【英文版西语语法】Numbers in Spanish

 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.