German vocabulary/Numbers - Wikiversity (2024)

Cardinal Numbers[edit | edit source]

NumberGermanEnglish
0nullzero
1einsone
2zweitwo
3dreithree
4vierfour
5fünffive
6sechssix
7siebenseven
8achteight
9neunnine
10zehnten
  • Eleven and twelve are irregular:
NumberGermanEnglish
11elfeleven
12zwölftwelve
  • Numbers 13 through 19 are created as follows:

First digit number + 'zehn'

NumberGermanEnglish
13dreizehnthirteen
14vierzehnfourteen
15fünfzehnfifteen
16sechzehnsixteen
17siebzehnseventeen
18achtzehneighteen
19neunzehnnineteen

Note: The "-s" in "Sechs" and the "-en" in "Sieben" are dropped in the combination.

Double Digits[edit | edit source]

  • In German, two digit numbers are created by:
 adding the suffix "-zig." (similar to English "-ty"). 
NumberGermanEnglish
20zwanzigtwenty
30dreißigthirty
40vierzigforty
50fünfzigfifty
60sechzigsixty
70siebzigseventy
80achtzigeighty
90neunzigninety

Note: The spellings of zwanzig (20), dreißig (30), sechzig (60), and siebzig (70) are irregular.

  • Two digit numbers that do not end with zero are made as follows: second digit + und + the number as it would be said if it ended in zero (English Example: 42 / Two and Forty / two and forty / Zwei und vierzig / zweiundvierzig)

Examples:

GermanEnglish
einundzwanzig21
siebenunddreißig37
sechsundvierzig46
vierundsechzig64
neunundneunzig99
  • Large numbers use the long scale:
GermanEnglish
(short scale)
Number
hunderthundred100
tausendthousand1.000
MillionMillion1.000.000
MilliardeBillion1.000.000.000
BillionTrillion1.000.000.000.000
BilliardeQuadrillion1.000.000.000.000.000

Note: Periods (.) are used to divide large numbers into groups of three, as opposed to commas (,).

  • Commas are used as decimal points:
1.001 = "one thousand and one"1,001 = "one point zero zero one"


Numbers

  • zero - null
  • one - eins
  • two - zwei
  • three - drei
  • four - vier
  • five - fünf
  • six - sechs
  • seven - sieben
  • eight - acht
  • nine - neun
  • ten - zehn
  • eleven - elf
  • twelve - zwölf
  • thirteen - dreizehn
  • fourteen - vierzehn
  • fifteen - fünfzehn
  • sixteen - sechzehn
  • seventeen - siebzehn
  • eighteen - achtzehn
  • nineteen - neunzehn
  • twenty - zwanzig
  • twenty one - einundzwanzig
  • thirty - dreißig
  • forty - vierzig
  • hundred - hundert
  • one hundred - einhundert
German vocabulary/Numbers - Wikiversity (2024)
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