French Numbers 1 to 100: Learn To Count In French

If you’re interested in learning French, one of the fundamental things you should know is how to count in French. From ordering food at a restaurant to telling time, counting in French is a crucial skill. 

In this blog post, we’ll go through how to count in French from 1 to 100.

Cardinal Numbers In French

Cardinal numbers are the numbers that we use to count objects.  In French, they are called “les nombres cardinaux”.  Here’s a table of the French cardinal numbers from 1 to 10:

Number	French	Pronunciation
1	un	ahn
2	deux	duh
3	trois	twa
4	quatre	kat-ruh
5	cinq	sank
6	six	sees
7	sept	set
8	huit	weet
9	neuf	nuhf
10	dix	dees

To count in French from 11 to 20, you simply add the number ten (dix) to the ones digit. For example, 11 in French is “onze” (10 + 1), and 16 is “seize” (10 + 6).

Number	French	Pronunciation
11	onze	ohnz
12	douze	dooz
13	treize	trehz
14	quatorze	kah-torz
15	quinze	cans
16	seize	sez
17	dix-sept	deez-set
18	dix-huit	deez-weet
19	dix-neuf	deez-nuhf
20	vingt	vahn

Numbers From 21 To 69

From 21 to 69, the numbers in French are formed by combining the tens digit with the ones digit. For example, 21 is “vingt-et-un” (20 and 1), and 42 is “quarante-deux” (40 and 2). Here’s a table of the French cardinal numbers from 21 to 69:

Number	French	Pronunciation
21	vingt-et-un	vahn-tay-uhn
22	vingt-deux	vahn-duh
23	vingt-trois	vahn-twah
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
30	trente	trant
31	trente et un	trant ay uhn
32	trente-deux	trant duh
33	trente-trois	trant twah
34	trente-quatre	trant katr
35	trente-cinq	trant sank
36	trente-six	trant sees
37	trente-sept	trant set
38	trente-huit	trant weet
39	trente-neuf	trant nuhf
40	quarante	karant
41	quarante et un	karant ay uhn
42	quarante-deux	karant duh
43	quarante-trois	karant twah
44	quarante-quatre	karant katr
45	quarante-cinq	karant sank
46	quarante-six	karant sees
47	quarante-sept	karant set
48	quarante-huit	karant weet
49	quarante-neuf	karant nuhf
50	cinquante	sank-ont
51	cinquante et un	sank-ont ay uhn
52	cinquante-deux	sank-ont duh
53	cinquante-trois	sank-ont twah
54	cinquante-quatre	sank-ont katr
55	cinquante-cinq	sank-ont sank
56	cinquante-six	sank-ont sees
57	cinquante-sept	sank-ont set
58	cinquante-huit	sank-ont weet
59	cinquante-neuf	sank-ont nuhf
60	soixante	swa-sont
61	soixante et un	swa-sont ay uhn
62	soixante-deux	swa-sont duh

63	soixante-trois	swa-sont-twah
64	soixante-quatre	swa-sont-katr
65	soixante-cinq	swa-sont-sank
66	soixante-six	swa-sont-sees
67	soixante-sept	swa-sont-set
68	soixante-huit	swa-sont-weet
69	soixante-neuf	swa-sont-nuhf

Now that we’ve gone through the basics of counting in French from 1 to 69, let’s move on to the next set of numbers, from 70 to 100.

70 To 79

In French, the numbers from 70 to 79 are a little different from the rest of the numbers. Instead of following a simple pattern, they require a combination of numbers. Take a look at the table below to see the numbers from 70 to 79 in French.

Number	French	Pronunciation
70	soixante-dix	swa-sont-dees
71	soixante-et-onze	swa-sont-ay-ohnz
72	soixante-douze	swa-sont-dooz
73	soixante-treize	swa-sont-trez
74	soixante-quatorze	swa-sont-kah-trz
75	soixante-quinze	swa-sont-ka-zuh
76	soixante-seize	swa-sont-seiz
77	soixante-dix-sept	swa-sont-dees-set
78	soixante-dix-huit	swa-sont-dees-wit
79	soixante-dix-neuf	swa-sont-dees-nuf

As you can see, the French word for 70 is “soixante-dix,” which literally means “sixty-ten.” To count from 71 to 79, you add the numbers “et-un” (and one) to the end of “soixante” (sixty) and then add the corresponding number. 

For example, 71 in French is “soixante-et-onze,” which means “sixty and eleven.”

80 TO 89

The French numbers from 80 to 89 follow a similar pattern to the numbers from 20 to 29. The number 80 is “quatre-vingts,” which means “four twenties.”  The numbers from 81 to 89 are formed by adding the corresponding number to the end of “quatre-vingts.” 

Here is a table with the numbers from 80 to 89 in French:

Number	French	Pronunciation
80	quatre-vingts	ka-truh-vahn
81	quatre-vingt-un	ka-truh-vahn-uhn
82	quatre-vingt-deux	ka-truh-vahn-doo
83	quatre-vingt-trois	ka-truh-vahn-twa
84	quatre-vingt-quatre	ka-truh-vahn-katr
85	quatre-vingt-cinq	ka-truh-vahn-sank
86	quatre-vingt-six	ka-truh-vahn-sees
87	quatre-vingt-sept	ka-truh-vahn-set
88	quatre-vingt-huit	ka-truh-vahn-wit
89	quatre-vingt-neuf	ka-truh-vahn-nuf

90-99

Number	French	Pronunciation
90	quatre-vingt-dix	ka-truh-vahn-dee
91	quatre-vingt-onze	ka-truh-vahn-ohnz
92	quatre-vingt-douze	ka-truh-vahn-dooz
93	quatre-vingt-treize	ka-truh-vahn-treuz
94	quatre-vingt-quatorze	ka-truh-vahn-kah-torz
95	quatre-vingt-quinze	ka-truh-vahn-ka-sank
96	quatre-vingt-seize	ka-truh-vahn-sehz
97	quatre-vingt-dix-sept	ka-truh-vahn-dee-set
98	quatre-vingt-dix-huit	ka-truh-vahn-dee-zweet
99	quatre-vingt-dix-neuf	ka-truh-vahn-dee-nurf

Notice that the numbers in the 90s are a bit different from the previous numbers we’ve seen. The number “90” is “quatre-vingt-dix,” which literally means “four twenties and ten.” 

This is because the French used to have a base-20 counting system, which is why the numbers from 80 to 99 have a unique structure.

100

Number	French	Pronunciation
100	cent	sahn

The number 100 in French is “cent,” which is a simple and straightforward translation.

Counting Beyond 100

To count beyond 100 in French, you can simply add the word “et” (and) between the hundreds and the tens/units. 

For example, 101 is “cent un” (100 and 1), 175 is “cent soixante-quinze” (100, 60, and 15), and 999 is “neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf” (9 hundreds, 4 twenties, and 19).

Conclusion

Now that you know how to count in French from 1 to 100, you can practice by counting objects around you or testing yourself with flashcards. Remember that pronunciation is key in French, so don’t be afraid to listen to native speakers or use online resources to improve your skills.

 With practice and patience, you’ll be counting in French like a pro in no time!