Numbers In French: From 0 To 1,000,000,000 (billion) | Language Atlas (2024)

In this grammar lesson you will learn how to use numbers in French.

In this lesson you will learn about:

  • numbers in French: 0 – 10
  • numbers in French: 11 – 19
  • numbers in French: 20 – 29
  • numbers in French: 30 – 69
  • numbers in French: 70 – 99
  • numbers in French: 100 – 1,000,000,000
  • how to use numbers in French in sentences
  • how you can quiz yourself on numbers in French
  • how to practice with flashcards on numbers in French

Please refer to the French A1 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about this fits in French A1.

By the end of the lesson, you will know all about how to use numbers in French!

Table of Contents

Numbers in French: 0 – 10

0zéro
1un
2deux
3trois
4quatre
5cinq
6six
7sept
8huit
9neuf
10dix

These are the most important numbers you have know.

Most of what follows is based on them.

Please take your time and go over them.

Numbers in French: 11-19

11onze
12douze
13treize
14quatorze
15quinze
16seize
17dix-sept
18dix-huit
19dix-neuf

The numbers 11 – 16 are very similar to 1 – 6.

There’s a slight difference and there’s a zzz ending for 11 – 16.

The rest is a lot easier, 17 – 19 are essentialy “ten-seven”, “ten-eight”, and “ten-nine”.

Numbers in French: 20 – 29

20vingt
21vingt et un
22vingt-deux
23vingt-trois
24vingt-quatre
25vingt-cinq
26vingt-six
27vingt-sept
28vingt-huit
29vingt-neuf

At this point things get a lot easier.

The word for 20 (vingt) is new, and 21 (vingt et un) has et between “twenty” and “one”.

All other numbers are simple.

Numbers in French: 30 – 69

30trente
40quarante
50cinquante
60soixante

These numbers you just have to memorise.

They are also very similar to 3 – 6.

Numbers in French: 70 – 99

Starting from 70, things get a bit trickier.

70soixante-dix

In French, 70 is “sixty-ten”.

71soixante et onze
72soixante-douze
73soixante-treize
74soixante-quatorze
75soixante-quinze
76soixante-seize
77soixante-dix-sept
78soixante-dix-huit
79soixante-dix-neuf

Fom 71 – 79 you will essentially say “sixty-eleven”, “sixty-twelve”, “sixty-thirteen” etc.

80quatre-vingts

I bet you thought it wouldn’t get more difficult.

But bear with me, we are almost there.

In French, 80 is “four-twenties”.

81quatre-vingt-un
82quatre-vingt-deux
83quatre-vingt-trois
84quatre-vingt-quatre
85quatre-vingt-cinq
86quatre-vingt-six
87quatre-vingt-sept
88quatre-vingt-huit
89quatre-vingt-neuf

From here on things get a bit more familiar.

Here you say “four-twenties-one”, “four-twenties-two”, “four-twenties-three” etc.

However for 81 the “et” is excluded.

90quatre-vingt-dix
91quatre-vingt-onze
92quatre-vingt-douze
93quatre-vingt-treize
94quatre-vingt-quatorze
95quatre-vingt-quinze
96quatre-vingt-seize
97quatre-vingt-dix-sept
98quatre-vingt-dix-huit
99quatre-vingt-dix-neuf

From 90-99 you will essentially say “four-twenties-ten”, “four-twenties-eleven”, “four-twenties-thirteen” etc.

Numbers in French: 100 – 1,000,000,000

100cent
110cent-dix
200deux cents
250deux cent cinquante
500cinq cents
1,000mille
2,000deux mille
5,000cinq mille
10,000dix mille
100,000cent mille
1,000,000un million
1,000,000,000un milliard

The big numbers are a lot easier.

There is one more important thing that you should know.

When you want to express anything with a thousand, million, or billion you need to use the following idiom:

  • [number] millier/million/milliardde+ [plural noun]

J’ai un millier de souhaits.

I have a million wishes.

J’ai deux milliers d’amis sur Facebook.

I have two thousand friends on Facebook.

Je voudrais avoir un million d’euros.

I would like to have one million euros.

Il a sept millions d’euros sur son compte bancaire.

He has seven million euros on his bank account.

Cette île coûte un milliard d’euros.

This island costs one billion euros.

Il y a huit milliards de personnes sur terre.

There are eight billion people on earth.

Example Sentences with Numbers in French

The final section of this lesson on numbers in French is about seeing the them in action.

This is valuable because you can improve your understanding on numbers in French through examples.

J’ai six billets.

I have six tickets.

J’ai besoin sept heures de sommeil par nuit.

I need seven hours of sleep per night.

J’ai un millier de souhaits.

I have a million wishes.

J’ai deux milliers d’amis sur Facebook.

I have two thousand friends on Facebook.

Je voudrais avoir un million d’euros.

I would like to have one million euros.

Il a huit ans.

He is eight years old.

Il a sept millions d’euros sur son compte bancaire.

He has seven million euros on his bank account.

Cette île coûte un milliard d’euros.

This island costs one billion euros.

Il y a huit milliards de personnes sur terre.

There are eight billion people on earth.

Quiz Yourself on Numbers in French

At the end of every lesson you can do a small quiz.

You will see the sentences of the previous chapter.

You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.

Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.

You can redo the quiz as many times as you want.

How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson

Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!

It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.

Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information on flashcards and the best way to learn a new language.

There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.

  1. Anki
  2. The Flashcards in our Courses

Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.

After you have downloaded Anki for free, you can get our French A1 Anki Deck.

This Anki Deck contains 3,764 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for French A1.

All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.

You can also use our courses that have flashcards integrated alongside lessons with audio, quizzes and much more!

However, I am sure you are wondering, what are your courses, and why should I take them?

The Courses of Language Atlas

Have you ever wondered what the best way is to learn a new language?

I have been learning languages for over 20+ years and I was always frustrated with books, courses, and classes that I had tried.

It never really seemed to work for me.

I wanted to learn a language in the most effective and efficient way, and there was nothing out there for me.

So I thought, “why not make something myself?“.

Using my experience and by doing research I created Language Atlas, a platform where people can learn French and Spanish in the most effective and efficient way.

I created free lessons and quizzes so that there would always be a easy and accessible way for people to learn or brush up on their language skills.

However, I also created courses that are much more comprehensive and in-depth.

These courses are easy to follow, clear, and allow you to become fluent in the most effective and efficient way.

The courses of Language Atlas have:

  • 800+ Lessons with audio
  • 800+ Quizzes
  • 10,000 Flashcards with explanations, images, and audio
  • A gamified way of learning a new language
  • A vibrant community (including support from me)

You can register for free and try the French A0/A1 and Spanish A0/A1 Courses for free!

This includes over 60 lessons and quizzes, 500 flashcards that adapt to how you learn, and access to the community (including support from me).

All you have to do is study 30 minutes a day and you will be fluent in no time!

Don’t miss out – register for free and start learning!

Numbers In French: From 0 To 1,000,000,000 (billion) | Language Atlas (2024)

FAQs

What are the numbers 1000, 10000 in French? ›

Compound Numbers
NumberFrench
1,000mille
10,000dix mille
100,000cent mille
1,000,000un million
2 more rows

What is the French number for billion? ›

Besides cent, there's mille (a thousand), un million (a million), and un milliard (a billion).

Why is 70 soixante dix? ›

Why in French is 70 expressed as soixante-dix (sixty-ten) and 80 as quatre-vingts (four-twenties)? - Quora. It is because the numbers between 70 and 100 are base-20, rather than base-10. This is possibly, if not likely, influence from contact with earlier languages which were once more pervasive in France.

Why is 80 4 20 in French? ›

These numbers in French and certain old Celtic languages derive from a time when people counted using a base of twenty. I believe they counted using not only their fingers but also their toes, hence a base of twenty was used.

What is 1 million in French? ›

“How many are there?” “A million.” “Combien sont-ils ?” “Un million.”

What is 9000 in French numbers? ›

Numbers above 1,000 in French

6000 - Six mille. 9000 - Neuf mille.

How billion is 1,000,000,000? ›

If you write a 1 followed by nine zeros, you get 1,000,000,000 = one billion!

Is 7 digits a billion? ›

A million has six zeros (1,000,000), a billion has nine zeros (1,000,000,000), and a trillion has twelve zeros (1,000,000,000,000). These numbers are incredibly large and difficult for our brains to fully grasp. But by breaking them down into smaller units such as hundreds or thousands can aid in better understanding.

What is the English number 1,000,000,000? ›

1,000,000,000 (one billion, short scale; one thousand million or one milliard, one yard, long scale) is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001.

Why is there no word for 90 in French? ›

In keeping with the general weirdness at this end of the number scale, there's no standard French word for ninety* either; it follows the same pattern as 70. That is, you continue using quatre-vingt and adding from ten. 90 is quatre-vingt-dix (four-twenty-ten), 91 is quatre-vingt-onze (four-twenty-eleven), etc.

What is the French word for 69? ›

The French translation for “69 (sixty-nine)” is soixante-neuf.

Is French a base 10 language? ›

Up to sixty-nine, French also uses a 'base ten' system, but at seventy, it switches to the “vigesimal system” which uses the base twenty. This is how we end up with numbers like 'quatre-vingt-quatre' (84).

Why is there no word for 80 in French? ›

There are three words for 80 in French. The prevalent form, 'quatre-vingts,' meaning 'four twenties,' is used in France, Belgium, Canada and marginally in the canton of Geneva in Switzerland. It is based on the vigesimal system (based on 20 as opposed to the decimal system, based on 10).

Do French people say nonante? ›

There are, actually, French names for these numbers - septante (70), huitante (80) and nonante (90). But they aren't used often in France, or in France's old colonies. Septante and nonante are standard in Belgium and Switzerland though, and huitante is sometimes used in Switzerland.

How do you say 100/1000 in French? ›

Learn the big French numbers: hundreds, thousands, millions, billions, and trillions.
  1. 100 to 999. 100. cent. 200. deux cents. 300. trois cents. 400. quatre cents. 500. cinq cents. 600. six cents. 700. sept cents. 800. huit cents. 900. neuf cents. ...
  2. 2 Responses. Charlie LeRoyer 15 November 2016 / 13:16. lkl 15 November 2016 / 13:17.

How do French write numbers in thousands? ›

THE NUMBERS from 1000 to 10 000.

deux-mille; trois-mille; quatre-mille; cinq-mille; six-mille; 7000 8000 9000 10 000.

What are the French translation numbers? ›

Zéro, un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Greg Kuvalis

Last Updated:

Views: 6274

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Greg Kuvalis

Birthday: 1996-12-20

Address: 53157 Trantow Inlet, Townemouth, FL 92564-0267

Phone: +68218650356656

Job: IT Representative

Hobby: Knitting, Amateur radio, Skiing, Running, Mountain biking, Slacklining, Electronics

Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.