Spanish Numbers Guide 1

Complete Guide to
Spanish Numbers
Guía Completa de Números en Español

IdiomAry

What are Spanish numbers?

Spanish numbers (números) are essential building blocks for communication
in Spanish. They follow specific patterns and rules that differ from English in pro-
nunciation, gender agreement, and usage. Mastering Spanish numbers is crucial
for daily conversations, shopping, telling time, dates, and expressing quantities.
Unlike English, Spanish numbers have gender agreement in certain cases and
unique pronunciation rules that affect fluency.

Contents

1 Cardinal Numbers 3
1.1 Numbers 0-19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 Numbers 11-19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3 Tens: 20-90 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2 Hundreds and Thousands 5

2.1 Hundreds: 100-900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2 Thousands and Beyond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3 Ordinal Numbers 6
3.1 First through Tenth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.2 Beyond Tenth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

4 Special Number Uses 7

4.1 Time and Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.2 Money and Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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Spanish Numbers Guide 2

5 Mathematical Operations 7
5.1 Addition and Subtraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5.2 Multiplication and Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

6 Phone Numbers and Addresses 8

6.1 Phone Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6.2 Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

7 Common Mistakes and Tips 10

8 Quick Reference Table 10

9 Practice Exercises 11

10 Learning Strategies 11

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Spanish Numbers Guide 3

1 Cardinal Numbers
Números Cardinales - Counting and quantities

1.1 Numbers 0-19

• 0 - Cero - zero
Tengo cero problemas. - I have zero problems.
El resultado es cero. - The result is zero.

• 1 - Uno/Una - one
Tengo un libro. - I have one book.
Hay una mesa. - There is one table.

• 2 - Dos - two
Compro dos manzanas. - I buy two apples.
Son las dos. - It’s two o’clock.

• 3 - Tres - three
Veo tres perros. - I see three dogs.
Trabajo tres días. - I work three days.

• 4 - Cuatro - four
Tengo cuatro hermanos. - I have four brothers.
La mesa tiene cuatro patas. - The table has four legs.

• 5 - Cinco - five
Son las cinco. - It’s five o’clock.
Compro cinco libros. - I buy five books.

• 6 - Seis - six
Hay seis estudiantes. - There are six students.
Mi hijo tiene seis años. - My son is six years old.

• 7 - Siete - seven
Trabajo siete horas. - I work seven hours.
La semana tiene siete días. - The week has seven days.

• 8 - Ocho - eight
Llego a las ocho. - I arrive at eight.
Tengo ocho euros. - I have eight euros.

• 9 - Nueve - nine
El curso dura nueve meses. - The course lasts nine months.
Hay nueve planetas. - There are nine planets.

• 10 - Diez - ten
Tengo diez dedos. - I have ten fingers.
El examen es a las diez. - The exam is at ten.

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Spanish Numbers Guide 4

1.2 Numbers 11-19

• 11 - Once - eleven
Llego a las once. - I arrive at eleven.
Hay once jugadores. - There are eleven players.

• 12 - Doce - twelve
Son las doce del día. - It’s twelve noon.
El año tiene doce meses. - The year has twelve months.

• 13 - Trece - thirteen
Mi hermana tiene trece años. - My sister is thirteen years old.
Viernes trece. - Friday the thirteenth.

• 14 - Catorce - fourteen
El curso empieza el catorce. - The course starts on the fourteenth.
Trabajo catorce horas. - I work fourteen hours.

• 15 - Quince - fifteen
La fiesta es a las quince. - The party is at fifteen (3 PM).
Tengo quince minutos. - I have fifteen minutes.

• 16-19 - Dieciséis, Diecisiete, Dieciocho, Diecinueve - sixteen-nineteen

Tengo dieciséis años. - I am sixteen years old.
Son las dieciocho horas. - It’s eighteen hours (6 PM).
El vuelo sale a las diecinueve. - The flight leaves at nineteen (7 PM).

1.3 Tens: 20-90

• 20 - Veinte - twenty
Tengo veinte euros. - I have twenty euros.
Ella tiene veinte años. - She is twenty years old.

• 21-29 - Veintiuno, Veintidós... Veintinueve - twenty-one to twenty-nine

Veintiún libros. - Twenty-one books.
Veintidós estudiantes. - Twenty-two students.
Veintinueve días. - Twenty-nine days.

• 30 - Treinta - thirty
Trabajo treinta horas. - I work thirty hours.
Cuesta treinta euros. - It costs thirty euros.

• 31-39 - Treinta y uno... Treinta y nueve - thirty-one to thirty-nine

Treinta y un años. - Thirty-one years.
Treinta y cinco estudiantes. - Thirty-five students.

• 40, 50, 60 - Cuarenta, Cincuenta, Sesenta - forty, fifty, sixty

Mi padre tiene cuarenta años. - My father is forty years old.
Trabajo cincuenta horas. - I work fifty hours.
El límite es sesenta. - The limit is sixty.

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Spanish Numbers Guide 5

• 70, 80, 90 - Setenta, Ochenta, Noventa - seventy, eighty, ninety

Mi abuela tiene setenta años. - My grandmother is seventy years old.
La velocidad es ochenta. - The speed is eighty.
Hay noventa estudiantes. - There are ninety students.

2 Hundreds and Thousands

Centenas y Miles - Large numbers

2.1 Hundreds: 100-900

• 100 - Cien/Ciento - one hundred
Tengo cien euros. - I have one hundred euros.
Ciento un libros. - One hundred and one books.
Ciento cincuenta estudiantes. - One hundred fifty students.

• 200 - Doscientos/Doscientas - two hundred

Doscientos hombres. - Two hundred men.
Doscientas mujeres. - Two hundred women.
Cuesta doscientos euros. - It costs two hundred euros.

• 300-900 - Trescientos... Novecientos - three hundred to nine hundred

Trescientas personas. - Three hundred people.
Quinientos dólares. - Five hundred dollars.
Ochocientas páginas. - Eight hundred pages.

2.2 Thousands and Beyond

• 1,000 - Mil - one thousand
Mil estudiantes. - One thousand students.
Dos mil euros. - Two thousand euros.
Cinco mil personas. - Five thousand people.

• 1,000,000 - Un millón - one million

Un millón de habitantes. - One million inhabitants.
Dos millones de euros. - Two million euros.
Tres millones de personas. - Three million people.

• 1,000,000,000 - Mil millones - one billion

Mil millones de dólares. - One billion dollars.
Dos mil millones de personas. - Two billion people.

Important Notes on Large Numbers:

• Use "cien" before nouns and "ciento" before other numbers

• Hundreds agree in gender: doscientos libros, doscientas mesas

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Spanish Numbers Guide 6

• "Mil" never uses the article "un": mil euros (not un mil euros)

• "Millón" requires "de" before nouns: un millón de personas

• In Spain, "mil millones" = billion; "billón" = trillion

3 Ordinal Numbers
Números Ordinales - Order and sequence

3.1 First through Tenth

• 1º - Primero/Primera - first
El primer día. - The first day.
La primera vez. - The first time.
Es el primero de la clase. - He’s first in the class.

• 2º - Segundo/Segunda - second
El segundo piso. - The second floor.
Mi segunda casa. - My second house.
Llegó en segundo lugar. - He arrived in second place.

• 3º-10º - Tercero... Décimo - third through tenth

El tercer libro. - The third book.
La cuarta semana. - The fourth week.
El quinto año. - The fifth year.
La sexta lección. - The sixth lesson.
El séptimo día. - The seventh day.
La octava hora. - The eighth hour.
El noveno mes. - The ninth month.
La décima página. - The tenth page.

3.2 Beyond Tenth

• 11º-20º - Undécimo... Vigésimo - eleventh through twentieth
El undécimo capítulo. - The eleventh chapter.
La duodécima hora. - The twelfth hour.
El vigésimo aniversario. - The twentieth anniversary.

• Higher ordinals - Use cardinal + suffix - beyond twentieth

El veintiún cumpleaños. - The twenty-first birthday.
El siglo veintiuno. - The twenty-first century.
La página cincuenta. - Page fifty.

Ordinal Number Rules:

• Ordinals agree in gender and number with the noun

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Spanish Numbers Guide 7

• "Primero" and "tercero" drop the final "o" before masculine singular nouns

• After 10th, cardinal numbers are often used instead of ordinals

• Ordinals are abbreviated with º (masculine) and ª (feminine)

4 Special Number Uses

Usos Especiales - Specific contexts and applications

4.1 Time and Age

• Telling time:
Son las tres. - It’s three o’clock.
Es la una y media. - It’s one-thirty.
Son las cinco y cuarto. - It’s quarter past five.
Son las ocho menos diez. - It’s ten to eight.

• Ages:
Tengo veinticinco años. - I’m twenty-five years old.
Mi hija tiene tres años. - My daughter is three years old.
¿Cuántos años tienes? - How old are you?

• Dates:
El cinco de mayo. - The fifth of May.
El primero de enero. - The first of January.
Nació el quince de julio. - He was born on July fifteenth.

4.2 Money and Measurements

• Prices:
Cuesta diez euros. - It costs ten euros.
Son treinta dólares. - That’s thirty dollars.
Vale quinientos pesos. - It’s worth five hundred pesos.

• Measurements:
Mido un metro setenta. - I’m one meter seventy tall.
Peso sesenta kilos. - I weigh sixty kilos.
La distancia es cinco kilómetros. - The distance is five kilometers.

• Percentages:
El cincuenta por ciento. - Fifty percent.
Un veinte por ciento de descuento. - A twenty percent discount.
Subió un diez por ciento. - It went up ten percent.

5 Mathematical Operations
Operaciones Matemáticas - Basic arithmetic

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Spanish Numbers Guide 8

5.1 Addition and Subtraction

• Addition (Suma):
Cinco más tres son ocho. - Five plus three equals eight.
Dos y dos son cuatro. - Two and two are four.
Diez más cinco igual quince. - Ten plus five equals fifteen.

• Subtraction (Resta):
Diez menos tres son siete. - Ten minus three equals seven.
Veinte menos cinco igual quince. - Twenty minus five equals fifteen.
Cien menos cincuenta son cincuenta. - One hundred minus fifty equals
fifty.

5.2 Multiplication and Division

• Multiplication (Multiplicación):
Cinco por tres son quince. - Five times three equals fifteen.
Dos multiplicado por cuatro son ocho. - Two multiplied by four equals
eight.
Tres veces siete igual veintiuno. - Three times seven equals twenty-one.

• Division (División):
Doce dividido por tres son cuatro. - Twelve divided by three equals four.
Veinte entre cinco igual cuatro. - Twenty divided by five equals four.
Cien partido por diez son diez. - One hundred divided by ten equals ten.

6 Phone Numbers and Addresses

Teléfonos y Direcciones - Practical applications

6.1 Phone Numbers

• Reading digits individually:
Mi número es seis-dos-tres-cinco-uno-nueve-ocho.
My number is 6-2-3-5-1-9-8.

• Grouping numbers:
Nueve-quince-cuarenta y dos-sesenta y uno.
9-15-42-61 (915-42-61)

• Area codes:
El código de área es novecientos catorce.
The area code is 914.

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Spanish Numbers Guide 9

6.2 Addresses
• Street numbers:
Vivo en la calle Mayor, número treinta y cinco.
I live on Mayor Street, number thirty-five.

• Apartment numbers:
Apartamento cuatro-B, segundo piso.
Apartment 4-B, second floor.

• Postal codes:
El código postal es dos-ocho-cero-cero-uno.
The postal code is 28001.

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Spanish Numbers Guide 10

7 Common Mistakes and Tips

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

1. Gender agreement errors: Remember doscientos vs. doscientas

2. Using "un" with "mil": Say "mil euros," not "un mil euros"

3. Forgetting "de" with "millón": "Un millón de personas," not "un millón
personas"

4. Wrong form of "uno": Use "un" before masculine nouns, "una" before femi-
nine

5. Ordinal vs. cardinal confusion: Use cardinals for dates except "primero"

6. Time expressions: "Es la una" (singular) vs. "Son las dos" (plural)

Pro Tips for Learning Spanish Numbers:

1. Practice daily activities: Count objects, tell time, say ages regularly

2. Learn patterns: Notice how 20s are written together (veinte), 30+ separate
(treinta y...)

3. Master gender agreement: Practice with masculine and feminine hundreds

4. Use memory tricks: "Quince" sounds like "queen-say" for 15

5. Practice math operations: Say simple equations aloud in Spanish

6. Listen to native speakers: Pay attention to number pronunciation in context

7. Start with basics: Master 1-20 before moving to larger numbers

8. Use real situations: Practice with prices, addresses, phone numbers

8 Quick Reference Table

Number Spanish Number Spanish Ordinal

1 uno/una 11 once primero/a
2 dos 12 doce segundo/a
3 tres 13 trece tercero/a
4 cuatro 14 catorce cuarto/a
5 cinco 15 quince quinto/a
6 seis 16 dieciséis sexto/a
7 siete 17 diecisiete séptimo/a

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Spanish Numbers Guide 11

Number Spanish Number Spanish Ordinal

8 ocho 18 dieciocho octavo/a
9 nueve 19 diecinueve noveno/a
10 diez 20 veinte décimo/a

9 Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Write numbers in Spanish
Write the following numbers in Spanish:

1. 37: ____________________

2. 156: ____________________

3. 2,500: ____________________

4. 1st (masculine): ____________________

5. 500 women: ____________________

Exercise 2: Time expressions

Write the time in Spanish:

1. 3:15: ____________________

2. 1:30: ____________________

3. 8:45: ____________________

4. 12:00: ____________________

5. 6:20: ____________________

Exercise 3: Mathematical operations

Complete the operations in Spanish:

1. 15 + 8 = ____________________

2. 50 - 12 = ____________________

3. 7 × 6 = ____________________

4. 100 ÷ 5 = ____________________

5. 25

10 Learning Strategies

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Spanish Numbers Guide 12

To master Spanish numbers:

1. Create number charts with pronunciation guides and practice daily

2. Use flashcards for quick recognition of written and spoken numbers

3. Practice with real money when shopping or handling cash

4. Count everything - steps, items, people - throughout your day

5. Play number games like bingo or lottery in Spanish

6. Watch Spanish TV and listen for prices, times, and quantities

7. Practice phone numbers by saying your own and friends’ numbers

8. Use Spanish calendar to practice dates and ordinal numbers

9. Do math problems aloud in Spanish for operation vocabulary

10. Set goals progressively - master 1-20, then 20-100, then hundreds

Remember: Spanish numbers follow logical patterns once you understand the
basic structure. Focus on pronunciation, gender agreement rules, and practical
applications. Don’t rush - build confidence with smaller numbers before tackling
larger ones. Practice in real-life contexts to make the learning stick!

¡Éxito contando en español!

Success counting in Spanish!

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