In Romanian, the numbers from 11 to 19 follow a highly consistent and logical pattern. You build them by combining the base number + spre (towards) + zece (ten). For example, unu (one) + spre + zece becomes unsprezece (eleven).
The Pattern for 11 to 19
Most numbers from 11 to 19 follow this exact formula. A couple of them slightly change their spelling to roll off the tongue more easily, such as paisprezece (fourteen) instead of patrusprezece, and șaisprezece (sixteen) instead of șasesprezece.
Just as the number two changes based on the noun you are counting, the number twelve does as well.
You will use doisprezece for masculine nouns:
And you will use douăsprezece for feminine and neuter nouns:
Expressing Age
To say how old someone is in Romanian, you do not say they are a certain age. Instead, you use the verb a avea (to have) followed by the number and the word ani (years).
Number 20 and the Preposition "de"
The number twenty is douăzeci (literally "two tens").
When you count nouns with numbers from 20 onwards, a new grammar rule applies: you must insert the preposition de (of) directly between the number and the noun.
This rule applies to everything you count with 20, including prices and age:
