Spanish numbers

0 to 29

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0 to 15: words to learn by heart

The numbers 0–15 are irregular single words that must be learned by heart (cero, uno, dos … quince); the regular building system only starts at 16.

• Tengo tres hermanos y dos gatos. — I have three siblings and two cats.

16 to 29: one word (dieciséis, veintidós)

From 16 to 29 the tens and units fuse into ONE word with an accent where needed: dieciséis, diecisiete, veintiuno, veintidós, veintitrés, veintiséis — the older three-word spelling (diez y seis) is no longer used.

• Somos veintiún estudiantes. — We are twenty-one students.
• El libro cuesta veintidós euros. — The book costs twenty-two euros.

uno or un: un libro, veintiún años

uno drops its -o to un directly before a masculine noun (un libro, veintiún años, treinta y un días); it keeps uno only when counting or standing alone.

• Necesito un boleto. — I need one ticket.
• ¿Cuántos hay? Solo uno. — How many are there? Just one.

Tens, hundreds and thousands

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31 to 99: treinta y uno, three words

From 31 upward the tens and units stay as three separate words joined by y: treinta y uno, cuarenta y cinco, noventa y nueve. The connector y appears ONLY between tens and units.

• Mi abuela tiene noventa y nueve años. — My grandmother is ninety-nine years old.

y only between the tens and the units

Spanish does NOT put y between hundreds and the rest (unlike English 'one hundred AND five'): ciento cinco, doscientos treinta, mil dos. The y surfaces only between a tens word and a units word.

• Ciento cinco personas. — One hundred and five people.
• Trescientos cuarenta y dos. — Three hundred and forty-two.

cien or ciento

Use cien for exactly 100 and before any noun or before mil/millones (cien euros, cien mil); use ciento when a smaller number follows (ciento uno, ciento cincuenta) and in por ciento.

• Cien años de soledad. — One hundred years of solitude.
• Ciento veinte kilómetros. — One hundred twenty kilometres.

The hundreds agree: doscientos euros, doscientas casas

The hundreds from 200 to 900 agree in gender with the counted noun: doscientas casas, trescientas personas, quinientos euros. Note the irregular stems quinientos (500), setecientos (700), novecientos (900).

• Doscientas cincuenta mujeres asistieron. — Two hundred fifty women attended.
• El vuelo cuesta quinientos euros. — The flight costs five hundred euros.

mil never changes: mil, dos mil

mil never takes un before it and never pluralizes when counting: mil, dos mil, cien mil (not 'un mil', not 'dos miles'). The plural miles exists only as a vague collective (miles de personas).

• Ganó dos mil dólares. — He earned two thousand dollars.
• Miles de personas salieron a la calle. — Thousands of people took to the streets.

un millón de: a noun, with de

Unlike mil, millón is a noun: it takes un (un millón), pluralizes (dos millones), and requires de before the counted noun (un millón de habitantes) — unless another number follows (un millón doscientos mil).

• La ciudad tiene tres millones de habitantes. — The city has three million inhabitants.
• Un millón de gracias. — A million thanks.

Ordinals: primero to décimo

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First to tenth: primero … décimo

The core ordinals primero, segundo, tercero, cuarto, quinto, sexto, séptimo, octavo, noveno, décimo behave like adjectives, agreeing in gender and number: la segunda puerta, los primeros días.

• Vivo en el tercer piso, segunda puerta. — I live on the third floor, second door.

primer, tercer before a masculine noun

primero and tercero drop the -o before a masculine singular noun: el primer día, el tercer intento — parallel to uno → un. The feminine (primera, tercera) never apocopates.

• Es mi primer viaje a España. — It is my first trip to Spain.

Above tenth, say the number: el piso once

Higher ordinals (undécimo/decimoprimero, vigésimo, trigésimo…) exist but sound formal; everyday Spanish uses the cardinal after the noun instead: el piso once, el capítulo veinte, Alfonso trece.

• Vivo en el piso once. — I live on the eleventh floor.
• Estamos en el siglo veintiuno. — We are in the twenty-first century.

Age, time, dates and prices

Age: tengo veinte años

Age uses tener, not ser: tengo veinte años (I am twenty). The word años is normally said (in a short answer, tengo veinte is fine). Ask with ¿Cuántos años tienes?

• Mi hijo tiene ocho años. — My son is eight years old.

What time is it? Es la una, son las tres

Clock time uses ser + the feminine article agreeing with the implied hora(s): singular es la una for one o'clock, plural son las for all other hours (son las tres). The article is always feminine.

• Son las cinco. — It is five o'clock.
• Es la una en punto. — It is one o'clock sharp.

y cuarto, y media, menos cuarto

Add minutes with y up to the half hour (y cuarto, y media, y veinte) and subtract from the next hour after it with menos (menos cuarto, menos diez). Alternatively state the raw time (las tres y cuarenta).

• Son las ocho y media. — It is half past eight.
• Llegó a las nueve menos cuarto. — He arrived at a quarter to nine.

Dates: el doce de octubre

Dates use the cardinal (not ordinal): el quince de marzo, el uno/primero de mayo — only the first optionally takes primero (common in Latin America). Months are lowercase and joined with de.

• La fiesta es el doce de octubre. — The party is on the twelfth of October.

Years: mil novecientos noventa y nueve

Years are read as a single whole number, not paired digits like English: 1999 = mil novecientos noventa y nueve; 2026 = dos mil veintiséis. The preposition en marks 'in a year' (en 1999).

• Nació en mil novecientos ochenta y cinco. — She was born in nineteen eighty-five.

Prices: cuesta veinte euros

Prices use costar or valer agreeing with the item (cuesta / cuestan), with the currency name after the number: cuesta veinte euros, cuestan cinco dólares. The symbol usually follows the figure (20 €).

• Las entradas cuestan treinta euros. — The tickets cost thirty euros.

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questions

How do you count to 100 in Spanish?

Learn 0 to 15 by heart, then dieciséis to diecinueve, veinte and veintiuno to veintinueve — one word each. From 31, join the tens and the units with y: treinta y uno, cuarenta y cinco. 100 is cien.

Cien or ciento?

Cien for exactly 100 and before a noun, mil or millones: cien euros, cien mil. Ciento when a smaller number follows — ciento uno, ciento cincuenta — and in por ciento.

How do you tell the time in Spanish?

With ser and the feminine article: es la una, son las tres. Add the minutes with y and subtract them with menos: son las ocho y media, a las nueve menos cuarto.

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