Learning numbers in French can be both fun and practical. Numbers are an essential part of daily conversations, whether you’re shopping, telling time, or making plans. By understanding how to say French numbers, you’ll be able to express yourself clearly and confidently in a wide range of situations.
In this article, we’ll go over how to say numbers in French and explore different ways to use them. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve your skills, this guide will help you learn key numbers and their variations. Let’s dive into the world of French numbers!
How to Say French Numbers
In French, numbers follow specific patterns that can make them easier to learn. Once you know the basic structure, you can form a wide range of numbers. Below are various ways to say numbers in French, along with their pronunciation, meanings, and example sentences to help you understand their usage.
1. Un (Pronunciation: [uhn])
Meaning: One
In a Sentence:
- J’ai un chien. (I have one dog.)
- Il a un livre. (He has one book.)
2. Deux (Pronunciation: [duh])
Meaning: Two
In a Sentence:
- Elle a deux sœurs. (She has two sisters.)
- Nous avons deux pommes. (We have two apples.)
3. Trois (Pronunciation: [trwah])
Meaning: Three
In a Sentence:
- Il y a trois chaises. (There are three chairs.)
- J’ai trois amis. (I have three friends.)
4. Quatre (Pronunciation: [katr])
Meaning: Four
In a Sentence:
- Nous avons quatre enfants. (We have four children.)
- Elle mange quatre biscuits. (She is eating four cookies.)
5. Cinq (Pronunciation: [sank])
Meaning: Five
In a Sentence:
- J’ai cinq livres. (I have five books.)
- Il a cinq crayons. (He has five pencils.)
6. Six (Pronunciation: [sees])
Meaning: Six
In a Sentence:
- J’ai six stylos. (I have six pens.)
- Elle a six heures de travail. (She has six hours of work.)
7. Sept (Pronunciation: [set])
Meaning: Seven
In a Sentence:
- Nous avons sept jours. (We have seven days.)
- Il a sept ans. (He is seven years old.)
8. Huit (Pronunciation: [weet])
Meaning: Eight
In a Sentence:
- Il y a huit personnes ici. (There are eight people here.)
- Elle a huit livres. (She has eight books.)
9. Neuf (Pronunciation: [nuhf])
Meaning: Nine
In a Sentence:
- J’ai neuf pièces. (I have nine pieces.)
- Nous avons neuf élèves. (We have nine students.)
10. Dix (Pronunciation: [dees])
Meaning: Ten
In a Sentence:
- J’ai dix euros. (I have ten euros.)
- Il est dix heures. (It is ten o’clock.)
11. Vingt (Pronunciation: [van])
Meaning: Twenty
In a Sentence:
- Il a vingt ans. (He is twenty years old.)
- Nous avons vingt livres. (We have twenty books.)
12. Trente (Pronunciation: [tront])
Meaning: Thirty
In a Sentence:
- Elle a trente ans. (She is thirty years old.)
- J’ai trente pages à lire. (I have thirty pages to read.)
13. Quarante (Pronunciation: [ka-ront])
Meaning: Forty
In a Sentence:
- Nous avons quarante minutes. (We have forty minutes.)
- Il a quarante crayons. (He has forty pencils.)
14. Cinquante (Pronunciation: [sank-ant])
Meaning: Fifty
In a Sentence:
- J’ai cinquante centimes. (I have fifty cents.)
- Elle a cinquante livres. (She has fifty books.)
15. Soixante (Pronunciation: [swah-sont])
Meaning: Sixty
In a Sentence:
- Il y a soixante élèves dans la classe. (There are sixty students in the class.)
- Nous avons soixante minutes. (We have sixty minutes.)
16. Soixante-dix (Pronunciation: [swah-sont-dees])
Meaning: Seventy
In a Sentence:
- Elle a soixante-dix ans. (She is seventy years old.)
- Il est presque soixante-dix heures. (It is almost seventy o’clock.)
17. Quatre-vingts (Pronunciation: [katr-van])
Meaning: Eighty
In a Sentence:
- Il y a quatre-vingts élèves à l’école. (There are eighty students at the school.)
- Nous avons quatre-vingts livres. (We have eighty books.)
18. Quatre-vingt-dix (Pronunciation: [katr-van-dees])
Meaning: Ninety
In a Sentence:
- Il est presque quatre-vingt-dix heures. (It is almost ninety o’clock.)
- J’ai quatre-vingt-dix euros. (I have ninety euros.)
19. Cent (Pronunciation: [sahn])
Meaning: One hundred
In a Sentence:
- J’ai cent dollars. (I have one hundred dollars.)
- Il y a cent élèves dans l’école. (There are one hundred students in the school.)
20. Mille (Pronunciation: [meel])
Meaning: One thousand
In a Sentence:
- J’ai mille euros. (I have one thousand euros.)
- Nous avons mille livres à la bibliothèque. (We have one thousand books in the library.)
21. Deux mille (Pronunciation: [duh meel])
Meaning: Two thousand
In a Sentence:
- L’école a été construite en deux mille. (The school was built in two thousand.)
- Il a économisé deux mille dollars. (He saved two thousand dollars.)
22. Trois mille (Pronunciation: [trwah meel])
Meaning: Three thousand
In a Sentence:
- Il y a trois mille personnes à l’événement. (There are three thousand people at the event.)
- Elle a gagné trois mille euros. (She earned three thousand euros.)
23. Dix-mille (Pronunciation: [dees-meel])
Meaning: Ten thousand
In a Sentence:
- J’ai dix-mille raisons de sourire. (I have ten thousand reasons to smile.)
- Il a dépensé dix-mille dollars. (He spent ten thousand dollars.)
24. Cent mille (Pronunciation: [sahn meel])
Meaning: One hundred thousand
In a Sentence:
- Il a une maison qui vaut cent mille euros. (He has a house worth one hundred thousand euros.)
- Elle a gagné cent mille points. (She earned one hundred thousand points.)
25. Un million (Pronunciation: [uhn mee-yon])
Meaning: One million
In a Sentence:
- Il y a un million de personnes dans la ville. (There is one million people in the city.)
- Elle a un million d’abonnés sur Instagram. (She has one million followers on Instagram.)
26. Deux millions (Pronunciation: [duh mee-yon])
Meaning: Two million
In a Sentence:
- Il a gagné deux millions d’euros à la loterie. (He won two million euros in the lottery.)
- Ils ont vendu deux millions de copies. (They sold two million copies.)
27. Trois millions (Pronunciation: [trwah mee-yon])
Meaning: Three million
In a Sentence:
- Il y a trois millions de personnes dans la ville. (There are three million people in the city.)
- La campagne a coûté trois millions de dollars. (The campaign cost three million dollars.)
28. Quatre millions (Pronunciation: [katr mee-yon])
Meaning: Four million
In a Sentence:
- Ils ont collecté quatre millions de signatures. (They collected four million signatures.)
- Le projet a été financé par quatre millions de fonds. (The project was funded by four million dollars.)
29. Cinq millions (Pronunciation: [sank mee-yon])
Meaning: Five million
In a Sentence:
- Le film a rapporté cinq millions d’euros. (The movie earned five million euros.)
- Nous avons cinq millions de visiteurs chaque année. (We have five million visitors each year.)
30. Dix millions (Pronunciation: [dees mee-yon])
Meaning: Ten million
In a Sentence:
- Il y a dix millions de raisons d’y aller. (There are ten million reasons to go.)
- La fondation a récolté dix millions de dollars. (The foundation raised ten million dollars.)
31. Vingt millions (Pronunciation: [van mee-yon])
Meaning: Twenty million
In a Sentence:
- Elle a vendu vingt millions de livres. (She sold twenty million books.)
- Nous avons atteint vingt millions d’abonnés. (We reached twenty million followers.)
32. Trente millions (Pronunciation: [tront mee-yon])
Meaning: Thirty million
In a Sentence:
- La population de la ville atteint trente millions. (The city’s population reaches thirty million.)
- Le produit a généré trente millions de dollars de revenus. (The product generated thirty million dollars in revenue.)
33. Quarante millions (Pronunciation: [ka-ront mee-yon])
Meaning: Forty million
In a Sentence:
- Le film a battu des records avec quarante millions de vues. (The movie broke records with forty million views.)
- Ils ont dépensé quarante millions de dollars pour la recherche. (They spent forty million dollars on research.)
34. Cinquante millions (Pronunciation: [sank-ont mee-yon])
Meaning: Fifty million
In a Sentence:
- Il a investi cinquante millions dans l’entreprise. (He invested fifty million in the company.)
- La campagne a attiré cinquante millions de spectateurs. (The campaign attracted fifty million viewers.)
Other Ways to Say French Numbers
Below is a table with additional ways to express numbers in French. These are more variations or useful forms that you can use in different situations.
| Other ways to say | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example sentences |
| Un et demi | [uhn eh duh-mee] | One and a half | – J’ai un et demi heures de travail. (I have one and a half hours of work.) – Il a un et demi gâteau. (He has one and a half cakes.) |
| Deux et demi | [duh eh duh-mee] | Two and a half | – Elle a deux et demi enfants. (She has two and a half children.) – Nous avons deux et demi litres de lait. (We have two and a half liters of milk.) |
| Trois et demi | [trwah eh duh-mee] | Three and a half | – Il mange trois et demi pizzas. (He eats three and a half pizzas.) – J’ai trois et demi heures de classe. (I have three and a half hours of class.) |
| Quatre-vingt-un | [katr-van-uhn] | Eighty-one | – Il a quatre-vingt-un ans. (He is eighty-one years old.) – J’ai quatre-vingt-un euros. (I have eighty-one euros.) |
| Quatre-vingt-deux | [katr-van-duh] | Eighty-two | – Il y a quatre-vingt-deux élèves dans la classe. (There are eighty-two students in the class.) – Nous avons quatre-vingt-deux livres. (We have eighty-two books.) |
| Quatre-vingt-trois | [katr-van-trwah] | Eighty-three | – Il y a quatre-vingt-trois pièces dans le château. (There are eighty-three rooms in the castle.) – J’ai quatre-vingt-trois idées. (I have eighty-three ideas.) |
| Quatre-vingt-quatre | [katr-van-katr] | Eighty-four | – Elle a quatre-vingt-quatre ans. (She is eighty-four years old.) – Nous avons quatre-vingt-quatre personnes à la fête. (We have eighty-four people at the party.) |
| Quatre-vingt-cinq | [katr-van-sank] | Eighty-five | – Il a quatre-vingt-cinq articles dans son panier. (He has eighty-five items in his basket.) – Nous avons quatre-vingt-cinq dollars. (We have eighty-five dollars.) |
| Cinquante et un | [sank-ont eh uh] | Fifty-one | – J’ai cinquante et un examens à préparer. (I have fifty-one exams to prepare for.) – Il a cinquante et un points. (He has fifty-one points.) |
| Cent un | [sahn uh] | One hundred one | – Il a cent un livres dans sa bibliothèque. (He has one hundred one books in his library.) – Elle a cent un abonnés. (She has one hundred one subscribers.) |
Response to French Numbers
In French, responding to someone who mentions a number can vary depending on the context. Here are some common responses you might use when discussing numbers. These responses will help you engage in conversations involving time, quantities, or anything else related to numbers.
1. C’est un (Pronunciation: [seh uh])
Meaning: It’s one
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de pommes as-tu?” (How many apples do you have?)
- B: “C’est un.” (It’s one.)
2. C’est deux (Pronunciation: [seh duh])
Meaning: It’s two
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de livres as-tu?” (How many books do you have?)
- B: “C’est deux.” (It’s two.)
3. C’est trois (Pronunciation: [seh trwah])
Meaning: It’s three
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de jours restons-nous à Paris?” (How many days are we staying in Paris?)
- B: “C’est trois.” (It’s three.)
4. C’est quatre (Pronunciation: [seh katr])
Meaning: It’s four
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de chaises faut-il?” (How many chairs do we need?)
- B: “C’est quatre.” (It’s four.)
5. C’est cinq (Pronunciation: [seh sank])
Meaning: It’s five
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de cookies as-tu mangés?” (How many cookies did you eat?)
- B: “C’est cinq.” (It’s five.)
6. C’est six (Pronunciation: [seh sees])
Meaning: It’s six
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien d’heures de travail as-tu?” (How many hours of work do you have?)
- B: “C’est six.” (It’s six.)
7. C’est dix (Pronunciation: [seh dees])
Meaning: It’s ten
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de dollars faut-il?” (How many dollars do we need?)
- B: “C’est dix.” (It’s ten.)
8. C’est vingt (Pronunciation: [seh van])
Meaning: It’s twenty
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de pages as-tu lues?” (How many pages have you read?)
- B: “C’est vingt.” (It’s twenty.)
9. C’est cent (Pronunciation: [seh sahn])
Meaning: It’s one hundred
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de personnes étaient présentes?” (How many people were present?)
- B: “C’est cent.” (It’s one hundred.)
10. C’est mille (Pronunciation: [seh meel])
Meaning: It’s one thousand
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de livres avez-vous vendus?” (How many books did you sell?)
- B: “C’est mille.” (It’s one thousand.)
11. C’est plus (Pronunciation: [seh ploo])
Meaning: It’s more
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien d’amis avez-vous?” (How many friends do you have?)
- B: “C’est plus de dix.” (It’s more than ten.)
12. C’est moins (Pronunciation: [seh mwah])
Meaning: It’s less
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de personnes étaient en retard?” (How many people were late?)
- B: “C’est moins de cinq.” (It’s less than five.)
13. C’est un peu plus (Pronunciation: [seh uh puh ploo])
Meaning: It’s a little more
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de livres as-tu lus?” (How many books have you read?)
- B: “C’est un peu plus de dix.” (It’s a little more than ten.)
14. C’est presque (Pronunciation: [seh presk])
Meaning: It’s almost
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de pages as-tu lues?” (How many pages have you read?)
- B: “C’est presque vingt.” (It’s almost twenty.)
15. C’est exactement (Pronunciation: [seh exak-tuh-moh])
Meaning: It’s exactly
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de personnes viennent à la fête?” (How many people are coming to the party?)
- B: “C’est exactement cinquante.” (It’s exactly fifty.)
16. C’est un total de (Pronunciation: [seh uh toh-tal duh])
Meaning: It’s a total of
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de visiteurs sont venus?” (How many visitors came?)
- B: “C’est un total de cent.” (It’s a total of one hundred.)
17. C’est environ (Pronunciation: [seh ahn-vee-ron])
Meaning: It’s about
In a Sentence:
- A: “Combien de kilomètres avons-nous parcourus?” (How many kilometers have we traveled?)
- B: “C’est environ trente.” (It’s about thirty.)
Exercise to Practice Success with French Numbers
Here are 12 fill-in-the-blank exercises using French numbers to help you practice. Fill in each blank with the correct number form in French. Afterward, you’ll find the answers and their English translations.
Fill-in-the-blank Exercises
- J’ai ___ pommes. (I have __ apples.)
- Elle a ___ sœurs. (She has __ sisters.)
- Il y a ___ élèves dans la classe. (There are __ students in the class.)
- Nous avons ___ livres à la bibliothèque. (We have __ books in the library.)
- J’ai ___ heures de travail. (I have __ hours of work.)
- Il a ___ ans. (He is __ years old.)
- Il est ___ heures. (It is __ o’clock.)
- J’ai ___ crayons. (I have __ pencils.)
- Nous avons ___ jours pour finir le projet. (We have __ days to finish the project.)
- Il y a ___ personnes dans la salle. (There are __ people in the room.)
- J’ai ___ euros. (I have __ euros.)
- Il y a ___ chaises dans la salle. (There are __ chairs in the room.)
Answers
- une – I have one apple.
- deux – She has two sisters.
- trois – There are three students in the class.
- cinq – We have five books in the library.
- six – I have six hours of work.
- huit – He is eight years old.
- dix – It is ten o’clock.
- quatre – I have four pencils.
- sept – We have seven days to finish the project.
- dix – There are ten people in the room.
- vingt – I have twenty euros.
- douze – There are twelve chairs in the room.
Conclusion
Mastering French numbers is a valuable skill that will make many aspects of your language learning easier. Whether you’re shopping, telling time, or simply engaging in a conversation, knowing how to express numbers in French is essential. From basic numbers like “un” (one) to larger ones like “mille” (one thousand), there are many ways to practice and improve your understanding.
By practicing the exercises, learning different ways to say numbers, and getting familiar with common responses, you’ll feel more confident when using numbers in everyday conversations. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be able to use French numbers naturally and correctly in any situation!