Spanish Numbers
1. Cardinal Numbers
Cardinal numbers are the basic numbers used for counting. Here are the numbers from 0 to 20, along with some key larger numbers:
0 - 20:
0: cero
1: uno
2: dos
3: tres
4: cuatro
5: cinco
6: seis
7: siete
8: ocho
9: nueve
10: diez
11: once
12: doce
13: trece
14: catorce
15: quince
16: dieciséis
17: diecisiete
18: dieciocho
19: diecinueve
20: veinte
Tens:
30: treinta
40: cuarenta
50: cincuenta
60: sesenta
70: setenta
80: ochenta
90: noventa
Hundreds:
100: cien (ciento when used in compound numbers, e.g., ciento uno)
200: doscientos
300: trescientos
400: cuatrocientos
500: quinientos
600: seiscientos
700: setecientos
800: ochocientos
900: novecientos
Thousands:
1,000: mil
2,000: dos mil
1,000,000: un millón
2,000,000: dos millones
Examples:
21: veintiuno
45: cuarenta y cinco
78: setenta y ocho
123: ciento veintitrés
1,500: mil quinientos
3,000,000: tres millones
2. Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal numbers indicate position or order. Here are the first ten ordinal numbers in Spanish:
1st: primero/a
2nd: segundo/a
3rd: tercero/a
4th: cuarto/a
5th: quinto/a
6th: sexto/a
7th: séptimo/a
8th: octavo/a
9th: noveno/a
10th: décimo/a
Examples:
Él es el primero en la fila. (He is the first in line.)
Esta es la tercera vez que visito España. (This is the third time I visit Spain.)
3. Gender and Agreement
In Spanish, ordinal numbers must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. For example, "primero" changes to "primera" for feminine nouns, and similarly for the other ordinal numbers.
Examples:
El primer día (The first day) [masculine singular]
La primera vez (The first time) [feminine singular]
Los primeros días (The first days) [masculine plural]
Las primeras veces (The first times) [feminine plural]
4. Large Numbers and Combinations
When dealing with large numbers, Spanish uses a period to separate thousands and a comma for decimals, which is the opposite of the English system.
Examples:
1,000: mil
1,500: mil quinientos
1,234,567: un millón doscientos treinta y cuatro mil quinientos sesenta y siete
3.14: tres coma catorce (3.14)
5. Using Numbers in Sentences
Here are some examples of how to use numbers in various contexts:
Examples:
Tengo dos perros. (I have two dogs.)
El concierto es a las siete. (The concert is at seven.)
Compré cinco manzanas. (I bought five apples.)
Ella vive en el octavo piso. (She lives on the eighth floor.)
