Ready to master French numbers? Let's dive into this guide where we'll show you simple techniques for counting in French. Plus, you'll find English pronunciation tips to help you along the way!
This article is designed to break down the complexities and present you with straightforward techniques for counting fluently in French. Whether you're a beginner eager to learn the basics or looking to refine your existing knowledge, this resource is tailored to help you succeed. Beyond just listing the numbers, we'll delve into the nuances of pronunciation, offering helpful English pronunciation tips to bridge the gap between what you see and how it should sound. By the end of this guide, you'll not only be able to count with confidence but also understand the logic behind the French number system.
French Counting 1 to 20
Here’s a guide to help you learn French number pronunciation with English subtitles.
Numeral | In French | Pronunciation |
0 | zéro | zay-ro |
1 | un | euhn |
2 | deux | deuh |
3 | trois | twah |
4 | quatre | kat |
5 | cinq | sank |
6 | six | sees |
7 | sept | set |
8 | huit | weet |
9 | neuf | nuhf |
10 | dix | dees |
11 | onze | ohnz |
12 | douze | dooz |
13 | treize | trehz |
14 | quatorze | katorz |
15 | quinze | kanz |
16 | seize | sehz |
17 | dix-sept | deez-set |
18 | dix-huit | deez-weet |
19 | dix-neuf | deez-nuhf |
20 | vingt | van |
Important Notes
- In English, the numbers 11 and 12 have unique names, like the numbers 1-10, but the numbers 13-19 all use the “-teen” suffix.
- Similarly, when counting in French, the numbers 11-16 have unique names. But when you get to 17, 18, and 19, these French numbers use dix (ten) and the second digit’s name with a hyphen between the two words—17 is dix-sept (ten-seven) because 10+7=17.
French Counting 21 to 50 with English Pronunciation
The most unique feature of French counting for the next section is that, unlike English numbers and numbers in many other Romance languages, you add an et – French for ‘and’ – in every number ending in 1.
Number | French Word | English Pronunciation (Approximate) |
21 | vingt et un | van-tay-uhn |
22 | vingt-deux | van-duh |
23 | vingt-trois | van-twah |
24 | vingt-quatre | van-katr |
25 | vingt-cinq | van-sank |
26 | vingt-six | van-sees |
27 | vingt-sept | van-set |
28 | vingt-huit | van-weet |
29 | vingt-neuf | van-nuhf |
30 | trente | trawnt |
31 | trente et un | trawnt-ay-uhn |
32 | trente-deux | trawnt-duh |
33 | trente-trois | trawnt-twah |
34 | trente-quatre | trawnt-katr |
35 | trente-cinq | trawnt-sank |
36 | trente-six | trawnt-sees |
37 | trente-sept | trawnt-set |
38 | trente-huit | trawnt-weet |
39 | trente-neuf | trawnt-nuhf |
40 | quarante | ka-rawnt |
41 | quarante et un | ka-rawnt-ay-uhn |
42 | quarante-deux | ka-rawnt-duh |
43 | quarante-trois | ka-rawnt-twah |
44 | quarante-quatre | ka-rawnt-katr |
45 | quarante-cinq | ka-rawnt-sank |
46 | quarante-six | ka-rawnt-sees |
47 | quarante-sept | ka-rawnt-set |
48 | quarante-huit | ka-rawnt-weet |
49 | quarante-neuf | ka-rawnt-nuhf |
50 | cinquante | sank-awnt |
French Counting 51 to 70 in English
Well, as we go into this final stretch, you’ll notice something really interesting about French numbers – things get in some ways more complicated, and in other ways less. From here on out, all of the numbers should look familiar.
Number | French Word | English Pronunciation (Approximate) |
51 | cinquante et un | sank-awnt-ay-uhn |
52 | cinquante-deux | sank-awnt-duh |
53 | cinquante-trois | sank-awnt-twah |
54 | cinquante-quatre | sank-awnt-katr |
55 | cinquante-cinq | sank-awnt-sank |
56 | cinquante-six | sank-awnt-sees |
57 | cinquante-sept | sank-awnt-set |
58 | cinquante-huit | sank-awnt-weet |
59 | cinquante-neuf | sank-awnt-nuhf |
60 | soixante | swah-sawnt |
61 | soixante et un | swah-sawnt-ay-uhn |
62 | soixante-deux | swah-sawnt-duh |
63 | soixante-trois | swah-sawnt-twah |
64 | soixante-quatre | swah-sawnt-katr |
65 | soixante-cinq | swah-sawnt-sank |
66 | soixante-six | swah-sawnt-sees |
67 | soixante-sept | swah-sawnt-set |
68 | soixante-huit | swah-sawnt-weet |
69 | soixante-neuf | swah-sawnt-nuhf |
70 | soixante-dix | swah-sawnt-dees |
Some Important Pronunciation Notes
- Like 17, 70 is a magic number in French when the rules start to change. Instead of having a unique name for 70 like there is for 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60, you’ll use soixante (sixty) and dix (ten) because 60+10=70.
- After soixante-dix (seventy), you’ll keep tacking numbers 10 through 19 on the end of 60 to form numbers in the 70s. If you think of each like the math equation we just shared, it will help you remember these numbers.
French Counting 71 - 100
Here’s a list of counting from 71 to 100, with 70 pronounced as swah swant and being followed by others.
Number | French Word | English Pronunciation |
71 | soixante et onze | swah-sawnt-ay-onz |
72 | soixante-douze | swah-sawnt-dooz |
73 | soixante-treize | swah-sawnt-trez |
74 | soixante-quatorze | swah-sawnt-ka-torz |
75 | soixante-quinze | swah-sawnt-kanz |
76 | soixante-seize | swah-sawnt-sez |
77 | soixante-dix-sept | swah-sawnt-dee-set |
78 | soixante-dix-huit | swah-sawnt-dee-zweet |
79 | soixante-dix-neuf | swah-sawnt-dee-snuhf |
80 | quatre-vingts | katr-van |
81 | quatre-vingt-un | katr-van-uhn |
82 | quatre-vingt-deux | katr-van-duh |
83 | quatre-vingt-trois | katr-van-twah |
84 | quatre-vingt-quatre | katr-van-katr |
85 | quatre-vingt-cinq | katr-van-sank |
86 | quatre-vingt-six | katr-van-sees |
87 | quatre-vingt-sept | katr-van-set |
88 | quatre-vingt-huit | katr-van-weet |
89 | quatre-vingt-neuf | katr-van-nuhf |
90 | quatre-vingt-dix | katr-van-dees |
91 | quatre-vingt-onze | katr-van-onz |
92 | quatre-vingt-douze | katr-van-dooz |
93 | quatre-vingt-treize | katr-van-trez |
94 | quatre-vingt-quatorze | katr-van-ka-torz |
95 | quatre-vingt-quinze | katr-van-kanz |
96 | quatre-vingt-seize | katr-van-sez |
97 | quatre-vingt-dix-sept | katr-van-dee-set |
98 | quatre-vingt-dix-huit | katr-van-dee-zweet |
99 | quatre-vingt-dix-neuf | katr-van-dee-snuhf |
100 | cent | sawnt |
French Numbers Pronounciation
Check the table below for french pronciation for 100, 500, 1000 and 10,000.
Number | French Word | English Pronunciation |
100 | cent | sahn (nasal 'an' sound) |
500 | cinq cents | sank sahn (nasal 'an' sound) |
1000 | mille | meel |
10000 | dix mille | dee meel |
Notes on Pronunciation:
- 'an' in 'cent' and 'cinq cents': This is a nasal vowel sound. It's like saying "ah" through your nose. It's not exactly like the English "ahn" (as in "dawn").
- 'c' in 'cent' and 'cinq cents': The 'c' before 'e' is a soft 's' sound.
- 'i' in 'mille': This is a short 'ee' sound, like in "feet" but shorter.
- 'x' in 'dix': When 'dix' is followed by a vowel sound (like in 'dix mille'), the 'x' is often pronounced like a 'z' sound. However, in this specific case, it's more commonly pronounced as a soft 's' sound, or sometimes almost silent before 'mille' in informal speech. The 'dee meel' is a good approximation.