vocabulary

Vocabulary

French numbers 0-100: Patterns and silent letters.

Counting in French is generally straightforward, but it comes with a few unique quirks, silent letters, and a little bit of math. Once you memorize the core numbers, the rest is just following patterns.

The Core Numbers: 0 to 31

The numbers from 0 to 16 are entirely unique and must be memorized. Starting at 17, you will notice compound numbers (like 10-7). Pay special attention to the visual cues below: letters with a green slash are silent, and words with a green underline connect their sounds together (liaison).

Going to 100: The Tens Patterns

From 40 to 60, the pattern remains perfectly normal. You learn the word for the tens, and add the single digits.

• 40 = quarante (41 = quarante et un, 42 = quarante-deux...)
• 50 = cinquante (51 = cinquante et un, 52 = cinquante-deux...)
• 60 = soixante (61 = soixante et un, 62 = soixante-deux...)

70, 80, and 90: Doing the Math

This is where French counting gets its famous reputation. Instead of unique words for 70, 80, and 90, standard French relies on addition and multiplication. Embrace this quirk early, and it will quickly become second nature!

• 70 is "Sixty-Ten" (Soixante-dix): To count through the 70s, you keep the base of 60 and add the teens.
  Example: 71 = soixante et onze (60 + 11). 72 = soixante-douze (60 + 12).
• 80 is "Four-Twenties" (Quatre-vingts): Literally, 4 x 20. To count through the 80s, keep the base and add 1-9.
  Example: 81 = quatre-vingt-un (4 x 20 + 1). Notice that the "et" is dropped for 81.
• 90 is "Four-Twenties-Ten" (Quatre-vingt-dix): Combine the rules of 80 and 70. Keep the 4x20 base, and add the teens.
  Example: 91 = quatre-vingt-onze (4 x 20 + 11). 99 = quatre-vingt-dix-neuf (4 x 20 + 19).