Numbers in French: How to Count from 1 to 100 and Beyond If you've started learning French, you've probably noticed that numbers in French don't always follow the tidy, predictable pattern you might expect from English. Counting feels straightforward up to soixante (60) — and then, without warning, the logic seems to fold in on itself. Seventy becomes "sixty-ten," eighty becomes "four-twenty," and suddenly you're doing quiet mental math just to order two coffees.The good news is that French numbers aren't random. Once you understand a handful of patterns, the whole system becomes far easier to remember than it looks at first glance. Numbers matter for far more than classroom drills — you'll need them to read prices, understand phone numbers, follow dates, book train tickets, and, for many learners, clear the numeracy and dictation sections of exams like the TEF, TCF, or DELF.This guide walks through French numbers 1 to 100 and beyond, decade by decade, with pronunciation guidance, the grammar rules that govern how numbers are written, and the mistakes most learners make along the way. Use it as a step-by-step lesson or bookmark it as a quick-reference chart whenever you need to double-check a number.https://youtu.be/qy3DRQiJizE?si=jHcmAaIyRTx4SbYs French Numbers 1–20 The first twenty numbers are the foundation of French counting, and unlike the decades that follow, most of them simply have to be memorised individually — there's no shortcut pattern until you reach vingt (20). The effort pays off quickly, since these numbers appear constantly in everyday French: telling your age, giving a phone number, or naming today's date. Edit NumberFrench NamePronunciation 1unuhn 2deuxduh 3troistrwah 4quatrekatr 5cinqsank 6sixsees 7septset 8huitweet 9neufnuhf 10dixdeess 11onzeonz 12douzedooz 13treizetrez 14quatorzeka-torz 15quinzekanz 16seizesez 17dix-septdeess-set 18dix-huitdeez-weet 19dix-neufdeez-nuhf 20vingtvan French Numbers 21–40 From twenty onward, French numbers become far more predictable. Each decade word (vingt, trente, quarante...) combines with the digits one through nine to build the next ten numbers, and the pattern repeats all the way up to soixante. Edit NumberFrench NamePronunciation 21vingt et unvan-tay-uhn 22vingt-deuxvan-duh 23vingt-troisvan-twah 24vingt-quatrevan-katr 25vingt-cinqvan-sank 26vingt-sixvan-sees 27vingt-septvan-set 28vingt-huitvan-weet 29vingt-neufvan-nuhf 30trentetront 31trente et untront-tay-uhn 32trente-deuxtront-duh 33trente-troistront-twah 34trente-quatretront-katr 35trente-cinqtront-sank 36trente-sixtront-sees 37trente-septtront-set 38trente-huittront-weet 39trente-neuftront-nuhf 40quaranteka-ront French Numbers 41–60 Edit NumberFrench NamePronunciation 41quarante et unka-ront-tay-uhn 42quarante-deuxka-ront-duh 43quarante-troiska-ront-twah 44quarante-quatreka-ront-katr 45quarante-cinqka-ront-sank 46quarante-sixka-ront-sees 47quarante-septka-ront-set 48quarante-huitka-ront-weet 49quarante-neufka-ront-nuhf 50cinquantesank-ont 51cinquante et unsank-ont-tay-uhn 52cinquante-deuxsank-ont-duh 53cinquante-troissank-ont-twah 54cinquante-quatresank-ont-katr 55cinquante-cinqsank-ont-sank 56cinquante-sixsank-ont-sees 57cinquante-septsank-ont-set 58cinquante-huitsank-ont-weet 59cinquante-neufsank-ont-nuhf 60soixanteswa-sont Quick pattern check:Quarante (40) is the base for 41–49.Cinquante (50) is the base for 51–59.Soixante (60) opens the next section—and the last "regular" decade before French numbers take an interesting turn. French Numbers 61–80 This is the range that trips up almost every learner, and it's worth slowing down for. Standard French (the variety used in France) does not have separate words for seventy. Instead, seventy is built as soixante-dix — literally "sixty-ten" — and the counting continues by adding onze, douze, treize and so on after soixante, rather than starting a new decade word. Edit NumberFrench NamePronunciation 61soixante et unswa-sont-tay-uhn 62soixante-deuxswa-sont-duh 63soixante-troisswa-sont-twah 64soixante-quatreswa-sont-katr 65soixante-cinqswa-sont-sank 66soixante-sixswa-sont-sees 67soixante-septswa-sont-set 68soixante-huitswa-sont-weet 69soixante-neufswa-sont-nuhf 70soixante-dixswa-sont-deess 71soixante et onzeswa-sont-tay-onz 72soixante-douzeswa-sont-dooz 73soixante-treizeswa-sont-trez 74soixante-quatorzeswa-sont-ka-torz 75soixante-quinzeswa-sont-kanz 76soixante-seizeswa-sont-sez 77soixante-dix-septswa-sont-deez-set 78soixante-dix-huitswa-sont-deez-weet 79soixante-dix-neufswa-sont-deez-nuhf 80quatre-vingtskatr-van French Numbers 81–100 Quatre-vingts sets the pattern for the rest of this range, and quatre-vingt-dix ("four-twenty-ten") does the same for the nineties. Once you've internalised the logic from the previous section, this range is mostly a matter of practice and repetition. Edit NumberFrench NamePronunciation 81quatre-vingt-unkatr-van-tay-uhn 82quatre-vingt-deuxkatr-van-duh 83quatre-vingt-troiskatr-van-twah 84quatre-vingt-quatrekatr-van-katr 85quatre-vingt-cinqkatr-van-sank 86quatre-vingt-sixkatr-van-sees 87quatre-vingt-septkatr-van-set 88quatre-vingt-huitkatr-van-weet 89quatre-vingt-neufkatr-van-nuhf 90quatre-vingt-dixkatr-van-deess 91quatre-vingt-onzekatr-van-onz 92quatre-vingt-douzekatr-van-dooz 93quatre-vingt-treizekatr-van-trez 94quatre-vingt-quatorzekatr-van-ka-torz 95quatre-vingt-quinzekatr-van-kanz 96quatre-vingt-seizekatr-van-sez 97quatre-vingt-dix-septkatr-van-deez-set 98quatre-vingt-dix-huitkatr-van-deez-weet 99quatre-vingt-dix-neufkatr-van-deez-nuhf 100centsahn Struggling to keep these decades straight? Numbers are one of the first real hurdles in spoken French, especially for TEF and TCF candidates who need to process them quickly in listening sections. A structured class with a live instructor can turn this from a memorization exercise into an automatic skill. French Numbers 100 and Above Counting past 100 in French follows a cleaner, more logical structure than the 60–99 range, which comes as a relief to most learners. Edit NumberFrench NamePronunciation 101cent unsahn-uhn 150cent cinquantesahn sank-ont 200deux centsduh sahn 300trois centstrwah sahn 500cinq centssank sahn 1,000millemeel 2,000deux milleduh meel 10,000dix milledeess meel 100,000cent millesahn meel 1,000,000un millionuhn mee-lyohn 1,000,000,000un milliarduhn mee-lyar How the pattern works Cent (100) is used on its own with no article — you simply say cent, not "un cent."From 101 to 199, add the number directly after cent with no et: cent un (101), cent vingt-cinq (125).From 200 upward, multiples of 100 add an "s" to cent — deux cents, trois cents — but that "s" disappears again if another number follows, e.g. deux cent deux (202).Mille (1,000) never changes form, even in the plural: deux mille, dix mille.Million and milliard behave like ordinary nouns and take "un" and a plural "s": un million, deux millions.As a general rule of thumb, French numbers stop needing new vocabulary once you know cent, mille, million, and milliard — everything beyond 100 is just a combination of the numbers you've already learned. Regional Differences in French Numbers The soixante-dix (70) and quatre-vingts (80) constructions covered above are standard in France, but they aren't the only correct way to count in French. Belgium and Switzerland use a simpler, more linear system for 70, 80, and 90 — worth knowing if your listening practice mixes audio from different French-speaking regions, or if you're travelling beyond France. Edit NumberFranceSwitzerlandBelgian French 60soixantesoixantesoixante 70soixante-dixseptanteseptante 71soixante et onzeseptante et unseptante et un 72soixante-douzeseptante-deuxseptante-deux 73soixante-treizeseptante-troisseptante-trois 74soixante-quatorzeseptante-quatreseptante-quatre 75soixante-quinzeseptante-cinqseptante-cinq 76soixante-seizeseptante-sixseptante-six 77soixante-dix-septseptante-septseptante-sept 78soixante-dix-huitseptante-huitseptante-huit 79soixante-dix-neufseptante-neufseptante-neuf 80quatre-vingtshuitanteoctante / huitante 81quatre-vingt-unhuitante et unoctante et un / huitante et un 82quatre-vingt-deuxhuitante-deuxoctante-deux / huitante-deux 83quatre-vingt-troishuitante-troisoctante-trois / huitante-trois 84quatre-vingt-quatrehuitante-quatreoctante-quatre / huitante-quatre 85quatre-vingt-cinqhuitante-cinqoctante-cinq / huitante-cinq 86quatre-vingt-sixhuitante-sixoctante-six / huitante-six 87quatre-vingt-septhuitante-septoctante-sept / huitante-sept 88quatre-vingt-huithuitante-huitoctante-huit / huitante-huit 89quatre-vingt-neufhuitante-neufoctante-neuf / huitante-neuf 90quatre-vingt-dixnonantenonante 91quatre-vingt-onzenonante et unnonante et un 92quatre-vingt-douzenonante-deuxnonante-deux 93quatre-vingt-treizenonante-troisnonante-trois 94quatre-vingt-quatorzenonante-quatrenonante-quatre 95quatre-vingt-quinzenonante-cinqnonante-cinq 96quatre-vingt-seizenonante-sixnonante-six 97quatre-vingt-dix-septnonante-septnonante-sept 98quatre-vingt-dix-huitnonante-huitnonante-huit 99quatre-vingt-dix-neufnonante-neufnonante-neuf What this means in practice France: soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, and quatre-vingt-dix are standard and are what Canada-focused exams like the TEF and TCF generally test.Belgium: septante (70) and nonante (90) replace the France forms; 80 is usually still quatre-vingts.Switzerland: septante (70) and nonante (90) are standard, and huitante (80) is common in several cantons, though quatre-vingts is also understood.As general guidance rather than a strict rule: if you're preparing for a Canada PR-focused exam, prioritise the France forms (soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix) — but recognising septante, huitante, and nonante is a useful bonus if your listening materials include Belgian or Swiss French speakers. Essential French Number Rules You Need to Know A handful of grammar rules govern how French numbers are written and combined. Knowing them in advance will save you from the most common stumbling blocks. 1. The "et" rule for numbers ending in 1 Vingt et un (21), trente et un (31), quarante et un (41), cinquante et un (51), and soixante et un (61) all insert et before the final "un." This rule does not apply to quatre-vingt-un (81) or cent un (101) — those are written without et, which is one of the more commonly missed exceptions. 2. Hyphens As a general rule, compound numbers under 100 are hyphenated (vingt-deux, quatre-vingt-dix-neuf). In contrast, numbers with et are not (vingt et un). Note that spelling conventions for numbers have shifted over time in French-language publishing. You may see some older texts hyphenate differently — when in doubt for formal writing, following your course textbook or exam board's standard is a safe approach. 3. Plural agreement on vingt and cent Both vingt (in quatre-vingts) and cent take a plural "s" only when they end the number and no smaller number follows. As soon as another digit is added, the "s" is dropped: quatre-vingts but quatre-vingt-trois; deux cents but deux cent trois. 4. Elision before vowel sounds Huit (8) and onze (11) behave differently from other numbers beginning with a vowel sound. Onze does not take elision (l'onze is generally avoided in favour of le onze), while liaison and elision patterns around huit can vary — this is a nuance worth confirming with a teacher or textbook for your specific exam level, since usage guidance differs slightly by source. How to Pronounce French Numbers French Pronunciation is where most self-taught learners lose confidence, mainly because French relies heavily on liaison (linking the final sound of one word to the beginning of the next) and nasal vowels that don't exist in English. Key pronunciation habits to build Practise nasal vowels separately: the "an" in quarante, the "in" in vingt, and the "on" in the -ante endings are distinct nasal sounds worth isolating in practice.Listen for liaison: in dix-huit, the "x" of dix links to the "h" sound, producing "dee-zweet" rather than two separate words.Say numbers in context, not isolation: reciting 1–20 in a list is useful for memorisation, but pronunciation sticks faster when you practise numbers inside phrases — dates, prices, and phone numbers.Record yourself and compare: because French numbers rely on subtle vowel and liaison differences, comparing your own recording against a native speaker is one of the fastest ways to self-correct.As general advice rather than a strict rule, many teachers recommend mastering 1–20 and the six decade words (vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante, cent) to fluency before worrying about speed — the rest of the system builds on those building blocks. Common Mistakes When Learning French Numbers 1. Forgetting the "et" in numbers ending in 1 Writing or saying vingt-un instead of vingt et un is one of the most frequent slips, especially for learners translating directly from English "twenty-one." 2. Treating 70, 80, and 90 like new decades Because soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, and quatre-vingt-dix don't introduce new decade words, learners often try to memorise them as if they were unrelated new vocabulary, rather than combinations of numbers they already know. Approaching them as "soixante + the numbers 10–19" and "quatre-vingt + the numbers 0–19" tends to make them easier to retain. 3. Mixing up cent and cents Dropping the "s" on cent when it should be there (or adding it when it shouldn't be) is an easy mistake — remember, the "s" only appears when cent ends the number with nothing after it. 4. Confusing regional variants If your listening practice mixes French, Belgian, and Swiss content, you may encounter septante, huitante, or nonante and assume you've misheard soixante-dix or quatre-vingt-dix. Both systems are correct French, but exam boards for Canada-focused certifications generally test standard French usage. 5. Rushing pronunciation before accuracy It's tempting to speed through numbers once you've memorised the list, but speaking too quickly before the liaison and nasal sounds are solid often leads to numbers that are hard for native speakers to follow — accuracy first, speed second. Conclusion Numbers in French look intimidating on paper, but they're built from a small set of repeating patterns rather than hundreds of separate words to memorise. Once 1–20 and the decade words are second nature, the rest of the system — including the quirky soixante-dix and quatre-vingts constructions — is really just recombination. Rules like the "et" before un, hyphenation, and plural agreement on vingt and cent add polish once the basics are in place.The most effective way to lock in French numbers is regular, low-pressure practice: reading prices aloud, saying today's date in French, or working through past exam listening sections if you're preparing for the TEF, TCF, or DELF. Keep this guide handy as a reference, and revisit the sections on pronunciation and common mistakes whenever a number trips you up. Frequently Asked Questions 1. How to write numbers in French? French numbers are generally written as words in formal writing, following the rules covered above: hyphens between most compound elements (quatre-vingt-douze), et before a final un in numbers like vingt et un, and plural "s" on cent and vingt only when they end the number with nothing following. For numerals (digits), French uses a comma where English uses a decimal point, and often a space instead of a comma for thousands — for example, 1 000 rather than 1,000 — though formatting conventions can vary by country and publisher, so it's worth checking your specific exam board's style guide if precision matters. 2. How to pronounce numbers in French? Pronunciation depends heavily on nasal vowels and liaison. As a general approach: learn the base numbers 1–20 individually, learn the six decade words (vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante, cent), and pay close attention to liaison in compounds like dix-huit and vingt et un, where sounds link across word boundaries. Listening to native speakers and repeating numbers in context — rather than reciting them in isolation — is widely recommended for building accurate pronunciation. 3. Why does French use quatre-vingts for 80 instead of a single word? This is a base-20 (vigesimal) counting pattern that survives from earlier stages of the French language, rather than a modern simplification. It's a genuine feature of standard French rather than an error, though Belgian and Swiss French commonly avoid it in favour of octante or huitante.
