Cardinal Numbers
Start first lessonExplanation
Just like in English, Spanish cardinal numbers (números cardinales) can be both nouns and adjectives. But before we get into that, let's learn how to say the numbers in Spanish from 0 to 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 to 100.
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 from 31 to 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.
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.
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Age
To talk about age, use the verb tenerand a cardinal number.
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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 unwhen used to describe masculine nouns and unawhen used to describe feminine nouns. Numbers ending in uno (veintiuno, treinta y uno, etc.) also undergo these changes.
Cien
Cien changes to ciento in numbers above 100 and changes according to the gender of the noun.
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Would you like to review more numbers? Check out the following articles!
