Overview
Just like in English, Spanish cardinal numbers can be both nouns and adjectives. But before we get into that, let's learn how to say the numbers in Spanish from 0-100 (los números de cero a cien ).
Cardinal numbers denote quantity, as opposed to order. To talk about order, you can use ordinal numbers.
Basic Cardinal Number Forms
Here are the numbers from 0 to 20, as well as the multiples of 10 from 10-100.
Numeral Spanish Numeral Spanish
0
cero
15
quince
1
uno
16
dieciséis
2
dos
17
diecisiete
3
tres
18
dieciocho
4
cuatro
19
diecinueve
5
cinco
20
veinte
6
seis
30
treinta
7
siete
40
cuarenta
8
ocho
50
cincuenta
9
nueve
60
sesenta
10
diez
70
setenta
11
once
80
ochenta
12
doce
90
noventa
13
trece
100 cien /ciento
14
catorce
Twenties
The numbers from 21 to 29 use a combination of veinti- and a number from 1-9, with no space in between.
Numeral Spanish
21
veintiuno
22
veintidós
23
veintitrés
24
veinticuatro
25
veinticinco
26
veintiséis
27
veintisiete
28
veintiocho
29
veintinueve
Note that veintidós, veintitrés, and veintiséis and have an accent on the last syllable.
31-99
Forming the numbers 31-99 is a cinch. You just use a multiple of 10 plus the conjunction y and a number from 1 to 9. Here are some examples.
Numeral Spanish
31
treinta y uno
42
cuarenta y dos
53
cincuenta y tres
64
sesenta y cuatro
75
setenta y cinco
86
ochenta y seis
97
noventa y siete
When to Use Cardinal Numbers
Besides being used to simply count, cardinal numbers are used in Spanish to tell the time and talk about dates and age.
Telling Time
To tell the time in Spanish, you use the verb ser , a feminine definite article (la or las), and a cardinal number^.
Son las ocho.
It is eight o'clock.
Es la una de la tarde.
It's one in the afternoon.
Dates
To talk about dates, use the masculine singular definite article (el) and a cardinal number.
To talk about the first of the month, you use the ordinal number primero (first) instead of the cardinal number^ uno.
Hoy es el diecinueve de mayo.
Today is May 19th.
El primero de enero es mi cumpleaños.
January 1st is my birthday.
Age
To talk about age, use the verb tener plus a cardinal number.
Yo tengo veinticuatro años.
I am twenty-four years old.
Mi hermana tiene treinta y nueve años.
My sister is thirty-nine years old.
Cardinal Numbers as Adjectives
As mentioned before, cardinal numbers can be both nouns and adjectives. When a cardinal number is used as an adjective, it doesn't change to match the gender or number of the noun it modifies except in the cases of uno and cien.
Uno
Uno becomes un when used to describe masculine nouns and una when used to describe feminine nouns. Numbers ending in uno (veintiuno, treinta y uno, etc.) also undergo these changes.
Tengo un libro.
I have one book.
Mandé treinta y una cartas.
I sent thirty-one cards.
Hay veintiún personas esperando.
There are twenty-one people waiting.
Cien
Cien changes to ciento in numbers above 100 and changes according to the gender of the noun.
Jorge contó hasta cien.
Jorge counted to a hundred.
Llegaron ciento y diez personas.
One hundred ten people showed up.
Quiero trescientos libros.
I want three hundred books.
Hay doscientas casas en este barrio.
There are two hundred houses in this neighborhood.
