German Words for Numbers147

Numbers are an essential part of any language, and German is no exception. Whether we're counting the apples in a basket or discussing the time of day, we need to know the correct words to use. In this article, we'll take a comprehensive look at the German words for numbers, from 0 to 1,000,000,000.

Cardinal Numbers

Cardinal numbers are used to count objects or indicate a quantity. The following table lists the cardinal numbers from 0 to 10:


Number
German Word




0
null


1
eins


2
zwei


3
drei


4
vier


5
fünf


6
sechs


7
sieben


8
acht


9
neun


10
zehn

For numbers greater than 10, we typically use a combination of the cardinal numbers for the tens and ones. For example, 11 is "elf" (ein + elf), 22 is "zweiundzwanzig" (zwei + und + zwanzig), and so on.

Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers indicate the position of something in a sequence. The following table lists the ordinal numbers from first to tenth:


Number
German Word




1st
erste


2nd
zweite


3rd
dritte


4th
vierte


5th
fünfte


6th
sechste


7th
siebente


8th
achte


9th
neunte


10th
zehnte

To form ordinal numbers for larger numbers, we use the suffix "-te" to the cardinal number. For example, 22nd is "zweiundzwanzigste" and 100th is "hundertste".

Special Numbers

There are a few special numbers in German that don't follow the regular patterns. These include:
12 - zwölf
16 - sechzehn
17 - siebzehn
18 - achtzehn
100 - hundert
1,000 - tausend
1,000,000 - eine Million

Numbers in Context

Now that we know the basic German words for numbers, let's look at some examples of how they're used in context:
Ich habe drei Äpfel. (I have three apples.)
Das Buch kostet zwanzig Euro. (The book costs twenty euros.)
Er ist der zweite in der Reihe. (He is second in line.)
Berlin hat über drei Millionen Einwohner. (Berlin has over three million inhabitants.)

Conclusion

Knowing the German words for numbers is essential for everyday communication. With the information provided in this article, you'll be able to count, indicate quantities, and talk about the position of things in German with confidence.

2025-01-05

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