Grammar / A1 : Beginner / Cardinal numbers
Cardinal numbers
0 to 1000: reading and saying numbers.
Straightforward up to 69, then unexpected
Numbers in French are mostly predictable up to 69. From 70 onwards, the language switches to a system based on addition and multiplication rather than unique words. Soixante-dix means literally "sixty-ten". Quatre-vingts means "four-twenties". Quatre-vingt-dix means "four-twenty-ten". This is unusual among Western European languages and surprises almost everyone encountering it for the first time: but it follows its own logic perfectly, and once understood it is not forgotten.
Numbers are unavoidable from day one: prices, ages, addresses, phone numbers, dates. This lesson covers the full system from 0 to a billion, along with the spelling rules that produce the most errors in writing.
1. 0 to 20
These twenty-one numbers have no internal pattern; they must be memorised individually. They are the foundation of everything that follows.
💡 Pronunciation notes for 1-20:
cinq /sɛ̃k/ (the k is always pronounced) · six, dix (final consonant pronounced in isolation (/sis/, /dis/), silent before a consonant (six personnes = /si/), voiced before a vowel (six amis = /siz/))
huit /ɥit/ (the t is always pronounced) · neuf /nœf/ in isolation, but /nœv/ before a vowel: neuf heures = /nœv œʁ/
vingt /vɛ̃/ alone, but the t is pronounced in 21-29: vingt et un = /vɛ̃t e œ̃/
2. 21 to 69 : the regular section
From 21 to 69, compound numbers are formed by combining a ten with a unit. A hyphen connects the parts. When the unit is 1, et is inserted and no hyphen is used.
| Tens | + 1 (et un) | + 2 | + 5 | + 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 vingt | vingt et un | vingt-deux | vingt-cinq | vingt-neuf |
| 30 trente | trente et un | trente-deux | trente-cinq | trente-neuf |
| 40 quarante | quarante et un | quarante-deux | quarante-cinq | quarante-neuf |
| 50 cinquante | cinquante et un | cinquante-deux | cinquante-cinq | cinquante-neuf |
| 60 soixante | soixante et un | soixante-deux | soixante-cinq | soixante-neuf |
The et rule: et appears only before un, and only in 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 and 71. It never appears before any other unit and never in 81 or 91.
✓ vingt et un · trente et un · soixante et un
✓ vingt-deux · quarante-cinq · cinquante-huit (hyphen, no et)
✓ quatre-vingt-un (no et in 81) · quatre-vingt-onze (no et in 91)
3. 70 to 99 : the unexpected section
This is the part of French numbers that has no equivalent in most other European languages. Instead of dedicated words for 70, 80 and 90, French builds these numbers through addition (70 = 60+10) and multiplication (80 = 4×20).
70-79: soixante + ten
There is no separate word for 70. French counts onward from 60: soixante-dix (60+10), soixante-onze (60+11), and so on through soixante-dix-neuf (60+19). Note that 71 uses et: soixante et onze.
| Number | French | Logic |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | soixante-dix | 60 + 10 |
| 71 | soixante et onze | 60 + 11 (et because of onze) |
| 72 | soixante-douze | 60 + 12 |
| 75 | soixante-quinze | 60 + 15 |
| 79 | soixante-dix-neuf | 60 + 19 |
80-89: quatre-vingts (4 × 20)
80 is quatre-vingts (four-twenties). When another number follows, the -s on vingts disappears. There is no et anywhere in this range.
| Number | French | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | quatre-vingts | -s on vingts when nothing follows |
| 81 | quatre-vingt-un | -s disappears, no et |
| 82 | quatre-vingt-deux | -s disappears |
| 85 | quatre-vingt-cinq | |
| 89 | quatre-vingt-neuf |
90-99: quatre-vingt-dix (4×20 + 10)
90 continues the same logic: quatre-vingt-dix (4×20+10). The -s is already absent because a number follows. No et in this range.
| Number | French | Logic |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix | 4×20 + 10 |
| 91 | quatre-vingt-onze | 4×20 + 11 (no et here) |
| 95 | quatre-vingt-quinze | 4×20 + 15 |
| 99 | quatre-vingt-dix-neuf | 4×20 + 19 |
⚠ The two most common errors in the 70-99 range:
1. Writing quatre-vingts-un instead of quatre-vingt-un: the -s disappears whenever a number follows quatre-vingts.
2. Adding et in 81 or 91: et only appears in 71 among the numbers above 69.
4. 100 and beyond
| Number | French | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | cent | alone, no -s |
| 101 | cent un | no hyphen between cent and the units |
| 200 | deux cents | -s when multiplied and nothing follows |
| 201 | deux cent un | -s disappears when a number follows |
| 500 | cinq cents | -s because nothing follows |
| 575 | cinq cent soixante-quinze | -s disappears because a number follows |
| 1 000 | mille | invariable (never takes -s) |
| 2 000 | deux mille | invariable (no -s on mille) |
| 1 000 000 | un million | takes -s in plural: deux millions |
| 1 000 000 000 | un milliard | takes -s in plural: trois milliards |
Three rules for cents and mille:
cent takes -s only when multiplied (deux cents, cinq cents) AND when no further number follows. As soon as a number comes after, -s disappears: deux cent un, cinq cent soixante.
mille is always invariable: deux mille, dix mille, cent mille (never milles).
million and milliard are nouns and take -s normally: trois millions d'habitants.
5. Spelling rules : hyphens
Since the 1990 spelling reform, hyphens are placed between all elements of compound numbers (including et un combinations). Both the old and reformed spellings are accepted, but the reformed version is increasingly standard.
| Traditional (both forms accepted) | Reformed (1990 : increasingly standard) |
|---|---|
| vingt et un | vingt-et-un |
| trente et un | trente-et-un |
| cent vingt | cent-vingt |
| deux cents | deux-cents |
💡 At A1 level, the most important thing is to place hyphens between the tens and units in simple compound numbers: vingt-deux, trente-cinq, quatre-vingt-huit. The reform for et un combinations is a bonus (focus on the basics first).
6. A note on Belgian and Swiss French
In Belgium, Switzerland, and parts of Africa, French speakers use different words for 70, 80 and 90. These are logically simpler and well worth knowing (you will encounter them in media, in conversations with Belgian or Swiss speakers, and increasingly online).
| Number | France | Belgium and Switzerland |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | soixante-dix | septante |
| 80 | quatre-vingts | huitante (Switzerland) / octante (some regions) |
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix | nonante |
💡 If you are preparing for DELF or studying standard French, master the France system. The Belgian/Swiss variants are not tested but are important for comprehension.
7. Numbers in everyday use
Here are the most frequent contexts in which you will use cardinal numbers at A1 level.
Prices:
C'est combien ? — C'est quatre-vingt-cinq euros. (How much is it? — It's 85 euros.)
Ça fait douze euros cinquante. (That comes to 12 euros 50.)
Ages:
J'ai vingt-trois ans. (I am 23 years old.)
Elle a soixante-dix-huit ans. (She is 78 years old.)
Phone numbers (read digit by digit or in pairs):
Mon numéro, c'est le zéro six, trente-neuf, quatre-vingt-dix-huit, quatre-vingt-cinq, trente et un.
(06 39 98 85 31)
Addresses and floor numbers:
J'habite au quatre-vingt-douze, rue de la Paix. (I live at 92, rue de la Paix.)
Je suis au troisième étage. (I am on the third floor.) (ordinal, covered in a later lesson)
8. Key points
✓ 0-16: individual words, must be memorised
✓ 17-19: dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf
✓ 21-69: tens + hyphen + unit. With 1: et un (no hyphen in traditional spelling)
✓ et appears only in 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71 (never in 81 or 91)
✓ 70-79: soixante + 10 to 19 (71 = soixante et onze)
✓ 80: quatre-vingts (with -s) / 81-89: quatre-vingt- (no -s, no et)
✓ 90-99: quatre-vingt-dix + 0 to 9 (no et, no -s on vingts)
✓ cent: -s when multiplied and nothing follows / no -s when followed by more numbers
✓ mille: invariable, never takes -s
✓ million / milliard: nouns, take -s normally