Let’s LearnDeutsch

Lesson 3 of 69 · A1, Unit 1: First words

Numbers

German numbers up to twelve are short single words; the teens are built like English (dreizehn = three-ten). From twenty-one on comes the twist: the ones come first. 21 is einundzwanzig, literally 'one-and-twenty'.

Numbers are written as one word, however long: 365 is dreihundertfünfundsechzig. Read them in chunks and they stop being scary.

By the end you can:

  • count from 0 to 100 and say hundreds and thousands
  • say numbers like 47 in the German 'seven-and-forty' order
  • ask and give someone's age and the price of something

1.Zero to twelve

The first thirteen numbers are single words to learn by heart. Several look like English cousins: drei, sechs, acht, neun.

0 null1 eins2 zwei3 drei
4 vier5 fünf6 sechs7 sieben
8 acht9 neun10 zehn11 elf

2.Thirteen to nineteen

The teens are built like English: three-ten, four-ten. Two lose a letter: sechzehn (not sechszehn) and siebzehn (not siebenzehn).

  • dreizehn

    thirteen

  • sechzehn

    sixteen

  • siebzehn

    seventeen

  • neunzehn

    nineteen

3.Ones before tens

From 21 on, German says the ones first, then und, then the tens — all in one word. 47 is siebenundvierzig, “seven-and-forty”. Note eins shortens to ein inside a number: einundzwanzig.

NumberGermanLiterally
21einundzwanzigone-and-twenty
34vierunddreißigfour-and-thirty
47siebenundvierzigseven-and-forty
99neunundneunzignine-and-ninety

The tens end in -zig — except dreißig (30). Watch sechzig (60) and siebzig (70), which shorten like the teens.

How do you say 58?

4.Hundreds, prices and ages

Above a hundred the pattern repeats: hundertachtundfünfzig is 158. Prices use a comma, read as “euro” in the middle: 2,50 € is zwei Euro fünfzig. Ages use Jahre alt.

  • Wie viel kostet das?

    How much does that cost?

  • Das kostet zwei Euro fünfzig.

    That’s two euros fifty.

  • Wie alt bist du?

    How old are you?

  • Ich bin dreißig Jahre alt.

    I’m thirty years old.

A price tag says 1.200 €. How much is that?

Words in this lesson (26)

  • null

    Say it: NUL

    zero

  • eins

    Say it: AINS

    one

  • zwei

    Say it: TSVAI

    two

    On the phone and in announcements you'll often hear zwo, to avoid confusion with drei.

  • drei

    Say it: DRAI

    three

  • vier

    Say it: FEER

    four

  • fünf

    Say it: FEWNF

    five

  • sechs

    Say it: ZEKS

    six

  • sieben

    Say it: ZEE-ben

    seven

  • acht

    Say it: AKHT

    eight

  • neun

    Say it: NOYN

    nine

  • zehn

    Say it: TSAYN

    ten

  • elf

    Say it: ELF

    eleven

  • zwölf

    Say it: TSVURLF

    twelve

  • dreizehn

    Say it: DRAI-tsayn

    thirteen

  • sechzehn

    Say it: ZEKH-tsayn

    sixteen

    The s of sechs drops: sechzehn, sechzig.

  • siebzehn

    Say it: ZEEP-tsayn

    seventeen

    The -en of sieben drops: siebzehn, siebzig.

  • zwanzig

    Say it: TSVAN-tsikh

    twenty

  • einundzwanzig

    Say it: AIN-unt-tsvan-tsikh

    twenty-one

    literally one-and-twenty

  • dreißig

    Say it: DRAI-sikh

    thirty

    Spelled with ß, unlike the other tens (-zig).

  • vierzig

    Say it: FEER-tsikh

    forty

  • fünfzig

    Say it: FEWNF-tsikh

    fifty

  • hundert

    Say it: HUN-dert

    a hundred

  • tausend

    Say it: TOW-zent

    a thousand

  • Wie alt bist du?

    Say it: vee ALT bist doo

    How old are you? (informal)

    Ich bin vierunddreißig Jahre alt.

    I'm thirty-four years old.

  • Wie viel kostet das?

    Say it: vee FEEL KOS-tet das

    How much does that cost?

  • Das kostet zehn Euro.

    Say it: das KOS-tet TSAYN OY-roh

    That costs ten euros.

See it in context

At the market
  1. Kundin

    Guten Tag! Wie viel kosten die Äpfel?

    Say it: GOO-ten TAHK! vee FEEL KOS-ten dee EP-fel

    Hello! How much are the apples?

  2. Verkäufer

    Ein Kilo kostet drei Euro.

    Say it: ain KEE-loh KOS-tet DRAI OY-roh

    A kilo costs three euros.

  3. Kundin

    Ich nehme zwei Kilo, bitte.

    Say it: ikh NAY-muh TSVAI KEE-loh, BIT-tuh

    I’ll take two kilos, please.

  4. Verkäufer

    Das macht sechs Euro.

    Say it: das MAKHT ZEKS OY-roh

    That’s six euros.

  5. Kundin

    Bitte schön. Zehn Euro.

    Say it: BIT-tuh SHURN. TSAYN OY-roh

    Here you are. Ten euros.

  6. Verkäufer

    Und vier Euro zurück. Danke!

    Say it: unt FEER OY-roh tsoo-REWK. DAN-kuh

    And four euros change. Thanks!

Did you follow it?

How much does one kilo of apples cost?

How many kilos does she buy?

How much change does she get?

Beyond the words

Counting on your fingers

Deutschland · Österreich · Schweiz

Germans count on their fingers starting with the thumb: a raised thumb means one, thumb and index finger mean two. Holding up your index and middle finger for 'two', as many English speakers do, can be read as three.

Say it in German

Read the English, say the sentence out loud, then check yourself.

  1. How much does that cost?

  2. That costs ten euros.

  3. I’m twenty-one years old.

  4. I’ll take two kilos, please.

Flashcards and a quick quiz

26 words. Flip through them, then take the quiz: multiple choice, typing, listening, and matching.

1 / 260 marked known

Meaning

two

zwei

TSVAI

Or drill every lesson together.

Finishing the quiz marks this too.

Remember

  • 0–12 by heart; teens like English: dreizehn, but sechzehn, siebzehn.
  • From 21: ones first — siebenundvierzig (7 + 40).
  • Tens end in -zig, except dreißig.
  • 2,50 € = zwei Euro fünfzig; 1.000 = one thousand.