Numerals

Numerals in French Grammar

French Numerals Basics

• French numbers or numerals are used to express quantity, order, and other numerical concepts, much the same as in English.
• They must be learned individually as they don’t follow a consistent pattern, especially from 0 to 16 and for certain other numbers like 21, 31, 41, etc.
• French numbers from 17 to 69 follow a pattern, but there is a change in pattern after 69 as French uses a base-20 counting system for numbers from 70 to 99.

Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers

• Cardinal numbers in French are used to count quantities and are equivalent to ones in English like one, two, three, etc.
• Ordinal numbers in French, much like in English, indicate an order or sequence, represented by first, second, third, etc. in English.

Forming French Numerals

• The use of hyphens in French numbers is very common, particularly for compound numbers from 17 onwards.
• For the numbers 21, 31, 41, etc., if they are followed by a noun, the linking word et un or et une (and one) is used, e.g., vingt et un hommes (21 men), trente et une femmes (31 women).
• Increasingly complex numbers can be formed by combining basic numerals.
• Although uncommon in daily conversation, numbers from 70 to 99 are generally constructed by combining simpler numbers with 20, for example, quatre-vingt-dix (90) which translates to “four twenties and ten”.

Using French Numerals in Sentences

• When expressing a person’s age in French, the verb avoir (to have) is used instead of être (to be), as in English. For example, “J’ai vingt ans” means “I am 20 years old” but it translates literally as “I have 20 years”.
• A useful structure for telling the time in French is “Il est…“ (It is…), followed by the hour and minute, e.g., “Il est deux heures” (It’s two o’clock).

As with most aspects of French grammar, practice and repetition are the keys to mastery of numerals. Regular use in real-world contexts, such as telling the time and giving your age, can help consolidate this knowledge.