Numbers, Dates and Ordinals

Numbers up to 100: ones before tens

The numbers one to twelve are individual words: eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn, elf, zwölf. From thirteen, you combine: dreizehn, vierzehn ... but note sechzehn (not "sechszehn") and siebzehn (not "siebenzehn"). The tens are zwanzig, dreißig, vierzig, fünfzig, sechzig, siebzig, achtzig, neunzig.

The famous German twist: from 21 upwards, the ones come BEFORE the tens, joined by und. 21 is einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty), 34 is vierunddreißig, 58 is achtundfünfzig. When you hear a number, listen for the second part to find the tens: in fünfundsechzig, the sechzig tells you it is in the sixties, so 65. This reversed order is the single biggest source of number mistakes in the listening exam, so practise writing down spoken numbers until the switch feels natural.

• einundzwanzig

  twenty-one (21)

  literally: one-and-twenty

• vierunddreißig

  thirty-four (34)

• Ich bin achtundzwanzig Jahre alt.

  I am twenty-eight years old.

• Meine Telefonnummer ist null eins fünf drei, sieben acht neun.

  My phone number is 0153 789.

  phone numbers are usually read digit by digit

Bigger numbers and prices

Hundreds and thousands are regular: (ein)hundert, zweihundert, (ein)tausend. Combine from big to small, with the ones-before-tens rule at the end: 245 is zweihundertfünfundvierzig. German writes these as one long word, but you never need to spell them; you only need to say and understand them.

For prices, German states euros, then cents, usually without the word Cent: 3,50 Euro is spoken drei Euro fünfzig. Note that German uses a comma where English uses a decimal point: 3,50 not 3.50. In shops you will hear the question Was kostet das? (What does that cost?) and answers like Das macht zusammen zwölf Euro achtzig (That comes to twelve euros eighty altogether).

• Das T-Shirt kostet fünfzehn Euro.

  The T-shirt costs fifteen euros.

• Das macht drei Euro fünfzig.

  That comes to three euros fifty. (3,50 €)

• Die Wohnung kostet siebenhundert Euro im Monat.

  The flat costs seven hundred euros a month.

Ordinal numbers: der erste, der zweite ...

Ordinals are the counting words first, second, third. In German you build them from the number plus -te up to 19 and -ste from 20: der zweite (the second), der vierte, der zehnte, der zwanzigste, der dreißigste.

Three forms are irregular and must be memorised: der erste (first, not "einte"), der dritte (third, not "dreite") and der siebte (seventh, usually not "siebente"). Also note der achte with only one t.

In writing, German marks an ordinal with a full stop after the digit: der 3. Mai reads as der dritte Mai. When you see "am 1. Juli", say am ersten Juli. This little dot matters when you read letters and forms: 3. Mai is the third of May, while 3 Mai without the dot would just be a number next to a month. Train your eye to treat digit plus dot as an ordinal automatically.

• der erste Januar

  the first of January

  irregular: erste

• der dritte Mai

  the third of May

  irregular: dritte

• der zwanzigste Juni

  the twentieth of June

  -ste from 20 upwards

Saying the date

To ask the date, use Der Wievielte ist heute? or Welches Datum haben wir heute? The answer uses the ordinal with der: Heute ist der fünfte Juli.

To say when something happens, use am plus the ordinal with the ending -en: am fünften Juli, am ersten Mai, am dritten Oktober. This is the pattern for birthdays and appointments: Ich habe am zwölften März Geburtstag (My birthday is on the twelfth of March).

So there are two endings to keep apart: der + ordinal ends in -e (der fünfte Juli), am + ordinal ends in -en (am fünften Juli). Years are simply read as numbers in dates at this level, and German dates always run day, then month: 04.10. is der vierte Oktober.

• Der Wievielte ist heute?

  What is the date today?

• Heute ist der fünfte Juli.

  Today is the fifth of July.

• Ich habe am zwölften März Geburtstag.

  My birthday is on the twelfth of March.

• Der Kurs beginnt am ersten September.

  The course starts on the first of September.