French Numbers (Nombres): From 0 To A Million Without Panicking

My first big French number fail happened at a phone shop in Lyon. I was trying to give my new number, and somewhere between soixante-dix /swa.sɑ̃t.dis/ — seventy — and quatre-vingt-trois /katʁə.vɛ̃.tʁwa/ — eighty-three — the cashier looked at me like I’d just recited a spell from the wrong wizarding school.

I could say un, deux, trois just fine. But once the numbers turned into what felt like little math problems (literally “sixty-ten”, “four-twenties-three”), my brain quietly left the conversation.

If French numbers feel like that for you too, you’re in the right place. By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to count, give your age, handle prices, and survive the dreaded phone-number-speed-run in France.

Why French Numbers Feel Strange At First

French numbers are logical—but not in the same way as English. A few things to know from the start:

0–16 are mostly unique words you just have to learn.
17–69 follow nice patterns once you know the tens.
70–99 in France use built-in math: soixante-dix (60+10), quatre-vingts (4×20), etc.
French loves hyphens in written numbers: vingt-deux /vɛ̃.d dø/ — twenty-two.
Pronunciation changes a bit depending on what comes after (liaisons like six amis /si.za.mi/).

Once those patterns make sense, the “weird” numbers stop being monsters and become Lego bricks.

French Numbers 0–20: Your Core Building Blocks

These are your foundations. Get these solid and everything else becomes easier.

Pronunciation tips:

un /œ̃/ is a nasal vowel, not “oon” or “ahn”. Think of saying “uh” while letting air resonate in your nose.
deux /dø/ is a rounded vowel, like saying “duh” but with rounded lips.
six /sis/ is usually /sis/ when said alone, but changes with liaison (more on that later).

Mini example:

J’ai deux chats et un chien.
/ʒe dø ʃa e œ̃ ʃjɛ̃/
I have two cats and one dog.

21–69: The Pattern Zone (et, Hyphens, And Rhythm)

Once you know vingt /vɛ̃/ — twenty, trente /tʁɑ̃t/ — thirty, quarante /ka.ʁɑ̃t/ — forty, cinquante /sɛ̃.kɑ̃t/ — fifty, and soixante /swa.sɑ̃t/ — sixty, you can handle most everyday numbers.

Tens: 20, 30, 40, 50, 60

21, 31, 41, 51, 61: The “Et Un” Numbers

For these, French uses et un /e.œ̃/ — and one.

For all other numbers you just stack with hyphens:

vingt-deux /vɛ̃.d dø/ — 22
trente-trois /tʁɑ̃t.tʁwa/ — 33
quarante-cinq /ka.ʁɑ̃t.sɛ̃k/ — 45
cinquante-huit /sɛ̃.kɑ̃t.ɥit/ — 58
soixante-neuf /swa.sɑ̃t.nœf/ — 69

Example:

J’ai trente-deux ans.
/ʒe tʁɑ̃t.d dø zɑ̃/
I am thirty-two (years old).

Usage note:
In speech, you don’t need to obsess about hyphens, but they matter when you write.

70–99: The “Math Problem” Numbers

Welcome to the part that makes learners swear in two languages. In France, 70–99 are built using 60 and 80.

70–79: Sixty + Something

70 = soixante-dix /swa.sɑ̃t.dis/ — sixty-ten
71 = soixante et onze /swa.sɑ̃t.e.ɔ̃z/ — sixty and eleven
72 = soixante-douze /swa.sɑ̃t.duz/ — sixty-twelve
73 = soixante-treize /swa.sɑ̃t.tʁɛz/ — etc.

So 70–79 are essentially 60 + 10–19.

80–99: Four Twenties, Then More

80 is literally quatre-vingts /katʁə.vɛ̃/ — “four twenties”.

80 = quatre-vingts /katʁə.vɛ̃/
81 = quatre-vingt-un /katʁə.vɛ̃.tœ̃/ (no et)
82 = quatre-vingt-deux /katʁə.vɛ̃.d dø/
90 = quatre-vingt-dix /katʁə.vɛ̃.dis/
95 = quatre-vingt-quinze /katʁə.vɛ̃.kɛ̃z/

Important spelling detail:

quatre-vingts has an s at the end when it’s just 80.
It loses the s when followed by another number:
- 80: quatre-vingts
- 81: quatre-vingt-un (no s)
- 95: quatre-vingt-quinze (no s)

Example:

Le pull coûte soixante-dix-neuf euros.
/lə pyl kut swa.sɑ̃t.dis.nœf ø.ʁo/
The sweater costs seventy-nine euros.

J’habite au quatre-vingt-deux, rue Victor Hugo.
/ʒa.bit o katʁə.vɛ̃.d dø ʁy vik.tɔʁ y.ɡo/
I live at number eighty-two, Victor Hugo street.

Hundreds, Thousands, And Millions

Once you reach 100, French numbers calm down again.

Hundreds

When cent /sɑ̃/ is exactly 100, 200, 300 etc and at the end of the number, it takes an s:

200 = deux cents
300 = trois cents

But if something follows, you drop the s:

201 = deux cent un /dø sɑ̃.tœ̃/
345 = trois cent quarante-cinq /tʁwa sɑ̃ ka.ʁɑ̃t.sɛ̃k/

Example:

La chambre coûte cent vingt euros.
/la ʃɑ̃bʁ kut sɑ̃ vɛ̃t ø.ʁo/
The room costs one hundred and twenty euros.

Thousands

Note: mille never takes an s when it’s a number.

2010 = deux mille dix /dø mil dis/
3 500 = trois mille cinq cents /tʁwa mil sɛ̃k sɑ̃/

Millions And Beyond

These behave like nouns and take a plural s when there’s more than one: deux millions, trois milliards, etc.

Example:

La ville a plus d’un million d’habitants.
/la vil a ply d‿œ̃ mi.ljɔ̃ da.bi.tɑ̃/
The city has more than one million inhabitants.

Talking About Age, Prices, And Time With Numbers

Knowing how to count is one thing. Using numbers in real-life phrases is where it becomes useful.

Age

French usually uses avoir /a.vwaʁ/ — to have — for age.

J’ai vingt-six ans.
/ʒe vɛ̃t sis ɑ̃/
I am twenty-six.

Il a trente-deux ans.
/il a tʁɑ̃t.d dø zɑ̃/
He is thirty-two.

Elle a quatre-vingt-un ans.
/ɛl a katʁə.vɛ̃.tœ̃ nɑ̃/
She is eighty-one.

Note the liaison in vingt‿six ans, trente-deux‿ans.

Prices

You’ll hear euros /ø.ʁo/ everywhere in France.

Ça fait combien ?
/sa fɛ kɔ̃.bjɛ̃/
How much is it?

Ça fait dix euros.
/sa fɛ diz‿ø.ʁo/
That comes to ten euros.

C’est vingt-neuf euros quatre-vingt-dix-neuf.
/sɛ vɛ̃.nœf ø.ʁo katʁə.vɛ̃.dis.nœf/
It’s twenty-nine euros ninety-nine.

French often groups price like this: 29,99 € → vingt-neuf euros quatre-vingt-dix-neuf.

Time

For basic time, the pattern is:

Il est + number + heure(s) /il ɛ … œʁ/

Examples:

Il est deux heures.
/il ɛ dø zœʁ/
It’s two o’clock.

Il est huit heures et demie.
/il ɛ ɥi.tœʁ e də.mi/
It’s half past eight.

Il est dix-neuf heures trente.
/il ɛ diz.nœv œʁ tʁɑ̃t/
It’s 7:30 p.m. (literally “19 hours 30”)

Pronunciation Tips And Common Mistakes

A few traps that catch lots of learners:

Deux /dø/ vs Douze /duz/
- deux /dø/ — two (single syllable)
- douze /duz/ — twelve
  On the phone, people sometimes clarify: deux, le chiffre /dø lə ʃifʁ/ — two, the digit.
Quatre /katʁ/
Don’t pronounce the final “e” as a full vowel in careful speech; it’s usually /katʁ/, not “ka-tra”.
Six /sis/, Dix /dis/, Neuf /nœf/
These change slightly with liaison:
- six amis → /si.za.mi/
- dix euros → /di.z‿ø.ʁo/
- neuf heures → /nœ.vœʁ/
Seventy, Eighty, Ninety
Don’t try to translate literally from English. Train your brain:
- 70 → soixante-dix
- 80 → quatre-vingts
- 90 → quatre-vingt-dix
Hyphens In Writing
In written French, compound numbers under 100 use hyphens:
- vingt-deux, trente-trois, soixante-quinze, quatre-vingt-trois.

Region Notes: France vs Switzerland And Belgium

In France, the system in this article is the standard: soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix.

In Belgium and Switzerland, you’ll also find:

Sometimes huitante /ɥi.tɑ̃t/ or octante /ɔk.tɑ̃t/ instead of quatre-vingts.

If you learn the French-French system, you’ll be understood everywhere; just be aware that if you hear septante, you’re probably not in Paris anymore.

Mini Dialogues With Numbers In Action

Dialogue 1: At The Bakery

Bonjour, ce sera quoi pour vous ?
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ sə sə.ʁa kwa puʁ vu/
Hello, what will it be for you?

Je vais prendre deux croissants et un pain au chocolat.
/ʒə vɛ pʁɑ̃dʁ dø kʁwa.sɑ̃ e œ̃ pɛ̃ no ʃɔ.kɔ.la/
I’ll take two croissants and one pain au chocolat.

Ça fait trois euros cinquante.
/sa fɛ tʁwa.z‿ø.ʁo sɛ̃.kɑ̃t/
That’s three euros fifty.

Voilà quatre euros.
/vwa.la katʁ‿ø.ʁo/
Here are four euros.

Dialogue 2: Talking About Age

Tu as quel âge ?
/ty a kɛ.lɑʒ/
How old are you?

J’ai vingt-neuf ans, et toi ?
/ʒe vɛ̃.nœ vɑ̃ e twa/
I’m twenty-nine, and you?

Moi, j’ai trente-deux ans.
/mwa ʒe tʁɑ̃t.d dø zɑ̃/
Me, I’m thirty-two.

On fête ça le 15 juillet ?
/ɔ̃ fɛt sa lə kɛ̃z ʒɥi.jɛ/
Shall we celebrate that on the 15th of July?

Dialogue 3: Booking A Room

Je voudrais réserver une chambre pour deux nuits.
/ʒə vud.ʁɛ ʁe.zɛʁ.ve yn ʃɑ̃bʁ puʁ dø nɥi/
I’d like to book a room for two nights.

Pour quelles dates ?
/puʁ kɛl dat/
For which dates?

Du 10 au 12 octobre.
/dy dis o duz ɔk.tɔbʁ/
From the 10th to the 12th of October.

Très bien, cela fera cent vingt euros.
/tʁɛ bjɛ̃ sə.la fə.ʁa sɑ̃ vɛ̃t ø.ʁo/
Very good, that will be one hundred and twenty euros.

Quick Reference: Key French Numbers

Useful patterns:

Five-Minute Practice Plan: Make French Numbers Automatic

0–20 Speed Walk
Say 0–20 out loud twice:
zéro, un, deux, trois… vingt.
Then backwards from vingt to zéro. Don’t rush; aim for steady rhythm.
Tens + One Drill
Combine tens with 1–9:
- vingt et un, vingt-deux… vingt-neuf
- trente et un, trente-deux…
  Focus on the “et un” pattern vs simple hyphens.
70–99 Mini Workout
Pick these and repeat them three times each:
- soixante-dix, soixante et onze, soixante-douze
- quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-trois, quatre-vingt-dix, quatre-vingt-quinze
Age + Price Sentences
Create and say out loud:
- your real age: J’ai … ans.
- a price for something near you: Ça fait … euros.
Phone Number Shadowing
Invent a simple French-style number:
- Example: 06 23 45 78 90 → zéro six, vingt-trois, quarante-cinq, soixante-dix-huit, quatre-vingt-dix.
  Say it several times until the rhythm feels natural.

Counting Your Way Through France

French numbers look intimidating on paper, but once un, deux, trois, vingt, soixante-dix, quatre-vingts start to feel familiar, everyday France becomes much easier: you can catch prices, understand dates, shout your phone number into a bad connection, and proudly order trois baguettes et six croissants without switching to hand gestures. From there, it’s just more zeros and a bit more confidence.