French Numbers: Count in French from 1 to 100+

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French numbers become manageable once you separate the regular pattern from the few forms that need extra attention. Start with the numbers you use in real life: times, prices, ages, dates, and phone numbers.

This guide uses common French forms and notes important regional alternatives. Pronunciation changes in connected speech, so use audio and conversation as well as a written list.

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French Numbers 1–10

• 1 un; 2 deux; 3 trois; 4 quatre; 5 cinq
• 6 six; 7 sept; 8 huit; 9 neuf; 10 dix

Learn these with sound, not English approximations. The final consonants in six, huit, and dix can be pronounced differently depending on what follows.

From 11 to 20

Eleven to sixteen have individual forms: onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, seize. Then the pattern returns: dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf, vingt.

One: un or une?

As a number, un is common. Before a feminine noun, use une: un livre (one book), une table (one table). The choice follows the noun’s grammatical gender, not the gender of a person using it.

Counting to 100

The tens are vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante. Combine them with the unit: vingt-deux (22), quarante-cinq (45). Before un, standard French often uses et: vingt et un, trente et un.

The forms to practise separately are:

• 70: soixante-dix; 71: soixante et onze.
• 80: quatre-vingts; 81: quatre-vingt-un.
• 90: quatre-vingt-dix.

In Belgium and Switzerland, septante for 70 and nonante for 90 are standard. In parts of Switzerland, huitante is also used for 80. These are regional standards, not mistakes or shortcuts.

French Number Pronunciation

Listen for liaison and for final consonants that appear before a vowel. For example, the end of dix is not always pronounced the same way in isolation and in a phrase. Our guide to French pronunciation will help you hear the wider patterns.

Hundreds, Thousands, and Beyond

100 is cent, 1,000 is mille, and 1,000,000 is un million. Cent and vingt take an s only when they are exact multiples and no other number follows: quatre-vingts (80), but quatre-vingt-un (81); deux cents (200), but deux cent un (201).

Ordinal Numbers

Most ordinal numbers use -ième: deuxième (second), troisième (third). “First” is special: premier before a masculine noun and première before a feminine noun.

Practise Numbers in Conversation

Use numbers in small, repeatable situations: give your age, ask the price, book a table, say the time, and read a date. Ask a conversation partner to correct one number pattern at a time. To build more useful language around them, start with these core French words and our guide to speaking French.

Numbers stop feeling like a test when you use them for things you genuinely need to say.