Spanish Numbers (Números) — Beginner-Friendly Guide

Numbers are one of the foundations of real-world Spanish. You need them for prices, dates, phone numbers, addresses, schedules, counting anything from tacos to travel days—and for understanding when someone says “te llamo en cinco minutos” and you know they mean… probably thirty.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know Spanish numbers from 0 to the millions with clear pronunciation (IPA), how to combine them naturally, how to talk about age, time, money, ordinals, and the tiny grammar details that make you sound like a fluent human instead of a calculator with anxiety.

Welcome to the Yak Yacker number dojo. Let’s count your way to confidence.

Quick Primer

Before we go deep, here are three things every learner should know:

Spanish numbers are largely phonetic, so once you learn pronunciation patterns, they’re predictable.
Spanish uses “.” for thousands and “,” for decimals in many countries: 1.500 = one thousand five hundred.
Spanish numbers agree in gender only when used as adjectives before nouns (dos casas, dos libros), but cardinal numbers themselves don’t change form (except uno → un/una when placed before nouns).

Get those down, and the rest is smooth numerical sailing.

Numbers 0–20 (Core Essentials)

These are the numbers you absolutely must know.

Note: Spain will use the /θ/ “th” sound in cero, cinco, diez, etc., while Latin America sticks to /s/. Both are correct.

21–99: The Fusion Numbers

21–29

These are written as one word:

30, 40, 50…

To form numbers like 32, 47, 58, use the formula:

(tens) + y + (ones)
treinta y dos — 32
cuarenta y siete — 47
cincuenta y ocho — 58

100–999: The Big Kid Numbers

Key usage:

cien is only for exactly 100.
ciento is used for anything above: ciento uno, ciento veinte, etc.

Examples:

Quinientos libros — 500 books
/kiˈnjen.tos ˈli.βɾos/

Doscientos veinte estudiantes — 220 students
/dosˈsjen.tos ˈbejn.te es.tuˈðjan.tes/

Thousands, Millions & Beyond

Important:
Spanish billion (billón) = 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion in US English).
To talk about the U.S. billion, Spanish uses mil millones.

How To Talk About Age

Spanish uses tener + number + años.

Examples:

Tengo veinte años.
/ˈteŋ.go ˈbejn.te ˈa.ɲos/
I’m twenty years old.

Mi hermano tiene treinta y cinco años.
/mi eɾˈma.no ˈtje.ne ˈtɾejn.ta i ˈsiŋ.ko ˈa.ɲos/
My brother is thirty-five.

Prices, Money & Everyday Use

Note: Currency words vary by country (pesos, soles, quetzales, dólares, euros).

Talking About Time (Hours)

Spanish uses the 12-hour system with numbers + y media, y cuarto, menos, etc.

Examples:

Es la una.
/es la ˈu.na/
It’s one o’clock.

Son las cuatro y media.
/son las ˈkwa.tɾo i ˈme.ðja/
It’s 4:30.

Son las ocho menos cuarto.
/son las ˈo.tʃo ˈme.nos ˈkwaɾ.to/
It’s 7:45. (literally “eight minus a quarter”)

Ordinal Numbers (Primeros, Segundos…)

Ordinal numbers also appear a lot, especially in dates and sequence.

Higher ordinals exist (decimotercero, etc.), but daily life only uses 1st–10th frequently.

Usage Notes & Common Mistakes

Spanish learners often trip on:

1. uno → un / una

un libro (one book)
una casa (one house)
uno only when counting isolated numbers: “Uno, dos, tres…”

2. “cien” vs. “ciento”

cien euros (100)
ciento veinte euros (120)

3. Writing numbers
Spanish often uses 1.500 instead of 1,500, and 1,5 instead of 1.5.

4. 15 & 50 confusion

quince = 15
cincuenta = 50
Different rhythm, different stress.

5. Long numbers
Spanish groups them in thousands: trescientos veinte mil cuatrocientos (320,400).

Region Notes

Spain:
Expect the /θ/ “th” sound in cinco, doce, trece, ciento, etc. It’s not a lisp—it’s standard pronunciation.

Mexico & Latin America:
Numbers are typically crisp and syllable-timed. Excellent for learners. Prices often use pesos or dólares.

Argentina & Uruguay:
The ll and y in numbers like y seis, y siete may sound like “sh,” so y seis can sound like “shi seis.”

Caribbean:
Final s may soften or drop: tres → tre’. You’ll understand it with exposure.

Mini Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Buying Something

¿Cuánto cuesta?
/ˈkwan.to ˈkwes.ta/
How much does it cost?

Ciento veinte pesos.
/ˈsjɛn.to ˈbejn.te ˈpe.sos/
120 pesos.

Perfecto, aquí tienes.
/peɾˈfek.to aˈki ˈtje.nes/
Perfect, here you go.

Dialogue 2: Age

¿Cuántos años tienes?
/ˈkwan.tos ˈa.ɲos ˈtje.nes/
How old are you?

Tengo treinta y uno.
/ˈteŋ.go ˈtɾejn.ta i ˈu.no/
I’m thirty-one.

Dialogue 3: Time

¿A qué hora es la clase?
/a ke ˈo.ɾa es la ˈkla.se/
What time is the class?

A las seis y cuarto.
/a las sejs i ˈkwaɾ.to/
At 6:15.

Quick Reference (Screenshot-Friendly)

Five-Minute Practice Plan

Count from 0 to 30 aloud—slow, then fast. Focus on stress in quince and veinte.
Build 10 random numbers between 20 and 100 using tens + y + ones.
Write your phone number in Spanish (digit by digit).
Shadow Dialogue 1 to practice money numbers.
Say your age, your parents’ ages, and fake ages for three imaginary celebrities.
Write three long numbers (year of birth, address, price of something expensive) and read them aloud.

Yak-Style Closing Spark

Numbers unlock almost every part of daily Spanish—from ordering two empanadas to booking a room on the fifth floor to understanding why your friend says “nos vemos en diez minutitos” and shows up an hour late. Keep practicing your números and soon counting in Spanish will feel as natural as complaining about prices.