When you’re learning French numbers, you get a lot of reward for your effort. You only need to know around 30 different words to be able to say numbers from 0 to 100. This supports a lot of beginner learner goals, like being able to understand and talk about dates, times, prices, addresses, weather, transportation routes, and so much more.
The trick to learning to use numbers in French is to understand its unique system of counting. You’ll recognize some simple patterns right away, but there are a couple of surprises when you get to seventy and above. We’ll break down everything you need to know to master French numbers from 1-100, and well beyond.
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Learn these 29 words to count to 100 in French
If you can learn fewer than 30 unique vocabulary words, you can count to 100 in French. This chart shows the French numbers 1-20 and the tens up to 100, all of which you’ll need to know as part of the French number system.
| Number | French Name | Approximate Pronunciation |
| 0 | zéro | zeh-roh |
| 1 | un | uhn |
| 2 | deux | deuh |
| 3 | trois | twah |
| 4 | quatre | kat |
| 5 | cinq | sank |
| 6 | six | seess |
| 7 | sept | set |
| 8 | huit | weet |
| 9 | neuf | neuhf |
| 10 | dix | deess |
| 11 | onze | ownz |
| 12 | douze | dooz |
| 13 | treize | trehz |
| 14 | quatorze | katorz |
| 15 | quinze | canz |
| 16 | seize | sehz |
| 17 | dix-sept | deess-set |
| 18 | dix-huit | deess-wheet |
| 19 | dix-neuf | deess-neuhf |
| 20 | vingt | vahn |
| 30 | trente | tront |
| 40 | quarante | kahront |
| 50 | cinquante | sankont |
| 60 | soixante | swahsont |
| 70 | soixante-dix | swahsont-dix |
| 80 | quatre vingts | kaht-ruh vahn |
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix | kaht-ruh-vingt deess |
| 100 | cent | sohnt |
Memorize the unique names of French numbers 1-10 first
As you learn the numbers in French, you’ll want to memorize the unique names of the numbers 1-10 because they’ll be used again and again in larger numbers. Practice saying the numbers repeatedly as you count the stairs you walk up and down, the dishes you put away, or any other everyday task. This repetition will help them stick!
| Number | French Name | Approximate Pronunciation |
| 1 | un | uhn |
| 2 | deux | deuh |
| 3 | trois | twah |
| 4 | quatre | kat |
| 5 | cinq | sank |
| 6 | six | seess |
| 7 | sept | set |
| 8 | huit | weet |
| 9 | neuf | neuhf |
| 10 | dix | deess |
French numbers 11-29 have familiar names and start using a system
Numbers in French from 11-16 also have unique names, like 1-10, so you’ll want to learn those as individual vocabulary words, too. Once you’ve mastered the first 10 numbers, you’ll see some similarity between un (1) and onze (11), deux (2) and douze (12), trois (3) and treize (13), and quatre (4) and quatorze (14). One way I help my students remember the odd number out here is the phrase “you can remember quinze” (15, pronounced “canz”) because of how unique it is!
When you get to 17, 18, and 19, these French numbers use dix (ten) and the second digit’s name with a hyphen between the two words, so 17 is dix-sept (ten-seven) because 10+7=17.
| Number | French Name | Approximate Pronunciation |
| 11 | onze | ownz |
| 12 | douze | dooz |
| 13 | treize | trehz |
| 14 | quatorze | katorz |
| 15 | quinze | canz |
| 16 | seize | sehz |
| 17 | dix-sept | deess-set |
| 18 | dix-huit | deess-wheet |
| 19 | dix-neuf | deess-neuhf |
To practice these numbers, write out the date every day of the week in French using both the number and the number name. Start with the number, then add the month. If it were July 22, you’d write le 22 (vingt-deux) juillet. You can build a routine of simple journaling in French, or just make your own monthly calendars as you progress.
French numbers 20-29 all start with vingt (20)
The number 20 in French is vingt, pronounced vahn with a nasal vowel (you don’t pronounce the “-ngt” in most cases), and then the rest of the numbers up to 29 follow an easy pattern. Each number starts with vingt and ends with the second digit’s name. If you want to say 27, you’ll say vingt (twenty) and then sept (seven): vingt-sept.
The number 21 is the first time you will see -et-un for two-digit numbers ending in one. The word et means “and.” You don’t say et to add other digits.
| Number | French Name | Approximate Pronunciation |
| 20 | vingt | vahn |
| 21 | vingt-et-un | vahn-tay-uhn |
| 22 | vingt-deux | vahn-deuh |
| 23 | vingt-trois | vahn-twah |
| 24 | vingt-quatre | vahn-kat |
| 25 | vingt-cinq | vahn-sank |
| 26 | vingt-six | vahn-seess |
| 27 | vingt-sept | vahn-set |
| 28 | vingt-huit | vahn-weet |
| 29 | vingt-neuf | vahn-neuhf |
Anytime you’re waiting for something, try counting in French in your head. You can do it when you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting for something to cook in the microwave, or waiting for your train.
French numbers 30-39 all start with trente (30)
The French word for 30 is trente, pronounced tront. The “en” is pronounced like a nasal vowel, but this time you will say the “nt” to follow French pronunciation rules. With only this new number, you’ll follow the same rules and pattern as you did with the 20s to form all the numbers in the 30s.
| Number | French Name | Approximate Pronunciation |
| 30 | trente | tront |
| 31 | trente-et-un | tron-tay-uhn |
| 32 | trente-deux | tront-deuh |
| 33 | trente-trois | tront-twah |
| 34 | trente-quatre | tront-kat |
| 35 | trente-cinq | tront-sank |
| 36 | trente-six | tront-seess |
| 37 | trente-sept | tront-set |
| 38 | trente-huit | tront-weet |
| 39 | trente-neuf | tront-neuhf |
Now is a great time to learn the months of the year in French because, now that you know 30 and 31, you can say any date. You’ll be able to talk about birthdays, French holidays, and events on the calendrier (calendar).
French numbers 40-49 all start with quarante (40)
The French word for 40 is quarante, pronounced kahront. Like trente, you pronounce the final consonants. You’ll follow the same rules and pattern as you did with the 20s and 30s to form all the numbers in the 40s.
| Number | French Name | Approximate Pronunciation |
| 40 | quarante | kahront |
| 41 | quarante-et-un | kahron-tay-uhn |
| 42 | quarante-deux | kahront-deuh |
| 43 | quarante-trois | kahront-twah |
| 44 | quarante-quatre | kahront-kat |
| 45 | quarante-cinq | kahront-sank |
| 46 | quarante-six | kahront-seess |
| 47 | quarante-sept | kahront-set |
| 48 | quarante-huit | kahront-weet |
| 49 | quarante-neuf | kahront-neuhf |
To get better practice with higher numbers, don’t just count in sequence: Mix up the numbers as you learn them. Try skip counting by evens and odds, by threes, fives, backwards, etc. That way, you’re more likely to know each individual number by name, and not just the order they follow.
French numbers 50-59 all start with cinquante (50)
The French word for 50 is cinquante, pronounced sangkont. The same rules and patterns as the 20s, 30s, and 40s will help you form all the numbers in the 50s.
| Number | French Name | Approximate Pronunciation |
| 50 | cinquante | sangkont |
| 51 | cinquante-et-un | sangkon-tay-uhn |
| 52 | cinquante-deux | sangkont-deuh |
| 53 | cinquante-trois | sangkont-twah |
| 54 | cinquante-quatre | sangkont-kat |
| 55 | cinquante-cinq | sangkont-sank |
| 56 | cinquante-six | sangkont-seess |
| 57 | cinquante-sept | sangkont-set |
| 58 | cinquante-huit | sangkont-weet |
| 59 | cinquante-neuf | sangkont-neuhf |
You now have all of the numbers you need to say any specific time on the clock. Learn to tell time in French, and you can say the time out loud anytime you notice a clock, you can say what times trains and airplanes arrive and depart, and you can be helpful when French speakers ask “Quelle heure est-il ?” (What time is it?)
French numbers 60-69 all start with soixante (60)
The French word for 60 is soixante, pronounced swahsont. Continue counting with the same two-digit pattern that you have so far.
| Number | French Name | Approximate Pronunciation |
| 60 | soixante | swahsont |
| 61 | soixante-et-un | swahson-tay-uhn |
| 62 | soixante-deux | swahsont-deuh |
| 63 | soixante-trois | swahsont-twah |
| 64 | soixante-quatre | swahsont-kat |
| 65 | soixante-cinq | swahsont-sank |
| 66 | soixante-six | swahsont-seess |
| 67 | soixante-sept | swahsont-set |
| 68 | soixante-huit | swahsont-weet |
| 69 | soixante-neuf | swahsont-neuhf |
You can count your steps or reps in French as you work out. Learning while moving can help you remember vocabulary.
The rules start to change with French numbers 70-79
The number 70 in French is when the rules start to change. Instead of having a unique name for 70, you’ll use soixante (sixty) and dix (ten) because 60+10=70. After soixante-dix (seventy), you’ll keep tacking numbers 10 through 19 on the end of 60 to form numbers in the 70s.
If you think of each like the math equation we just shared, it will help you remember these numbers. For example, for 77, you’ll use the words for 60+10+7 = 77 or 60+17.
| Number | French Name | Approximate Pronunciation |
| 70 | soixante-dix | swahsont-deess |
| 71 | soixante-et-onze | swahson-tay-ownz |
| 72 | soixante-douze | swahsont-dooz |
| 73 | soixante-treize | swahsont-trehz |
| 74 | soixante-quatorze | swahsont-katorz |
| 75 | soixante-quinze | swahsont-canz |
| 76 | soixante-seize | swahsont-sehz |
| 77 | soixante-dix-sept | swahsont-deess-set |
| 78 | soixante-dix-huit | swahsont-deess-wheet |
| 79 | soixante-dix-neuf | swahsont-deess-neuhf |
French numbers 80-89 use a multiplication formula
The name for 80 in French is quatre-vingts, which literally translates to “four twenties.” This is another surprising mathematical pattern in the French number system, where 4×20=80. From 81-89, you’ll use quatre-vingt with a hyphen and the name of each single digit.
You already know how to pronounce quatre and vingt, but you’re more likely to hear the “re” in quatre when it’s followed by vingt. Also notice the absence of et in the number 81.
| Number | French Name | Approximate Pronunciation |
| 80 | quatre-vingts | kat-ruh-vahn |
| 81 | quatre-vingt-un | kat-ruh-vahn-uhn |
| 82 | quatre-vingt-deux | kat-ruh-vahn-deuh |
| 83 | quatre-vingt-trois | kat-ruh-vahn-twah |
| 84 | quatre-vingt-quatre | kat-ruh-vahn-kat |
| 85 | quatre-vingt-cinq | kat-ruh-vahn-sank |
| 86 | quatre-vingt-six | kat-ruh-vahn-seess |
| 87 | quatre-vingt-sept | kat-ruh-vahn-set |
| 88 | quatre-vingt-huit | kat-ruh-vahn-weet |
| 89 | quatre-vingt-neuf | kat-ruh-vahn-neuhf |
French numbers 90-99 use quatre-vingt (80) as their base
This set of numbers uses quatre-vingt (80) as the base and adds numbers from 10-19 to form numbers 90-99. Again, thinking in math terms, you’re going to use an equation like 80+ another number to form each number name. For example, 80+10=90, so the number name for 90 is quatre-vingt-dix (eighty-ten).
| Number | French Name | Approximate Pronunciation |
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix | kat-ruh-vahn-deess |
| 91 | quatre-vingt-onze | kat-ruh-vahn-ownz |
| 92 | quatre-vingt-douze | kat-ruh-vahn-dooz |
| 93 | quatre-vingt-treize | kat-ruh-vahn-trehz |
| 94 | quatre-vingt-quatorze | kat-ruh-vahn-katorz |
| 95 | quatre-vingt-quinze | kat-ruh-vahn-canz |
| 96 | quatre-vingt-seize | kat-ruh-vahn-sehz |
| 97 | quatre-vingt-dix-sept | kat-ruh-vahn-deess-set |
| 98 | quatre-vingt-dix-huit | kat-ruh-vahn-deess-wheet |
| 99 | quatre-vingt-dix-neuf | kat-ruh-vahn-deess-neuhf |
Now you can talk about specific prices, down to the cent. Count all your centimes (cents) in French when you pay for something. You can also pay attention to pour cent (percent) in discounts and data.
French numbers 70, 80, and 90 are different in some dialects
If you’re traveling to a French-speaking country outside of France, there are a couple of big differences in how to say certain numbers. The Swiss French numbers and Belgian French numbers have some key differences from French numbers in France.
| Number | French | Swiss French | Belgian French |
| 70 | soixante-dix | septante | septante |
| 80 | quatre-vingts | huitante | quatre-vingts |
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix | nonante | nonante |
French numbers 100 and above follow familiar patterns
When you reach 100, there are a few more key French words for numbers. The French word for 100 is cent, pronounced sohn, again, with that French nasal vowel. If you remember that a century is 100 years, it will help you remember how to say 100 in French.
To form numbers in the hundreds in French, start with how many hundreds, then add the next numbers. You’ll notice that numbers with hyphens keep their hyphens, but you don’t add any hyphens between cent and the number. Don’t stress about when to put the extra “s” on cent or where exactly to hyphenate or not for now. These details aren’t pronounced, numbers are typically not written out as words, and with enough exposure to authentic French, you will pick up on those finer details when you need to.
| Number | French Name |
| 101 | cent un |
| 110 | cent dix |
| 165 | cent soixante-cinq |
| 175 | cent soixante-quinze |
| 185 | cent quatre-vingt-cinq |
| 195 | cent quatre-vingt-quinze |
| 200 | deux cents |
If you’ve mastered counting to the hundreds, you can move on to learning French counting in the thousands, millions, and billions.
- The French word for “thousand” is mille. (This doesn’t take an s at the end, even when it’s over one thousand)
- The French word for “million” is million.
- The French word for “billion” is milliard.
Now you can say years in French as well.
- 1999: mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf.
- 2026: deux mille vingt-six
Ordinal numbers in French
Ordinal numbers put things in order, like deuxième (second), troisième (third), and so on. Like the English abbreviations, “2nd, 3rd, 4th,” French also has abbreviations. Most of the numbers use “e” after the numeral, like 3e, 4e, 5e.
| French Abbreviation | French Name | Approximate Pronunciation |
| 1er/1re | premier/première | preuh-myay/preuh-myair |
| 2e | deuxième | deuh-zyem |
| 3e | troisième | twah-zyem |
| 4e | quatrième | kat-ryem |
| 5e | cinquième | sank-eeyem |
| 6e | sixième | see-zyem |
| 7e | septième | set-eeyem |
| 8e | huitième | weet-eeyem |
| 9e | neuvième | neuh-vyem |
| 10e | dixième | dee-zyem |
You may also hear second(e) for “second.” The abbreviation would be 2d/2de in this case.
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