently. Take a look below.
70 – septante
71 – septante et un
72 – septante-deux
73 – septante-trois
74 – septante-quatre
75 – septante-cinq
76 – septante-six
77 – septante-sept
78 – septante-huit
79 – septante-neuf
80 – huitante
81 – hutante et un
82 – huitante-deux
…
For 80, they also use octante in some regions.
90 – nonante
91 – nonante et un
92 – nonante-deux
…
Numbers in those countries are much simpler, right? Just be advised that most French speakers use the first form. They understand if you use the second way, but I recommend learning numbers the way they say them in France.
Conclusion
Wow! You learned a lot today. Yes, numbers in French are a little complicated and require practice, but numbers beyond 99 are easier. If you learn the numbers from 0 to 99, especially 70 to 99, the rest will be a piece of cake.
The only recommendation I can give you is practice, practice, practice! Remember practice makes perfect. If you practice diligently, you will learn the French numbers in no time.
That’s it for today. I hope you liked this post. If you did, please don’t forget to like and share it. Au revoir!
* 31 is trente et un, 43 is quarante-trois, 57 is cinquante-sept, and 68 is soixante-huit.
Trying to read these numbers in French I think I might just break my tongue. I wonder if I’ll ever get to have that accent and way of saying words in French that the French have.
But still I am in love with this language I find it to be one of the most interesting and likely enjoyable languages to speak. For now I guess I’ll be satisfied with vingt-deux because that is my date of birth.
Hey, Donny,
The French pronunciation is hard for many, especially when it involves sounds that don’t exist in their native languages. Speaking without an accent is like a dream come true, but it requires hard work. I’ll talk about that subject soon.
Thanks for commenting.
That was quite the French lesson! I speak some Spanish, so it was fun to see the similarities with some of the number words, though the pronunciations are very different! I did find it interesting that as the numbers get higher, they get a little more complicated and even require you to do some math. Learning and mastering numbers in French will keep you on your toes.
I agree, practice is crucial when learning anything new, particularly a new language! Thank you for explaining the break down of each set of numbers. I wouldn’t have been able to figure out each part on my own!
Are there any specific books/learning tools you would recommend to someone wanting to learn more of the French language?
Hi, Heidi,
Yes, there are some similarities between French and Spanish since they’re both Romance languages. However, as you mentioned, numbers in French are more complicated, especially the ones between 70 and 99.
Answering your question, there is a good book on Amazon called Easy French. It’s very easy to follow. Additionally, you can use other online tools to learn and practice. Many of them are free! You can check out this post.
Feel free to come back anytime to check our new content. Thanks for commenting.
The way you’ve set this lesson out is impressive. You’ve actually managed to make it sound fun. I learnt French at school but have forgotten most of it if I’m honest. I learnt Portuguese as an adult and there are lots of similarities with the way their numbers work. I’m guessing it’s the Latin base.
You’ve made it very straightforward and easy to remember. Great post.
Hey, Debbie,
Glad you liked it! Learning a language should be fun.
As you mentioned, there are many similarities between Portuguese and French, although I would say Portuguese and Spanish are more closely related.
Thanks for stopping by.
I studied French at high school for a short time and remember counting those numbers for one to ten. Your article reminded me of how to name the numbers greater than ten by using the composites. I enjoyed going back over this. I think we used a different naming from that used below such as the seventies. Thank you for the trip down memory lane
Hi, JJ,
Glad to help! Have you considered retaking French?
Languages continually evolve. The numbers as we know them today might be different in let’s say 50 years. Who knows?
Thanks for stopping by.