French Vocabulary: Numbers 0-30

French Vocabulary: Numbers 0-30

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Identify:

French Vocabulary: Numbers 0-30
le vocabulaire français: les nombres 0-30

Learning numbers 0-30 (les nombres zéro – trente) is very important in every major aspect of Francophone culture. You can tell time, buy and sell things, and count anything you want! Knowing numbers is a basic element of communication in any culture!

Study:

Learning numbers 0-30 (les nombres zéro – trente) is very important in every major aspect of Francophone culture. You can tell time, buy and sell things, and count anything you want! Knowing numbers is a basic element of communication in any culture!

Some of these numbers might look familiar. Many numbers are similar in English, Spanish, Italian, Latin, and even Greek!

Here is a useful word to start off with:

Combien? : how much? / how many?

Combien d’étudiants est-ce qu’il y a?

How many students are there?

First, let’s take a look at numbers 0 – 10:

zéro : zero : 0
un
: one : 1
deux : two : 2
trois : three : 3
quatre : four : 4
cinq : five : 5
six : six : 6
sept : seven : 7
huit : eight : 8
neuf : nine : 9
dix : ten : 10

The numbers 11 – 20 look similar to the French numbers 1-9. So, if you learn numbers 1-9 very well, learning numbers 11-20 can be even easier! Don’t forget that spelling counts, and pay attention to hyphens!

onze : eleven : 11
douze : twelve : 12
treize : thirteen : 13
quatorze : fourteen : 14
quinze : fifteen : 15
seize : sixteen : 16
dix-sept : seventeen : 17
dix-huit : eighteen : 18
dix-neuf : nineteen : 19
vingt : twenty : 20

Numbers 21-30 also contain numbers 1-9 in them!  So, if you learn numbers 1-9 very well, learning numbers 21-30 can be even easier! Don’t forget that spelling counts, and pay attention to hyphens!

NOTE #1: We use the word et in between vingt and un in 21.  After that, the et is replaced by a hyphen.

NOTE #2:  un changes to une when used with a feminine noun.  This change from un to une must also be made with higher numbers that end with a number one (21, 31, 41, etc).

vingt et un : twenty-one : 21
vingt-deux : twenty-two : 22
vingt-trois : twenty-three : 23
vingt-quatre : twenty-four : 24
vingt-cinq : twenty-five : 25
vingt-six : twenty-six : 26
vingt-sept : twenty-seven : 27
vingt-huit : twenty-eight : 28
vingt-neuf : twenty-nine : 29
trente : thirty : 30

Adapt:

Quel âge avez-vous?

How old are you?

J’ai dix-neuf ans.
I am nineteen years old.

Combien d’étudiantes est-ce qu’il y a dans la classe?

How many (female) students are there in the class?

Il y a vingt et une étudiantes dans la classe.
There are twenty-one (female) students in the class.

Combien de soeurs as-tu?
How many sisters do you have?

J’ai quatre soeurs.

I have four sisters.

Quel âge a ton frère?

How old is your brother?

Mon frère a quinze ans.

My brother is fifteen years old.

La librairie a combien de livres de français?

How many French books does the bookstore have?

La librairie a vingt-deux livres de français.

The bookstore has twenty-two French books.

Pourrais-tu m’apporter trente crayons, s’il te plaît?
Could you bring me thirty pencils please?

Je regrette, il y a seulement vingt-neuf crayons.
I’m sorry, there are only twenty-nine pencils.

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