Counting from 1 to 10
Numbers always go before the noun they count. Aside from the number one (un for masculine, une for feminine), French numbers do not change form to match the gender of the noun.
| Number | French |
|---|---|
| 1 | un / une |
| 2 | deux |
| 3 | trois |
| 4 | quatre |
| 5 | cinq |
| 6 | six |
| 7 | sept |
| 8 | huit |
| 9 | neuf |
| 10 | dix |
| There are two cats and three dogs. | Il y a deux chats et trois chiens. |
| Do you have four apples or five oranges? | Vous avez quatre pommes ou cinq oranges ? |
| I see six big trees here. | Je vois six grands arbres ici. |
| We have seven pens and eight pencils. | Nous avons sept stylos et huit crayons. |
| Do you have nine or ten notebooks? | Est-ce que tu as neuf ou dix cahiers ? |
The Early Teens: 11 to 16
The numbers from 11 to 16 are unique words. Notice that they all end in -ze, which makes them quite easy to spot!
| Number | French |
|---|---|
| 11 | onze |
| 12 | douze |
| 13 | treize |
| 14 | quatorze |
| 15 | quinze |
| 16 | seize |
| We have ten or eleven projects. | Nous avons dix ou onze projets. |
| Their house has twelve large windows. | Leur maison a douze grandes fenêtres. |
| He buys thirteen croissants for the team. | Il achète treize croissants pour l'équipe. |
| There are fourteen gifts on the small table. | Il y a quatorze cadeaux sur la petite table. |
| There are fifteen boys and sixteen girls. | Il y a quinze garçons et seize filles. |
The Late Teens: 17 to 19
Once you reach 17, French counting turns into simple addition. You just combine ten (dix) with the single digit, linked by a hyphen:
- 17 is 10 + 7: dix-sept
- 18 is 10 + 8: dix-huit
- 19 is 10 + 9: dix-neuf
And finally, the number 20 is its own unique word: vingt.
| Do your friends have sixteen or seventeen clients? | Vos amis ont seize ou dix-sept clients ? |
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