How to Read and Write Numbers in French (Les nombres)

How to Read and Write Numbers in French (Les nombres)

Introduction

Learning numbers in French is essential for daily conversations, shopping, and travel. In this guide, we will explore the rules for reading and writing numbers in French, including pronunciation and special grammatical rules.

Set 1: Numbers 1-29

Number	French	Pronunciation (English)
1	un	uhn
2	deux	duh
3	trois	trwah
4	quatre	katr
5	cinq	sank
6	six	sees
7	sept	set
8	huit	weet
9	neuf	nuhf
10	dix	dees
11	onze	onz
12	douze	dooz
13	treize	trez
14	quatorze	ka-torz
15	quinze	kanz
16	seize	sez
17	dix-sept	dees-set
18	dix-huit	dees-weet
19	dix-neuf	dees-nuhf
20	vingt	vahn
21	vingt et un	vahn ay uhn
22	vingt-deux	vahn-duh
23	vingt-trois	vahn-trwah
24	vingt-quatre	vahn-katr
25	vingt-cinq	vahn-sank
26	vingt-six	vahn-sees
27	vingt-sept	vahn-set
28	vingt-huit	vahn-weet
29	vingt-neuf	vahn-nuhf

Rules

Numbers 17-19 use "dix-" (ten + single digit).
Numbers 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 use "et" (and) before "un" (e.g., vingt et un, trente et un).
Other numbers are connected by a hyphen ("-") (e.g., vingt-cinq).

Set 2: Numbers 30-99

Number	French	Pronunciation (English)
30	trente	trawnt
31	trente et un	trawnt ay uhn
32	trente-deux	trawnt-duh
40	quarante	ka-rant
41	quarante et un	ka-rant ay uhn
50	cinquante	sank-awnt
51	cinquante et un	sank-awnt ay uhn
60	soixante	swa-sawnt
61	soixante et un	swa-sawnt ay uhn
70	soixante-dix	swa-sawnt-dees
80	quatre-vingts	ka-truh-vahn
81	quatre-vingt-un	ka-truh-vahn-uhn
90	quatre-vingt-dix	ka-truh-vahn-dees

Rules

"et" is used only in numbers ending in 1 (31, 41, etc.).
A hyphen "-" connects the tens and units (e.g., soixante-cinq).
The number 80 is "quatre-vingts" (four twenties), and it takes an 's' unless followed by another number (e.g., quatre-vingt-un).

Set 3: Numbers 100-299

Number	French	Pronunciation (English)
100	cent	sawnt
101	cent un	sawnt uhn
102	cent deux	sawnt duh
199	cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf	sawnt ka-truh-vahn-dees-nuhf
200	deux cents	duh sawnt
210	deux cent dix	duh sawnt dees
299	deux cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf	duh sawnt ka-truh-vahn-dees-nuhf

Rules

"cent" takes an 's' when used in plural form (200, 300, etc.), but not when followed by another number (e.g., deux cents vs. deux cent dix).

Set 4: Numbers 1,000-99,999

Number	French	Pronunciation (English)
1,000	mille	meel
1,001	mille un	meel uhn
1,999	mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf	meel nuhf sawnt ka-truh-vahn-dees-nuhf
10,000	dix mille	dees meel
11,111	onze mille cent onze	onz meel sawnt onz
50,000	cinquante mille	sank-awnt meel
99,999	quatre-vingt-dix-neuf mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf	ka-truh-vahn-dees-nuhf meel nuhf sawnt ka-truh-vahn-dees-nuhf

Rules

"mille" does not take an 's' even in plural form (e.g., mille, deux mille).
Numbers after 1,000 follow the same rules as smaller numbers (e.g., vingt et un mille, trente-deux mille).

How to Write a Phone Number in French

In France, phone numbers are written in pairs of two digits. Example:

Examples:

06 12 34 56 78 → six douze trente-quatre cinquante-six soixante-dix-huit (sees dooz tront-katr sank-on-te-sees swasont-dees-wheet)
01 23 45 67 89 → un vingt-trois quarante-cinq soixante-sept quatre-vingt-neuf (uh van-trois karont-sank swasont-set katr-van-neuf)
07 89 65 43 21 → sept quatre-vingt-neuf soixante-cinq quarante-trois vingt-et-un (set katr-van-neuf swasont-sank karont-trois van-ay-uh)
02 98 76 54 32 → deux quatre-vingt-dix-huit soixante-seize cinquante-quatre trente-deux (duh katr-van-dees-wheet swasont-sez sank-on-te-katr tront-deux)
05 55 44 33 22 → cinq cinquante-cinq quarante-quatre trente-trois vingt-deux (sank sank-on-te-sank karont-katr tront-trois van-deux)
04 20 30 40 50 → quatre vingt trente quarante cinquante (katr van tront karont sank-on-te)
08 76 54 32 10 → huit soixante-seize cinquante-quatre trente-deux dix (wheet swasont-sez sank-on-te-katr tront-deux dees)
09 33 66 99 00 → neuf trente-trois soixante-six quatre-vingt-dix-neuf zéro zéro (nuff tront-trois swasont-sees katr-van-dees-nuff zero zero)
03 21 43 65 87 → trois vingt-et-un quarante-trois soixante-cinq quatre-vingt-sept (trwa van-ay-uh karont-trois swasont-sank katr-van-set)
01 11 22 33 44 → un onze vingt-deux trente-trois quarante-quatre (uh onz van-deux tront-trois karont-katr)

How to Write a Year in French

When writing years in French, numbers are read differently depending on the century. Here are some examples:

1999 → mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf
2000 → deux mille
2023 → deux mille vingt-trois
1789 → mille sept cent quatre-vingt-neuf
1500 → mille cinq cents

Key Rules:

Years before 2000 are usually read as "mille" followed by the number.
From 2000 onward, "deux mille" is used, followed by the rest of the number.
"Cent" takes an "s" in round hundreds (e.g., 1500 = mille cinq cents) but not when followed by another number (e.g., 1501 = mille cinq cent un).

How to Write a Price in French

When writing prices in French, the format differs slightly from English. Here are some examples:

€1.50 → un euro cinquante
€12.99 → douze euros quatre-vingt-dix-neuf
€100.00 → cent euros
€1,200.75 → mille deux cents euros soixante-quinze

Key Rules:

The euro symbol (€) is placed before or after the number, depending on context.
Prices are usually written with a comma instead of a decimal point in French notation (e.g., 12,99 € instead of 12.99 € in English).
If the amount is singular (1€), "euro" is singular (un euro), but for plural amounts, "euros" is used.
Cents are pronounced without "et" (e.g., 1,50 € → un euro cinquante, not un euro et cinquante).

Final Thoughts

Mastering French numbers is essential for effective communication. By understanding the rules for "et," hyphens, and plural forms, you can confidently use numbers in various situations. Bonne chance!