Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers, Dates

Kardinalzahlen, Ordinalzahlen,
Daten, Mathematik und Rechnen

Introduction - Einleitung
For each number, two forms are shown: (1) the cardinal number (Kardinalzahl - 1, 2, 3...) and (2) ordinal number (Ordinalzahl - 1st, 2nd, 3rd...). In some cases the fractional number (Bruchzahl - 1/2, 1/5, 1/100...) is also given. (To make fractions [Brüche], just add -tel or -el to the number: acht + el = achtel [an eighth], zehn + tel = zehntel [a tenth].) Although the masculine (calendar date) form is shown for the ordinal numbers, they can also be feminine (die), neuter (das) or plural, depending on the noun they are used with: das erste Auto (the first car), die zweite Tür (the second door), die ersten Menschen (the first humans), etc.

When referring to individual numbers in German, you say "die zwei" (2) or "die einundzwanzig" (21), short for "die Nummer/Zahl..." An example would be naming the winning numbers for the lottery on television.

0

0 null (zero, nought)

For decimal numbers (Dezimalzahlen), German uses a comma (das Komma) where English uses a decimal point: 0.638 (English) = 0,638 (spoken: "null Komma sechs drei acht") or 1.08 (English) = 1,08 (spoken: "eins Komma null acht").

German expression: "in null Komma nichts" ("in 0,0") = in an instant, in a flash

1 eins - der erste, der 1. (first)

one o'clock ein Uhr (time, no ending on 'ein')
one/a clock eine Uhr (article, -e ending on 'ein')
(date) on the first am ersten
on 1 May, on May first, the first of May am ersten Mai, am 1. Mai

2 zwei - der zweite, der 2. (second) - halb, die Hälfte (half, one-half)

Often the alternative form zwo is used to avoid confusion with drei.

3 drei - der dritte, der 3. (third) - drittel (one-third)

4 vier - der vierte (fourth) - viertel-, das Viertel (one-fourth, quarter)

5 fünf - der fünfte (fifth)

6 sechs - der sechste (sixth)

7 sieben - der siebte (seventh)

8 acht - der achte (eighth)

9 neun - der neunte (ninth)

10

10 zehn - der zehnte, der 10. (tenth)

11 elf - der elfte, der 11. (eleventh)

12 zwölf - der zwölfte, der 12. (twelfth)

13 dreizehn - der dreizehnte (thirteenth), am dreizehnten

14 vierzehn - der vierzehnte (fourteenth) - am vierzehnten

15 fünfzehn - der fünfzehnte (fifteenth) - am fünfzehnten

16 sechzehn - der sechzehnte (the sixteenth)

17 siebzehn - der siebzehnte (seventeenth)

18 achtzehn - der achtzehnte (the eighteenth)

19 neunzehn - der neunzehnte (nineteenth)

20

20 zwanzig - der zwanzigste, der 20. (the twentieth, 20th) - am zwanzigsten (Juni), am 20. (Juni) (on the 20th of June)

To say "in the twenties (the '20s)" - short for "the 1920s" - in German you say "in den zwangziger Jahren." The same method is used for all the other decades ('30s, '40s, etc.) except for the 1900s and the teens.

21 einundzwanzig - der einundzwanzigste, der 21. (the twenty-first, 21st) - am einundzwanzigsten (Juni), am 21. (Juni) (on the 21st of June)

22 zweiundzwanzig - der zweiundzwanzigste, der 22. (the twenty-second, 22nd)

23 dreiundzwanzig - der dreiundzwanzigste, der 23. (the twenty-third, 23rd)

24 vierundzwanzig - der vierundzwanzigste, der 24. (the twenty-fourth, 24th)

25 fünfundzwanzig - der fünfundzwanzigste, der 25. (the twenty-fifth, 25th)

26 sechsundzwanzig - der sechsundzwanzigste, der 26. (the twenty-sixth, 26th)

27 siebenundzwanzig - der siebenundzwanzigste, der 27. (the twenty-seventh, 27th)

28 achtundzwanzig - der achtundzwanzigste, der 28. (the twenty-eighth, 28th)

29 neunundzwanzig - der neunfundzwanzigste, der 29. (the twenty-ninth, 29th)

30

30 dreißig - der dreißigste, der 30. (the thirtieth, 30th)

Note that, unlike the other tens (20, 40, 50, etc.), dreißig has no 'z' in its spelling.

31 einunddreißig - der einunddreißigste, der 31. (the thirty-first, 31st)

32 zweiunddreißig - der zweiunddreißigste, der 32. (the thirty-second, 32nd)

33 dreiunddreißig - der dreiunddreißigste, der 33. (the thirty-third, 33rd)

(Continues as with the 20s)

40

40 vierzig - der vierzigste, der 40. (the fortieth, 40th)

41 einundvierzig - der einundvierzigste, der 41. (the forty-first, 41st)

42 zweiundvierzig - der zweiundvierzigste, der 42. (the forty-second, 42nd)

43 dreiundvierzig - der dreiundvierzigste, der 43. (the forty-third, 43rd)

(Continues as with the previous 20s, 30s, etc.)

See '50' and more numbers below.

German Math Terms - Mathematische Ausdrücke

add addieren

algebra e Algebra

calculus s Differentialrechnen, s Integralrechnen

divide dividieren

divided by durch
ten divided by two zehn durch zwei (10/2)

equals ist, gleich
Five and / plus six equals / is eleven. Fünf und sechs ist elf.

equation (math) e Gleichung, e Gleichungsformel

formula (math) e Formel

geometry e Geometrie

minus, less minus (MEE-noos), weniger (VENN-eh-guhr)

multiply multiplizieren

plus, and plus (ploos), und (oont)
two and/plus two zwei und/plus zwei

subtract subtrahieren

times (2x3=6) mal (2 mal 3 = 6)
once, one time einmal (EYNE-mahl)
five times fünfmal

trigonometry e Trigonometrie

50

50 fünfzig - der fünfzigste, der 50. (the fiftieth, 50th)

51 einundfünfzig - der einundfünfzigste, der 51. (the fifty-first, 51st)

52 zweiundfünfzig - der zweiundfünfzigste, der 52. (the fifty-second, 52nd)

53 dreiundfünfzig - der dreiundfünfzigste, der 53. (the fifty-third, 53rd)

(54, 55... continues as with the previous 30s, 40s, etc.)

Die Zahlen 2

Die Zahlen und zählen (21-100)

German Numbers:

Once you have a grasp of the twenties, the rest of the numbers up to 100 and beyond are similar and easy to learn. You'll also be using many of the numbers you learned from zero (null) to 20.

For the German numbers above 20, think of the English nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence" and the line "four and twenty blackbirds" ("baked in a pie"). In German you say one-and-twenty (einundzwanzig) rather than twenty-one. All of the numbers over 20 work the same way: zweiundzwanzig (22), einundreißig (31), dreiundvierzig (43), etc. No matter how long they may be, German numbers are written as one word.

For numbers above (ein)hundert, the pattern just repeats itself. The number 125 is hundertfünfundzwanzig. To say 215 in German, you simply put zwei in front of hundert to make zweihundertfünfzehn. Three hundred is dreihundert and so on.

Wie viel? / Wie viele?
To ask "how much" you say wie viel. To ask "how many" you say wie viele. For example, a simple math problem would be: Wie viel ist drei und vier? (How much is three and four?). To ask "how many cars" you would say: Wie viele Autos?, as in Wie viele Autos hat Karl? (How many cars does Karl have?).

German Numbers and Counting (1)(Die Zahlen)

Die Zahlen und zählen (0-20)

The numbers and counting in German are not difficult to learn, but... true mastery of numbers, in any language, takes time. It is fairly easy to learn to rattle off the numbers - "eins, zwei, drei..." and so forth. However, most of the time numbers are used in more practical ways: in telephone numbers, in math problems, in prices, for addresses, etc. Also, because you have already internalized the numbers in English or another first language, there can be the same kind of interference that happens with other vocabulary.

So, do learn to say the numbers, but also try our exercises to see if you really know how to deal with them. If someone tells you a phone number in German, can you write it down? Can you do simple addition or subtraction in German?

Die Zahlen 0-10

0 null	6 sechs
1 eins	7 sieben
2 zwei *	8 acht
3 drei	9 neun
4 vier	10 zehn
5 fünf	* Often zwo is used to avoid confusion with drei.

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Die Zahlen 11-20

11 elf	16 sechzehn
12 zwölf	17 siebzehn
13 dreizehn	18 achtzehn
14 vierzehn	19 neunzehn
15 fünfzehn	20 zwanzig

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Die Zahlen 20-100 (by tens)

20 zwanzig	70 siebzig
30 dreißig	80 achtzig
40 vierzig	90 neunzig
50 fünfzig	100 hundert *
60 sechzig	* or einhundert

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Note: The number sechzig (60) drops the s in sechs. The number siebzig (70) drops the en in sieben. The number dreißig (30) is the only one of the tens that doesn't end with -zig. (dreißig = dreissig)