Spanish Numbers Made Easy: Counting from 1 to 100
¡Hola! Ready to conquer the world of Spanish numbers? Whether you're planning a trip, want to impress a friend, or just love learning languages, mastering numbers is a fundamental and incredibly useful skill. The good news? Spanish numbers have a logical structure that, once you grasp the patterns, become surprisingly easy to learn. Let's dive in and make counting from 1 to 100 a breeze!
The Building Blocks: 0-20
This first set has some unique words you'll need to memorize, but after 20, things start to get very predictable!
0: cero (SEH-roh)
1: uno (OO-noh)
2: dos (dohs)
3: tres (trehs)
4: cuatro (KWAH-troh)
5: cinco (SEEN-koh)
6: seis (says)
7: siete (see-EH-teh)
8: ocho (OH-choh)
9: nueve (NWAY-veh)
10: diez (dee-ES)
11: once (OHN-seh)
12: doce (DOH-seh)
13: trece (TREH-seh)
14: catorce (kah-TOR-seh)
15: quince (KEEN-seh)
16: dieciséis (dee-eh-see-SAYS) - Notice how "diez" (ten) is combined here!
17: diecisiete (dee-eh-see-see-EH-teh)
18: dieciocho (dee-eh-see-OH-choh)
19: diecinueve (dee-eh-see-NWAY-veh)
20: veinte (BAYN-teh)
The Twenties: A Sweet, Single Word!
From 21 to 29, Spanish combines "veinte" (twenty) with the unit number. The key here is that "uno" (one) changes to "un" when it comes before a masculine noun, but within the number itself, we use "veintiuno," "veintidós," etc. Pay attention to the accents on some of these!
21: veintiuno (bayn-tee-OO-noh)
22: veintidós (bayn-tee-DOHS)
23: veintitrés (bayn-tee-TREHS)
24: veinticuatro (bayn-tee-KWAH-troh)
25: veinticinco (bayn-tee-SEEN-koh)
26: veintiséis (bayn-tee-SAYS)
27: veintisiete (bayn-tee-see-EH-teh)
28: veintiocho (bayn-tee-OH-choh)
29: veintinueve (bayn-tee-NWAY-veh)
The Thirties to Nineties: The Power of "Y"!
This is where the pattern really kicks in! For numbers 31 through 99, you take the word for the tens (thirty, forty, etc.) and add "y" (which means "and") followed by the unit number.
The Tens:
30: treinta (TRAYN-tah)
40: cuarenta (kwah-REN-tah)
50: cincuenta (seen-KWEN-tah)
60: sesenta (seh-SEN-tah)
70: setenta (seh-TEN-tah)
80: ochenta (oh-CHEN-tah)
90: noventa (noh-BEN-tah)
Putting it Together (Examples):
31: treinta y uno (TRAYN-tah ee OO-noh) - Thirty and one
32: treinta y dos (TRAYN-tah ee dohs) - Thirty and two
45: cuarenta y cinco (kwah-REN-tah ee SEEN-koh) - Forty and five
57: cincuenta y siete (seen-KWEN-tah ee see-EH-teh) - Fifty and seven
63: sesenta y tres (seh-SEN-tah ee trehs) - Sixty and three
78: setenta y ocho (seh-TEN-tah ee OH-choh) - Seventy and eight
84: ochenta y cuatro (oh-CHEN-tah ee KWAH-troh) - Eighty and four
99: noventa y nueve (noh-BEN-tah ee NWAY-veh) - Ninety and nine
The Big One: 100
100: cien (see-EN)
A Quick Summary Chart
| Tens | Number | Spanish | Pronunciation |
| 0 | cero | SEH-roh | |
| 1 | uno | OO-noh | |
| ... | ... | ... | |
| 10 | diez | dee-ES | |
| ... | ... | ... | |
| 15 | quince | KEEN-seh | |
| 16 | dieciséis | dee-eh-see-SAYS | |
| ... | ... | ... | |
| 20 | veinte | BAYN-teh | |
| 21 | veintiuno | bayn-tee-OO-noh | |
| ... | ... | ... | |
| 29 | veintinueve | bayn-tee-NWAY-veh | |
| 30 | 30 | treinta | TRAYN-tah |
| 31 | treinta y uno | TRAYN-tah ee OO-noh | |
| 40 | 40 | cuarenta | kwah-REN-tah |
| 42 | cuarenta y dos | kwah-REN-tah ee dohs | |
| 50 | 50 | cincuenta | seen-KWEN-tah |
| 53 | cincuenta y tres | seen-KWEN-tah ee trehs | |
| 60 | 60 | sesenta | seh-SEN-tah |
| 64 | sesenta y cuatro | seh-SEN-tah ee KWAH-troh | |
| 70 | 70 | setenta | seh-TEN-tah |
| 75 | setenta y cinco | seh-TEN-tah ee SEEN-koh | |
| 80 | 80 | ochenta | oh-CHEN-tah |
| 86 | ochenta y seis | oh-CHEN-tah ee SAYS | |
| 90 | 90 | noventa | noh-BEN-tah |
| 97 | noventa y siete | noh-BEN-tah ee see-EH-teh | |
| 100 | cien | see-EN |
Why Learn Numbers?
Knowing your numbers is crucial for:
Shopping: Asking for prices, counting items.
Telling Time: Understanding what time it is and making appointments.
Dates: Discussing birthdays, anniversaries, and important dates.
Travel: Reading street signs, bus numbers, and hotel room numbers.
Everyday Conversation: Giving your phone number, talking about ages, quantities, and much more!
Keep practicing, say the numbers out loud, and you'll be a Spanish counting pro in no time! ¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)