Italian cardinals from twenty-one to one hundred follow a beautifully regular pattern: take the ten, add the unit, write them as one word. So twenty-one is ventuno (not venti uno), thirty-four is trentaquattro, ninety-nine is novantanove. The whole range from 21 to 100 is generated by combining ten things you already know — eight tens (venti, trenta, quaranta, cinquanta, sessanta, settanta, ottanta, novanta) and the units 1 through 9 plus zero — into single concatenated words.
Two things complicate this otherwise tidy system. First, when the unit is one (uno) or eight (otto), the final vowel of the ten elides, because Italian dislikes the resulting vowel cluster: venti + uno → ventuno (not ventiuno); trenta + otto → trentotto (not trentaotto). Second, when the unit is three (tre), it carries an acute accent at the end of the compound: ventitré, trentatré, quarantatré.
This page walks you through the system. By the end you should be able to write any number from 21 to 100 correctly on first try, including the elisions and the accent.
The eight tens
These are the building blocks. Memorise them as a sequence; they form a group with a clear pattern of stress and vowel quality.
| Figure | Italian | Stress | IPA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | venti | VÉN-ti | /ˈventi/ | Closed é. Final -i. |
| 30 | trenta | TRÉN-ta | /ˈtrenta/ | Closed é. Final -a. |
| 40 | quaranta | qua-RÀN-ta | /kwaˈranta/ | — |
| 50 | cinquanta | cin-QUÀN-ta | /tʃinˈkwanta/ | — |
| 60 | sessanta | ses-SÀN-ta | /sesˈsanta/ | Double s. |
| 70 | settanta | set-TÀN-ta | /setˈtanta/ | Double t. |
| 80 | ottanta | ot-TÀN-ta | /otˈtanta/ | Double t. |
| 90 | novanta | no-VÀN-ta | /noˈvanta/ | — |
| 100 | cento | CÈN-to | /ˈtʃɛnto/ | Open è in standard Italian. End of this range; treated in the next page. |
Venti, trenta, quaranta, cinquanta, sessanta, settanta, ottanta, novanta, cento.
Twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, one hundred. — The eight tens plus 100.
Notice that all the tens from 30 onward end in -anta. Venti alone ends in -i. This is purely historical (a quirk of the Latin source), not a productive pattern, and it doesn't affect how the tens combine with units.
Pronunciation drill
Italian gemination is real and audible. Sessanta has a real double s, settanta a real double t, ottanta a real double t. These are held for noticeably longer than a single consonant.
Sessanta studenti, settanta libri, ottanta sedie.
Sixty students, seventy books, eighty chairs. — All three tens contain double consonants. Practice holding them for the full geminate length.
The composition rule
To build any number from 21 to 99, take the ten and directly attach the unit, writing the result as one word. No space. No hyphen. The whole thing is a single word.
| Tens digit | + unit | = compound | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| venti | + due | = ventidue (22) | regular concatenation |
| trenta | + quattro | = trentaquattro (34) | regular concatenation |
| novanta | + sei | = novantasei (96) | regular concatenation |
Ho ventidue anni; mio fratello ne ha trentaquattro.
I'm twenty-two; my brother is thirty-four. — ventidue (22) and trentaquattro (34), each one word.
L'aula numero quarantasette è al secondo piano.
Classroom number forty-seven is on the second floor. — quarantasette as one word.
Settantanove euro per il biglietto del treno.
Seventy-nine euros for the train ticket. — settantanove (79) as one concatenated word.
The vowel-elision rule (uno and otto)
Italian generally dislikes two adjacent vowels when forming a word. When the unit you're attaching begins with u (in uno) or o (in otto), the final vowel of the ten drops out. The result is shorter than the literal concatenation.
| Tens |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| venti | ventuno (21) | ventotto (28) |
| trenta | trentuno (31) | trentotto (38) |
| quaranta | quarantuno (41) | quarantotto (48) |
| cinquanta | cinquantuno (51) | cinquantotto (58) |
| sessanta | sessantuno (61) | sessantotto (68) |
| settanta | settantuno (71) | settantotto (78) |
| ottanta | ottantuno (81) | ottantotto (88) |
| novanta | novantuno (91) | novantotto (98) |
Mia nonna ha ottantuno anni e mia bisnonna ne aveva novantotto quando è morta.
My grandmother is eighty-one and my great-grandmother was ninety-eight when she passed away. — Two elision forms: ottantuno (81) and novantotto (98).
Il treno parte dal binario quarantotto alle sei e ventuno.
The train leaves from platform forty-eight at six twenty-one. — quarantotto (48) and ventuno (21), both elided forms.
Why no elision for due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, sette, nove?
Because they begin with a consonant, so attaching them to a vowel-final ten produces no awkward vowel cluster. The elision rule applies specifically when the ten ends in a vowel and the unit begins in a vowel — and uno (/u/) and otto (/o/) are the only units among 1–9 that begin with a vowel.
Ventidue, ventitré, ventiquattro, venticinque, ventisei, ventisette, ventinove — solo ventuno e ventotto perdono la i.
Twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-nine — only twenty-one and twenty-eight lose the i. — Demonstrates which compounds elide and which don't.
The acute accent on -tré
When the unit tre (three) sits at the end of a compound number — i.e., as the final element after a tens word — it takes a written acute accent: -tré. The accent marks the final-syllable stress and the closed /e/ vowel. Without the accent, the compound would visually invite mid-word stress, which is wrong.
| Compound | Italian | Read aloud |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | ventitré | ven-ti-TRÉ |
| 33 | trentatré | tren-ta-TRÉ |
| 43 | quarantatré | qua-ran-ta-TRÉ |
| 53 | cinquantatré | cin-quan-ta-TRÉ |
| 63 | sessantatré | ses-san-ta-TRÉ |
| 73 | settantatré | set-tan-ta-TRÉ |
| 83 | ottantatré | ot-tan-ta-TRÉ |
| 93 | novantatré | no-van-ta-TRÉ |
Mio padre ha sessantatré anni e si sente ancora giovane.
My father is sixty-three and still feels young. — sessantatré with the acute é at the end.
L'autore aveva soltanto ventitré anni quando ha pubblicato il primo romanzo.
The author was only twenty-three when he published his first novel. — ventitré, acute é.
The accent is mandatory in writing. Omitting it is a spelling error, even though it doesn't change pronunciation for fluent speakers (who know how to stress these compounds anyway). In careful writing — exams, formal letters, published prose — leave it out and you lose points.
The complete table 21–100
| 20s | 30s | 40s | 50s | 60s | 70s | 80s | 90s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 venti | 30 trenta | 40 quaranta | 50 cinquanta | 60 sessanta | 70 settanta | 80 ottanta | 90 novanta |
| 21 ventuno | 31 trentuno | 41 quarantuno | 51 cinquantuno | 61 sessantuno | 71 settantuno | 81 ottantuno | 91 novantuno |
| 22 ventidue | 32 trentadue | 42 quarantadue | 52 cinquantadue | 62 sessantadue | 72 settantadue | 82 ottantadue | 92 novantadue |
| 23 ventitré | 33 trentatré | 43 quarantatré | 53 cinquantatré | 63 sessantatré | 73 settantatré | 83 ottantatré | 93 novantatré |
| 24 ventiquattro | 34 trentaquattro | 44 quarantaquattro | 54 cinquantaquattro | 64 sessantaquattro | 74 settantaquattro | 84 ottantaquattro | 94 novantaquattro |
| 25 venticinque | 35 trentacinque | 45 quarantacinque | 55 cinquantacinque | 65 sessantacinque | 75 settantacinque | 85 ottantacinque | 95 novantacinque |
| 26 ventisei | 36 trentasei | 46 quarantasei | 56 cinquantasei | 66 sessantasei | 76 settantasei | 86 ottantasei | 96 novantasei |
| 27 ventisette | 37 trentasette | 47 quarantasette | 57 cinquantasette | 67 sessantasette | 77 settantasette | 87 ottantasette | 97 novantasette |
| 28 ventotto | 38 trentotto | 48 quarantotto | 58 cinquantotto | 68 sessantotto | 78 settantotto | 88 ottantotto | 98 novantotto |
| 29 ventinove | 39 trentanove | 49 quarantanove | 59 cinquantanove | 69 sessantanove | 79 settantanove | 89 ottantanove | 99 novantanove |
| 100 cento |
Ho letto novantanove pagine ieri sera; oggi finisco le ultime dodici.
I read ninety-nine pages last night; today I'll finish the last twelve. — novantanove (99) and dodici (12).
Il mio numero di squadra è il novantadue; mio fratello ha il quarantotto.
My team number is ninety-two; my brother's is forty-eight. — novantadue (92) and quarantotto (98, with elision).
Where these numbers turn up
Phone numbers are read digit by digit (or in pairs), not as full numerals. So 06 4582 7194 is read zero-sei, quattro-cinque-otto-due, sette-uno-nove-quattro. But every other context — ages, prices, addresses, time, scores, dates after the first of the month — uses the compound forms covered on this page.
Mia sorella compie trentadue anni il prossimo mese.
My sister is turning thirty-two next month. — trentadue, the standard form for ages.
Abito al numero settantasette di via Garibaldi.
I live at number seventy-seven on Via Garibaldi. — settantasette in an address.
La squadra di casa ha vinto ottantanove a sessantatré.
The home team won eighty-nine to sixty-three. — Sports scores use compound cardinals.
Il caffè qui costa un euro e cinquantacinque centesimi.
The coffee here costs one euro and fifty-five cents. — cinquantacinque in a price.
Inflection (or rather, the lack of it)
Cardinals in this range do not inflect for gender or number — they're invariable. The same form serves whether you're counting masculine or feminine, singular or plural items.
Ho letto ventidue libri e ventidue riviste quest'anno.
I've read twenty-two books and twenty-two magazines this year. — ventidue stays the same regardless of the gender of the noun (libri m., riviste f.).
The only exception is uno, when used adjectivally before a noun. As a numeral standing alone, it's uno; before a noun, it inflects like the indefinite article (un, uno, una, un') — see Cardinal Numbers 0–20. This affects compound numbers ending in -uno: ventuno in citation form, but un before a normal masculine, etc.:
Ho ventun anni.
I'm twenty-one. — Before the noun anni, the final -uno of ventuno apocopates to -un. This is optional in writing (also acceptable: ventuno anni) but very common in speech.
Ci sono trentun studenti in classe.
There are thirty-one students in class. — Same apocopation: trentuno → trentun before a noun.
This apocope of final -o (the "shortening" of -uno to -un) is optional. Both ventun anni and ventuno anni are correct, with the shorter form slightly more idiomatic in conversational Italian.
Common Mistakes
These are the recurring slips for English speakers.
❌ Ho venti uno anni.
Wrong on two counts. (1) The cardinal is one word: ventuno, not 'venti uno'. (2) When attaching uno, elide the final vowel of the ten: ventuno, not ventiuno.
✅ Ho ventun anni.
I'm twenty-one. — One word, with elision (ventuno → ventun before a noun).
❌ Mia madre ha trentaotto anni.
Wrong — when otto follows the ten, the ten's final vowel elides: trentotto, not trentaotto. The same elision happens before uno.
✅ Mia madre ha trentotto anni.
My mother is thirty-eight. — trentotto, with elision.
❌ Il libro ha sessanta tre pagine.
Wrong — Italian numbers in this range are written as ONE WORD: sessantatré. Also, the final -tré takes the acute accent.
✅ Il libro ha sessantatré pagine.
The book has sixty-three pages. — sessantatré, one word, with the acute é.
❌ Mia nonna ha novanta-due anni.
Wrong — no hyphen in Italian compound numbers. The two parts are written together as a single word: novantadue.
✅ Mia nonna ha novantadue anni.
My grandmother is ninety-two. — novantadue, no hyphen.
❌ Il prezzo è settantacinque euros.
Wrong — euro is invariable in Italian regardless of quantity. Also, settantacinque is correct, no issue with the number itself.
✅ Il prezzo è settantacinque euro.
The price is seventy-five euros. — settantacinque + invariable euro.
❌ Ottanto due studenti hanno passato l'esame.
Wrong on the form: it's ottantadue (with an a, since the ten is ottanta), and one word. The English-speaker confusion comes from thinking the ten is 'ottanto' — but the form is ottanta.
✅ Ottantadue studenti hanno passato l'esame.
Eighty-two students passed the exam. — ottantadue, one word.
Key takeaways
Compound numbers from 21 to 99 are written as one word. Take the ten, attach the unit, no space, no hyphen.
Vowel elision before uno and otto. The final vowel of the ten drops out: ventuno (21), ventotto (28), trentuno (31), trentotto (38), …, novantuno (91), novantotto (98). Every ten exhibits this with both 1 and 8.
Acute accent on -tré. When tre sits at the end of a compound, write it with the acute accent: ventitré, trentatré, …, novantatré. The standalone tre gets no accent.
No inflection for gender or number on the compound — except optional apocope (-uno → -un) before a noun, which is more idiomatic in speech: ventun anni, trentun studenti.
The eight tens (venti, trenta, quaranta, cinquanta, sessanta, settanta, ottanta, novanta) are the building blocks. Combined with the units 1–9, they generate all 80 compound numbers from 21 to 99 mechanically.
The next stage: Cardinal Numbers 100+ takes the system up to a billion. The same one-word concatenation rule applies, with one new wrinkle: after milione and miliardo, you do leave a space.
Now practice Italian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Italian Numbers: OverviewA1 — An introduction to the Italian number system: cardinals (uno, due, tre), ordinals (primo, secondo, terzo), dates, time, measurements, fractions, and Italian's reversed punctuation conventions (decimal comma, thousands period).
- Cardinal Numbers 0–20A1 — The Italian numbers from zero to twenty, with full pronunciation, stress patterns, the inflection of uno (un/uno/una/un'), the invariable status of due and tre, the accent on -tré in compounds, and the irregular forms diciassette and diciannove.
- Cardinal Numbers 100+A2 — Italian large numbers: cento and its compounds (duecento, trecento), mille and its plural mila (duemila, tremila), milione and miliardo (which DO inflect), the one-word concatenation rule up to a million, year notation, and Italian's reversed punctuation conventions for big numbers.
- Italian Ordinal NumbersA1 — How to form and use Italian ordinals — primo through decimo, the productive -esimo suffix from undicesimo onward, full agreement in gender and number, and the special roles ordinals play in dates, centuries, popes, and rankings.
- Italian DatesA1 — How to write and say dates in Italian — the day-month-year order, the obligatory definite article, the special role of primo for the first of the month, the lowercase months and weekdays, the way years are read as a single word, and the cultural shorthand of decades and centuries.