A1 · Ep 3 — German Numbers (Zahlen)
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47 =
99 =
Pattern: ones + und + tens — written as one word!
17:
These contractions exist for easier pronunciation. Make sure you don't write the full forms!
32 = zwei + und + dreißig =
47 = sieben + und + vierzig =
68 = acht + und + sechzig =
99 = neun + und + neunzig =
2. Numbers below one million are written as one word:
345 =
1,001 =
2,025 =
German Numbers (Zahlen)
German numbers follow a logical system. Once you learn the core building blocks (0–19 and the tens), you can construct any number up to 999,999 from patterns alone. The main surprise is that from 21 onwards, Germans say the ones digit before the tens digit.
The Big Rule: Ones Before Tens
21 = einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty)47 =
siebenundvierzig (seven-and-forty)99 =
neunundneunzig (nine-and-ninety)Pattern: ones + und + tens — written as one word!
Numbers 0–12 (must memorize)
| Number | German | Pronunciation tip |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | null | Like "nool" |
| 1 | eins | Like "eyens" (rhymes with "wine") |
| 2 | zwei | Like "tsvy" — rhymes with "eye" |
| 3 | drei | Like "dry" |
| 4 | vier | Like "fear" |
| 5 | fünf | "füünf" — round lips, say "ee" |
| 6 | sechs | "zeks" |
| 7 | sieben | "ZEE-ben" |
| 8 | acht | "akht" — guttural ch |
| 9 | neun | "noyn" |
| 10 | zehn | "tsayn" |
| 11 | elf | "elf" |
| 12 | zwölf | "zvölf" |
Numbers 13–19 (pattern: ones + zehn)
| Number | German | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | dreizehn | drei + zehn |
| 14 | vierzehn | vier + zehn |
| 15 | fünfzehn | fünf + zehn |
| 16 | sechzehn | sechs drops the -s → sech |
| 17 | siebzehn | sieben drops -en → sieb |
| 18 | achtzehn | acht + zehn |
| 19 | neunzehn | neun + zehn |
Exceptions in 16 and 17
16: sechszehn → sechzehn (drops the s)17:
siebenzehn → siebzehn (drops en)These contractions exist for easier pronunciation. Make sure you don't write the full forms!
The tens (20–1,000,000)
| Number | German | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | zwanzig | Not "zweizig"! |
| 30 | dreißig | Uses ß, not zig! |
| 40 | vierzig | vier + zig |
| 50 | fünfzig | fünf + zig |
| 60 | sechzig | sech + zig (drops -s) |
| 70 | siebzig | sieb + zig (drops -en) |
| 80 | achtzig | acht + zig |
| 90 | neunzig | neun + zig |
| 100 | hundert | (ein)hundert |
| 1,000 | tausend | (ein)tausend |
| 1,000,000 | eine Million | Million is a noun! (feminine) |
Constructing compound numbers (21–99)
Examples
21 = ein + und + zwanzig = einundzwanzig32 = zwei + und + dreißig =
zweiunddreißig47 = sieben + und + vierzig =
siebenundvierzig68 = acht + und + sechzig =
achtundsechzig99 = neun + und + neunzig =
neunundneunzig
Two Important Rules
1. Inside a compound number, use ein, not eins: → einundzwanzig (not einsundzwanzig)2. Numbers below one million are written as one word:
siebenundvierzig, never sieben und vierzig.
Hundreds and thousands
Examples
200 = zweihundert345 =
dreihundertfünfundvierzig1,001 =
tausendeins2,025 =
zweitausendfünfundzwanzig
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