Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers in Spanish: Tips on how to Depend to 10,000

The first number in Spanish deserves its own explanation since it’s special: it has one feminine and two masculine versions! Remember to use un for a singular masculine noun (un coche — “a car”) and una for a singular feminine noun (una razón — a reason).

Uno is only used when actually counting, so it’s less common.

2 — dos
3 — tres
4 — cuatro
5 — cinco
6 — seis
7 — siete
8 — ocho
9 — nueve
10 — diez

The numbers from 11 to 20 are quite irregular:

11 — once
12 — doce
13 — trece
14 — catorce
15 — quince
16 — dieciséis
17 — diecisiete
18 — dieciocho
19 — diecinueve
20 — veinte

Examples

Tengo dos (2) hijos. (I have two children.)

Es catorce (14) de noviembre. (It’s the 14th of November.)

Si aún no tienes dieciocho (18) años, no puedes comprar alcohol en España. (If you aren’t 18 years old yet, you cannot buy alcohol in Spain.)

Es un teléfono muy barato. ¡Sólo cuesta cinco (5) euros! (It’s a very cheap phone. It only costs five euros!)

Into the 20s

The formula for counting from 20 to 30 is similar to what you might have noticed about numbers 16, 17, 18 and 19. To count beyond 20, you use a shortened version of veinte + y + number. Check it out in action:

Examples

Él no para de hablar de sus aventuras de cuando tenía veintiocho (28) años. (He won’t stop talking about his adventures from when he was 28 years old.)

Tengo veintidós (22) dólares, pero la falda cuesta veintitrés (23) dólares. (I have 22 dollars, but the skirt costs 23 dollars.)

Viajé a Argentina el veintiséis (26) de abril. (I traveled to Argentina on the 26th April.)

Todos tienen veinticuatro (24) horas en su día, pero algunos las usan mejor que otros. (All people have 24 hours in their day, but some use them better than others.)

30s, 40s and Beyond

The logic that applied to the 20s also applies to the 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond until 100. The first and most important step is knowing the following numbers by heart:

Once you get comfortable with these numbers, you’re free to apply the following logic: main number + y + secondary number. For instance:

41 — cuarenta y uno
73 — setenta y tres
32 — treinta y dos
54 — cincuenta y cuatro
82 — ochenta y dos
99 — noventa y nueve

Examples

Tengo noventa y nueve (99) problemas, pero el dinero no es uno. (I’ve got 99 problems, but money isn’t one.)

Mi abuela tiene ochenta y cinco (85) años—ya no puede correr rápido. (My grandma is 85 years old—she can’t run fast anymore.)

Mido un metro ochenta (1,80). (I am 1.80 meters in height.)

¡No tenemos tiempo! El autobús sale dentro de treinta (30) minutos. (We don’t have time! The bus departs in 30 minutes.)

Exploring the 100s in Spanish

On its own, the number 100 is cien. However, when you want to associate this number with others, you do not use y. Instead, you use ciento:

The happens with all the hundreds. Here they are up to 900:

200 — doscientos
300 — trescientos
400 — cuatrocientos
500 — quinientos
600 — seiscientos
700 — setecientos
800 — ochocientos
900 — novecientos

To name any three-digit number, simply note the number in the hundreds digit then add the rest of the number after it as you learned earlier in this post:

201 — doscientos uno
354 — trescientos cincuenta y cuatro
402 — cuatrocientos dos
560 —quinientos sesenta
806 — ochocientos seis
910 — novecientos diez

Examples

Hay ciento noventa y cinco (195) países en el mundo. (There are 195 countries in the world.)

Aquí están las llaves de la habitación doscientos cuatro (204). (Here are the keys for room 204.)

Examples

Estamos en dos mil diecinueve (2019). (We’re in 2019.)

Se cree que hay siete mil noventa y siete (7,097) lenguas en el mundo. (It’s believed that there are 7,097 languages in the world.)

Si tuviera diez mil (10,000) dólares, renunciaría a mi trabajo mañana. (If I had 10,000 dollars, I’d quit my job tomorrow.)

Un cocodrilo puede pesar hasta mil cuarenta y tres (1,043) kilogramos. (A crocodile can weigh up to 1,043 kg.)

Spanish Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers are used to indicate the position of something, or the order in which something appears. These numbers need to be modified to match both the gender and the number of the noun they are referring to. The Spanish ordinal numbers 1-9 are as follows:

You can say the numbers in the tens like this:

Décimo — tenth
Vigésimo — twentieth
Trigésimo — thirtieth
Cuadragésimo — fortieth
Quincuagésimo — fiftieth
Sexagésimo — sixtieth
Septuagésimo — seventieth
Octogésimo — eightieth
Nonagésimo — ninetieth
Centésimo — hundredth

For any number in between, you just take the relevant tens number, and add an ordinal number from 1-9. Here are some examples:

Trigésimo tercero — thirty-third
Cuadragésimo noveno — forty-ninth
Sexagésimo séptimo — sixty-seventh
Octogésimo quinto — eighty-fifth
Nonagésimo sexto — ninety-sixth

Bonus: The Best Strategies to Learn Numbers in Spanish!

Here are some study tips to help you learn numbers in Spanish and actually use them, rather than avoiding them like the plague.

Choose Relevance, not Cramming

There’s a better way than just memorizing lists! It’s way smarter to start by answering these questions:

• How old are you?
• What’s your year of birth?
• What’s the current year?
• What’s your height/weight?
• What’s your ID/passport number?
• What day is it today? Tomorrow? Yesterday?

When learning Spanish, it’s crucial that you avoid overwhelming yourself by focusing on numbers and information that are relevant to you, first!

Use Flashcards

Flashcards are a learner’s best friend whether you’re a fan of paper or digital tools. You have two options here:

1. Direct translations: On one side of the flashcard, write the number in English. On the other side, write the number in Spanish. Study these flashcards regularly until you know the numbers by heart.

2. Images rather than translations: On one side of the flashcard, place an image that represents a given number. On the other side of the card, write that number in Spanish. You now have visual cues rather than words in English.