Eins… zwei… drei… time to learn about using German numbers! Though English and German numerals might look the same when you write them down (1, 2, 3,...) there’s a lot to learn if you want to pronounce them out loud or use them in sentences.
In this post, we’ll give you a basic introduction to all the grammar you’ll need to know to get started forming types of numbers in German, from cardinal numbers (counting numbers) to ordinal numbers (words like “first” or “second”). We’ll also introduce you to how you can use them for different purposes, like using money, doing basic math, and talking about dates. Let’s get into it!
German and English cardinal numbers, the numbers that are used in counting, are formed pretty similarly, with a few important differences. Let’s divide them up into groups!
The number words from 0 to 10 will mostly seem like old friends. Let’s take a look the those “basic” numbers:
German | English |
|---|---|
null | zero |
eins | one |
zwei | two |
drei | three |
vier | four |
fünf | five |
sechs | six |
sieben | seven |
acht | eight |
neun | nine |
zehn | ten |
Let’s say we want to form 11-19. Here, there’s just two more that you also need to memorize: the words for 11 and 12.
German | English |
|---|---|
elf | eleven |
zwölf | eleven |
For the other “teens” (13-19) there’s no need for memorization: just add -zehn to the numbers from 3 to 9:
drei
three
zehn
teen
dreizehn
thirteen
neun
nine
zehn
teen
neunzehn
nineteen
Straightforward, right? However, make note of these tiny exceptions. When combining with -zehn:
sechs(six) loses its final -s → sechzehn(sixteen)
sieben(seven) loses its -en → siebzehn(seventeen).
For multiples of ten, 30-90, just add the ending to the number words from 2 to 9 to form words for multiples of ten:
vier
four
zig
-ty
vierzig
forty
acht
eight
zig
-ty
achtzig
eighty
In some cases, you can’t just add -zig to the number word. Make note of these changes:
zwei + -zig → ✅zwanzig(twenty) and not ❌zweizig.
drei(three) adds -ßig and not -zig → dreißig(thirty)
sechs(six) loses its final -s → sechzig(sixty)
sieben(seven) loses its -en → siebzig(seventy).
For the numbers between the multiples of ten (21-99), things get a little trickier, from an English perspective, because the German number words for numbers “turned around”:
einundzwanzig
twenty-one
lit. one-and-twenty
zweiundvierzig
forty-two
lit. two-and-twenty
Did you notice that? When eins(one) is used as part of a larger number word, it loses its final -s, so it’s ✅einundvierzig(forty-one) and not ❌einsundvierzig.
Big numbers, those from 100 to 100,000, are combinations of our basic numbers and the words hundert(hundred) and tausend(thousand). Remember that in German they are all spelled as one word:
einhundertzweiundvierzig
one hundred and forty-two
In colloquial German, the ein is usually left out from numbers like einhundert, but you need it for more formal purposes, like for mathematical operations.
All right, next one’s up to you: Try forming the number word for “thirteen thousand seven hundred seventy-nine”, then look below to see the answer. You’re right, it’s:
dreizehntausendsiebenhundertneunundsiebzig (13.779)
thirteen thousand seven hundred seventy-nine (13,779)
Once you get to one million, the number words are not one-word numerals, but nouns. This means they have a gender (feminine), they are counted using compound numbers that are a separate word (like the ones above), and they can take definite or indefinite articles.
Eine einer Mücken? Nein, wir müssen mindestens mit einer Billion Mücken rechnen!
A million mosquitos? No, we have to expect at least a trillion mosquitos.
There is a cultural difference: Germany uses the long scale, where eine Billion(one trillion) equals one million millions (or 1012), while most English-speaking countries use the short scale, where “one billion” stands for one thousand millions (or 109)—in German that number is called eine Billiarde. Look at our table to see all the differences between LARGE numbers in German and English.
In writing, ordinal numbers (numbers like “fifth” or “seventeenth”) in German are distinguished from cardinal numbers by adding a period after the numerals, as in:
der 16. April
the 16th of April
The words for most ordinal numbers, though, are derived from the cardinal number words by two different “formulas”:
For numbers from 2 to 19:
cardinal number word
-t
adjective ending
Komm doch! Mama hat uns schon das vierte Mal gerufen!
Come on! Mama called us for the fourth time already!
For numbers from 20 onwards:
cardinal number word
-st
adjective ending
Ich habe am neunundzwanzigsten Februar Geburtstag.
My birthday is on the twenty-ninth of February.
The ordinal number words for “first” and “third” need to be memorized: erst- and dritt-. Add the adjective endings directly to these stems:
Peter und Lena belegten den ersten und dritten Platz.
Peter and Lena took first and third place.
Note also that that sieben loses its -en ending when used as an ordinal number: siebt-
Ordinal numbers are adjectives and always add an adjective ending, which differs depending on context. Here are the two most common contexts and the respective ending:
Following the word am(on the), add the ending -en to the ordinal number:
Ich komme entweder am fünfzehnten Mai oder am einunddreißigsten Mai.
I will come either on the fifteenth of May or on the thirty-first of May.
Following the definite article, add the ending -e to the ordinal number:
Heute ist der erste Januar und Sie sind die zehnte Anruferin!
Today is the first of January and you are the tenth caller!
Cardinal numbers are all around us: phone numbers, zip codes, house numbers, plain old counting things, and more. Read some tips and tricks about using cardinal numbers!
In German, we often use the indefinite article (ein/eine/ein) instead of the number eins(one). The indefinite article is most common in cases where you’re not actively doing math, such as when you’re ordering at a restaurant.
Just like in English you would usually say “I’d like a coke” instead of “I’d like one coke,” in German you don’t usually use eins(one) unless you really want to emphasize the numerical value for some reason.
Ich möchte drei Colas, zwei Stück Kuchen, sechs Portionen Zuckerwatte, vier Liter Limonade und einen Apfel.
I would like three cokes, two pieces of cake, six portions of cotton candy, four liters of lemonade and an apple.
You’ll even do this when counting money! (see below.)
If you want to express how many times something should be done, you can combine any cardinal number with the little suffix -mal(times):
Klingle nicht immer dreimal an der Tür, das habe ich dir doch schon hundertmal gesagt!
Don’t always ring the bell three times, I have said that to you a hundred times already!
Basic math operations with cardinal numbers work the same way around the world, but the symbols used are not always the same.
For example, in German:
use the comma as a decimal point marker (e.g. 3,5 = 3.5)
use the decimal to mark to separate out the thousands (e.g. 3.500 = 3,500)
you’ll generally use (⋅) as the symbol or multiplication (not x)
you’ll generally use a colon (:) instead of (÷)
These symbols, and the words to use for them are illustrated in the examples below:
7 ⋅ 7 : 1 + 10 - 17 = 42
7 x 7 ÷ 1 + 10 - 17 = 42
sieben mal sieben durch eins plus zehn minus siebzehn ist gleich zweiundvierzig
seven times seven divided by one plus ten minus seventeen equals 42
Of course, cardinal number words play a big role when you are talking about money, be it asking how much something costs or discussing paychecks with your boss. Here is what you do: You can express any amount by using a cardinal number word and the word der Euro(euro) and der Cent(cent). Take a look:
Was kostet das?
How much is that?
Das kostet zwanzig Euro zehn.
That is twenty euros and ten cents.
Und das dort?
And that one over there?
Das kostet nur fünfzig Cent .
That costs only fifty cents.
Schau, da ist ein Euro!
Look, there’s a euro!
Super, das Eis kostet genau einen Euro!
Great, the ice cream costs exactly one euro!
While you would use the plural words “euros” and “cents” in English (e.g. “ten euros” or “ten cents”) we don’t do the same in German. In German, you always use the singular, regardless of the amount you are talking about.
As we discussed above, in German we often use the indefinite article (a/an) instead of the number eins(one). Unlike numbers, the indefinite article needs to agree with the noun in case, number, and gender, as you can see in the examples below:
Hier ist ein Euro für dich.
Here is one euro for you.
Ich habe nur einen Euro.
I have only one euro.
So far so good! One of the most important skills to have is being able to convert prices printed using actual numbers into number words, for example when we want to talk about how much things are at the supermarket. Let’s look at this table:
Price in numbers | Number words | English |
|---|---|---|
1,00 € | ein Euro | one euro |
1,10 € | ein Euro zehn | one euro and ten cents |
30,00 € | dreißig Euro | thirty euros |
30,99 € | dreißig Euro neunundneunzig | thirty euros and ninety-nine cents |
100,00 € | (ein)hundert Euro | one hundred euros |
0,50 € | fünfzig Cent | fifty cents |
In short, you pronounce the words Euro or Cent in the place of the decimal comma. And now you’re ready to go shopping!
To say the date in German you’ll need to use both cardinal and ordinal numbers.
Germans use this format when writing dates: DD. MM. YYYY (with a space after each period).
In German, both the days and the months are expressed as ordinal numbers. Even when speaking out loud Germans will often use the ordinal number for both the day and the month, rather than using the month’s name.
Heute ist der zwanzigste zehnte. (20. 10.)
Today is the twentieth of October. (10/20)
lit. Today is the twentieth tenth.
Am sechsten sechsten ist Lenas Fete! (6. 6.)
On the sixth of June is Lena’s party! (06/06)
lit. On the sixth sixth is Lena’s party!
Just like in English, the names of most historical years in German aren’t read as numbers in the thousands, but in two chunks. But in German you need to add the word “hundred” in the middle of the date. For example:
1789 → das Jahr siebzehnhundertneunundachtzig
the year seventeen (hundred) eighty-nine
1980 → Ich bin in einem Schaltjahr geboren: neunzehnhundertachtzig
I was born in a leap year: nineteen (hundred) eighty.
Starting with the year 2000, though, we just use the normal cardinal number word for the year, e.g. zweitausend(two thousand):
Im Jahr zweitausendzwanzig war ich zehn Jahre alt.
In the year two thousand twenty I was ten years old.
Here are the main take-aways from this post:
The forms of the basic cardinal numbers and how to turn them into larger ones. Remember these major points:
Keep track of the endings -zehn(-teen) and -zig(-ty) which will help you form lots of numbers.
In many two-digit numbers the ones-place and tens-place are “flipped around” compared to English (Germans say “one and twenty” not “twenty one”).
In German, numbers under 9,999 should always be a single word, no hyphens or spaces needed!
Most most German ordinal numbers are formed by adding -t or -st and an adjective ending to the cardinal number
If you want to see more number words, check out this table of German numbers. Or, if you’re ready, get practicing with these German numbers activities!
