German Numbers Made Easy

German numbers look friendly at first. Then 21 shows up, and suddenly the language is rearranging itself like it has a personal grudge. Still, once you understand the pattern, German numbers get much easier than they first appear.

This guide will help you read, say, and use German numbers in real life — for time, prices, phone numbers, addresses, dates, and everyday conversation. By the end, you should be able to handle the basics without needing to panic in a bakery queue.

For a quick reference while you learn, you can also check the related guide on German Numbers. If you want the broader learning path, the main Learn German page is there too.

Table of Contents

The First Big Rule: German Loves The Ones Place Last

In English, you say “twenty-one.” In German, you say literally “one-and-twenty”: einundzwanzig. That pattern continues for most numbers from 21 to 99.

Yes, it is backward. No, German did not ask permission.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
null	nool	zero	Die Temperatur ist null Grad.	The temperature is zero degrees.	Used in dates, scores, temperatures, and phone numbers.
eins	ine-s	one	Ich habe eins gekauft.	I bought one.	Often shortens to ein before nouns like ein Buch.
zwei	tsvy	two	Wir haben zwei Tickets.	We have two tickets.	Very common and easy to remember.
drei	dry	three	Sie hat drei Brüder.	She has three brothers.	The ei sound is like English “eye.”
vier	feer	four	Es gibt vier Stühle.	There are four chairs.	Long ie-like sound: ee.
fünf	fuunf	five	Fünf Minuten, bitte.	Five minutes, please.	The ü sound is rounded, like saying “ee” with pursed lips.
sechs	zeks	six	Sechs Personen warten draußen.	Six people are waiting outside.	The chs sound is a crisp “ks.”
sieben	zee-ben	seven	Ich arbeite sieben Tage pro Woche.	I work seven days a week.	Stress is on the first syllable: SEE-ben.
acht	ahkt	eight	Der Film beginnt um acht.	The film starts at eight.	The ch here sounds rough, not like English “k.”
neun	noyn	nine	Neun Leute sind gekommen.	Nine people came.	The eu sound is like English “oy.”
zehn	tsayn	ten	Ich brauche zehn Euro.	I need ten euros.	z sounds like ts.

Numbers From 11 To 19

These are mostly straightforward, but some of them are a little quirky. Still, they are common enough that learning them early saves time later.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
elf	elf	eleven	Der Zug kommt um elf.	The train arrives at eleven.	Simple and common in time-telling.
zwölf	tsvurlf	twelve	Es ist zwölf Uhr.	It is twelve o’clock.	Watch the ö sound.
dreizehn	dry-tsayn	thirteen	Mein Bruder ist dreizehn.	My brother is thirteen.	Pattern: drei + zehn.
vierzehn	feer-tsayn	fourteen	Sie ist vierzehn Jahre alt.	She is fourteen years old.	Pattern: vier + zehn.
fünfzehn	fuunf-tsayn	fifteen	Das Kind ist fünfzehn.	The child is fifteen.	Pattern continues cleanly.
sechzehn	zek-tsayn	sixteen	Wir haben sechzehn Plätze.	We have sixteen seats.	The s disappears: sech-, not sechs-.
siebzehn	zeeb-tsayn	seventeen	Er ist siebzehn.	He is seventeen.	The en drops out in the middle.
achtzehn	ahkt-tsayn	eighteen	Das Auto ist achtzehn Jahre alt.	The car is eighteen years old.	Very useful for ages and dates.
neunzehn	noyn-tsayn	nineteen	Neunzehn Leute haben zugesagt.	Nineteen people said yes.	Easy once you know the pattern.

Tens: The Building Blocks For Bigger Numbers

After ten, German numbers become very regular. The main job is to learn the tens words and then glue the ones place in front.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
zwanzig	TSVAHN-tsikh	twenty	Der Tisch kostet zwanzig Euro.	The table costs twenty euros.	The z is ts; the ending sounds like a soft German ch.
dreißig	DRY-sikh	thirty	Ich arbeite dreißig Stunden.	I work thirty hours.	ß is usually pronounced like s and appears after a long vowel.
vierzig	FEER-tsikh	forty	Vierzig Menschen sind da.	Forty people are there.	Notice the -zig ending.
fünfzig	FUUNF-tsikh	fifty	Das sind fünfzig Seiten.	That is fifty pages.	Very useful for prices and ages.
sechzig	ZEK-tsikh	sixty	Sechzig Minuten sind eine Stunde.	Sixty minutes are one hour.	Again, the spelling drops the s from sechs.
siebzig	ZEEB-tsikh	seventy	Die Karte kostet siebzig Euro.	The ticket costs seventy euros.	Spelling becomes shorter than the base number.
achtzig	AHKT-tsikh	eighty	Achtzig Prozent sind genug.	Eighty percent is enough.	Common in percentages and statistics.
neunzig	NOYN-tsikh	ninety	Neunzig Sekunden sind kurz.	Ninety seconds are short.	The eu vowel is the same as in neu.

How To Build 21 To 99

The pattern is:

ones + und + tens

So 21 is einundzwanzig, 34 is vierunddreißig, and 99 is neunundneunzig.

Pattern	Meaning	German Example	English Translation	Learner Note
1 + 20	twenty-one	einundzwanzig	twenty-one	Literally “one-and-twenty.”
2 + 20	twenty-two	zweiundzwanzig	twenty-two	The pattern stays the same.
3 + 40	forty-three	dreiundvierzig	forty-three	The ones digit comes first.
7 + 80	eighty-seven	siebenundachtzig	eighty-seven	Longer, yes. Still logical.
9 + 90	ninety-nine	neunundneunzig	ninety-nine	Perfect for prices, ages, and exaggeration.

Here are a few practical examples:

einundzwanzig — 21
zweiunddreißig — 32
vierundvierzig — 44
fünfundfünfzig — 55
sechsundsechzig — 66
siebenundsiebzig — 77
achtundachtzig — 88
neunundneunzig — 99

Notice how the ones number stays in front of und. That is the part English speakers usually trip over. German is very committed to doing things its own way. Respect.

Everyday Number Words You Will Hear All The Time

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
hundert	HOON-dert	hundred	Das kostet hundert Euro.	That costs one hundred euros.	Often used without ein in everyday speech.
tausend	TOW-zent	thousand	Es sind tausend Menschen gekommen.	A thousand people came.	Very common in prices, populations, and large counts.
Million	mee-lee-OHN	million	Die Stadt hat eine Million Einwohner.	The city has one million inhabitants.	Noun, so it is capitalized and often takes an article.
Milliarde	mil-YAR-duh	billion	Das Projekt kostet eine Milliarde Euro.	The project costs one billion euros.	German uses Milliarde for 1,000,000,000.
halbe / halb	HAL-buh / halp	half	Ich möchte eine halbe Portion.	I would like a half portion.	Useful with food, time, and measurements.
ein paar	ine pahr	a few, a couple of	Ich brauche ein paar Minuten.	I need a few minutes.	Not exact, but very natural.
mehr als	mehr als	more than	Mehr als zehn Leute waren da.	More than ten people were there.	Common in comparisons and estimates.
weniger als	vay-nih-ger als	less than	Weniger als fünf Minuten.	Less than five minutes.	Very useful for time and waiting.

How To Say Prices, Quantities, And Ages

Numbers do not just live by themselves. They usually attach to something: euros, minutes, people, years, or items in a shopping basket.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
Es kostet zehn Euro.	es KOS-tet tsayn oy-roh	It costs ten euros.	Es kostet zehn Euro.	It costs ten euros.	Standard shopping phrase.
Ich bin zwanzig Jahre alt.	ikh bin TSVAHN-tsikh YAH-ruh alt	I am twenty years old.	Ich bin zwanzig Jahre alt.	I am twenty years old.	In German, you usually say years old explicitly.
Wir brauchen drei Karten.	veer BROW-khen dry KAHR-ten	We need three tickets/cards.	Wir brauchen drei Karten.	We need three tickets/cards.	Countable nouns often stay normal plural.
Das dauert fünf Minuten.	das DOW-ert fuunf mee-NOO-ten	That takes five minutes.	Das dauert fünf Minuten.	That takes five minutes.	Great for appointments and train delays.
Ich habe zwei Geschwister.	ikh HAH-buh tsvy guh-SHVIS-ter	I have two siblings.	Ich habe zwei Geschwister.	I have two siblings.	Handy for personal introductions.
Eine halbe Stunde	INE-uh HAL-buh SHTOON-duh	half an hour	Wir warten eine halbe Stunde.	We wait half an hour.	Very common everyday phrase.
Drei Viertel	dry FEER-tel	three quarters	Ich habe drei Viertel des Kuchens gegessen.	I ate three quarters of the cake.	Useful in percentages, recipes, and informal time expressions.

German Time: The Number Trap With A Friendly Face

Time is where numbers get extra interesting. In standard German, you will often hear the 24-hour clock, especially in schedules, trains, and formal contexts.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
Es ist acht Uhr.	es ist ahkt oor	It is eight o’clock.	Es ist acht Uhr.	It is eight o’clock.	Basic clock time.
Es ist halb neun.	es ist halp noyn	It is half past eight.	Es ist halb neun.	It is half past eight.	Important: German halb neun means 8:30, not 9:30.
Viertel nach acht	FEER-tel nakht	quarter past eight	Der Termin ist Viertel nach acht.	The appointment is quarter past eight.	Common in many regions.
Viertel vor acht	FEER-tel for akht	quarter to eight	Der Zug kommt Viertel vor acht.	The train comes at quarter to eight.	Regional use varies a bit.
um acht Uhr	oom ahkt oor	at eight o’clock	Wir treffen uns um acht Uhr.	We meet at eight o’clock.	Very common with meeting times.
gegen neun Uhr	GAY-gen noyn oor	around nine o’clock	Er kommt gegen neun Uhr.	He comes around nine o’clock.	Useful when you are estimating.

One small warning: if someone says halb neun, they mean 8:30. This is one of those lovely little German logic moments that seems rude until it becomes normal. Then it seems rude in a more experienced way.

Phone Numbers, Addresses, And Digits

When people read phone numbers in German, they often say each digit separately or in grouped chunks. In real life, pronunciation can vary a little, but clarity matters most.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
Null eins fünf…	nool ines funf…	0 1 5…	Meine Nummer ist null eins fünf drei…	My number is 0 1 5 three…	Phone numbers are usually spoken digit by digit.
die Nummer	dee NOO-mer	the number	Wie ist Ihre Nummer?	What is your number?	Formal in Ihre, informal with deine.
die Hausnummer	hows-NOO-mer	house number	Was ist die Hausnummer?	What is the house number?	Useful for addresses and deliveries.
die Postleitzahl	POST-lite-tsahl	postal code	Wie lautet die Postleitzahl?	What is the postal code?	Common abbreviation: PLZ.
PLZ	pee-el-tset	postal code abbreviation	Bitte geben Sie die PLZ an.	Please provide the postal code.	Very common on forms and websites.

Ordinal Numbers: First, Second, Third

Ordinal numbers are the “ranking” numbers: first, second, third, and so on. In German, they are very common in dates, lists, floors, and directions.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
erste	EER-stuh	first	Das ist meine erste Reise nach Berlin.	This is my first trip to Berlin.	Often changes ending depending on the noun.
zweite	TSVY-tuh	second	Ich wohne im zweiten Stock.	I live on the second floor.	Very common in buildings and lists.
dritte	DRIT-tuh	third	Das ist der dritte Versuch.	That is the third attempt.	Useful in everyday speech.
vierte	FEER-tuh	fourth	Wir treffen uns am vierten Mai.	We meet on the fourth of May.	Common in dates.
fünfte	FUUNF-tuh	fifth	Sie sitzt in der fünften Reihe.	She sits in the fifth row.	Ends in -te for lower numbers.
zehnte	TSAYN-tuh	tenth	Das ist der zehnte Geburtstag.	That is the tenth birthday.	Used with dates and counts.

For many ordinal numbers, you form them by adding -te or -ste to the base number. Example: drei → dritte, elf → elfte, einundzwanzig → einundzwanzigste.

Common Ways Numbers Appear In Real Life

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
50%	fünfzig Prozent	50 percent	Der Rabatt beträgt 50 Prozent.	The discount is 50 percent.	Prozent is neutral and very common.
Nr.	Nummer	number abbreviation	Bitte wählen Sie Nr. 3.	Please choose number 3.	Seen on forms, signs, and tickets.
ca.	circa	about, approximately	Die Fahrt dauert ca. 20 Minuten.	The trip takes about 20 minutes.	Often written in notes and messages.
1.000	tausend	one thousand	Das kostet 1.000 Euro.	That costs 1,000 euros.	German often uses a dot for thousands and a comma for decimals.
1,5	eins Komma fünf	one point five	Die Flasche ist 1,5 Liter groß.	The bottle is 1.5 litres in size.	Decimal comma is standard in German.

Decimal Commas And Big Numbers

German uses a comma where English uses a decimal point. So 1,5 means one point five, not fifteen. That tiny comma can cause surprisingly large chaos if ignored.

Pattern	Meaning	German Example	English Translation	Learner Note
1,5	one point five	eins Komma fünf	one point five	Comma = decimal point.
2,75	two point seven five	zwei Komma sieben fünf	two point seven five	Read each digit after the comma separately.
1.000	one thousand	eintausend	one thousand	Dot = thousands separator.
1.000.000	one million	eine Million	one million	Large numbers use dots in writing.

If you want a boring but reliable explanation of number words and forms, Duden’s entry for Zahl is a solid reference. It is as glamorous as a filing cabinet, which is exactly why it is useful.

Useful Mini Phrases With Numbers

Wie viel kostet das? — vee feel KOS-tet das — How much does that cost?
Wie viele sind es? — vee FEE-luh zint es — How many are there?
Ich nehme zwei. — ikh NAY-muh tsvy — I’ll take two.
Noch einmal, bitte. — nokh ine-mal BIT-teh — Once again, please.
Können Sie das wiederholen? — KUR-nen zee das VEE-der-ho-len — Can you repeat that?
Es sind ungefähr fünfzig. — es zint OON-guh-fehr FUUNF-tsikh — It’s about fifty.
Ich bin kurz fünfzehn. — ikh bin kurtst FUUNF-tsayn — I am almost fifteen.
Das ist Nummer acht. — das ist NOO-mer ahkt — That is number eight.
Ich habe keine Ahnung. — ikh HAH-buh KY-nuh AH-noong — I have no idea.
Es ist halb drei. — es ist halp dry — It is 2:30.

Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes

Mistake	Correct Form	Why It Happens	Quick Fix
zwanzig und eins	einundzwanzig	English word order sneaks in.	Put the ones digit first.
halb neun = 9:30	halb neun = 8:30	It feels backwards at first.	Think “half to nine.”
1.5 in German writing	1,5	English punctuation habits.	Use a comma for decimals.
eins Euro	ein Euro	eins changes before nouns.	Use ein before masculine/neuter nouns.
sechszehn	sechzehn	Spelling gets shortened.	Drop the extra s.
siebzehn said like “seventeen” with hard English sounds	siebzehn with German z = ts	Letter habits from English.	Remember z is ts.

Practice: Read The Numbers Out Loud

Say these aloud. Yes, really. Numbers are one of those topics that only get friendly after your mouth has had a few tries.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
13	dreizehn	thirteen	Ich bin dreizehn.	I am thirteen.	Good warm-up number.
24	vierundzwanzig	twenty-four	Der Laden ist 24 Stunden offen.	The shop is open 24 hours.	Common in signs and schedules.
37	siebenunddreißig	thirty-seven	Sie ist siebenunddreißig Jahre alt.	She is thirty-seven years old.	Practice the und pattern.
48	achtundvierzig	forty-eight	Das Paket wiegt achtundvierzig Kilo.	The package weighs forty-eight kilos.	Useful for measurements.
59	neunundfünfzig	fifty-nine	Der Film dauert neunundfünfzig Minuten.	The film lasts fifty-nine minutes.	Great for time practice.
62	zweiundsechzig	sixty-two	Wir sind zweiundsechzig Personen.	We are sixty-two people.	Long but regular.
75	fünfundsiebzig	seventy-five	Das Auto kostet fünfundsiebzig Euro.	The car costs seventy-five euros.	Very useful in shopping contexts.
88	achtundachtzig	eighty-eight	Der Opa ist achtundachtzig.	Grandpa is eighty-eight.	Excellent for age practice.
91	einundneunzig	ninety-one	Es kostet einundneunzig Cent.	It costs ninety-one cents.	Currency practice.
100	hundert	one hundred	Das ist hundertprozentig sicher.	That is one hundred percent certain.	Useful in fixed expressions too.

Quick Reference Summary

0–12 are mostly individual words to memorize.
13–19 follow the pattern three/four/five + ten.
20–99 use ones + und + tens.
einundzwanzig means 21, not 12.
halb neun means 8:30.
German decimal points use a comma, not a period.
German numbers are very regular once you stop fighting the word order.

Yak takeaway: German numbers are not hard because they are random. They are hard because they are slightly stubborn. Learn the pattern once, and the rest stops feeling like a puzzle made by a mischievous office printer.