Numbers are essential in every language. In German, numbers follow very logical patterns once you understand the base rules. From counting to telling prices, time and dates — numbers are everywhere!
German numbers above 20 are said "backwards" compared to English! 21 is einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty). This is why English nursery rhymes like "four-and-twenty blackbirds" sound archaic — it is old Germanic structure!
🔢 Numbers 0–20
| Number | German | Pronunciation Hint |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | null | nool |
| 1 | eins | eye-ns |
| 2 | zwei | tsvye |
| 3 | drei | dry |
| 4 | vier | feer |
| 5 | fünf | fuenf |
| 6 | sechs | zex |
| 7 | sieben | zee-ben |
| 8 | acht | ahkt |
| 9 | neun | noyn |
| 10 | zehn | tsayn |
| 11 | elf | elf |
| 12 | zwölf | tsvurlf |
| 13 | dreizehn | dry-tsayn |
| 14 | vierzehn | feer-tsayn |
| 15 | fünfzehn | fuenf-tsayn |
| 16 | sechzehn | zech-tsayn |
| 17 | siebzehn | zeeb-tsayn |
| 18 | achtzehn | ahkt-tsayn |
| 19 | neunzehn | noyn-tsayn |
| 20 | zwanzig | tsvahn-tsig |
🔟 Tens: 10–100
| Number | German |
|---|---|
| 30 | dreißig |
| 40 | vierzig |
| 50 | fünfzig |
| 60 | sechzig |
| 70 | siebzig |
| 80 | achtzig |
| 90 | neunzig |
| 100 | hundert / einhundert |
📐 How to Form Numbers 21–99
In German, compound numbers from 21–99 are formed as: ones + und + tens
- 21 = einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty)
- 35 = fünfunddreißig (five-and-thirty)
- 47 = siebenundvierzig (seven-and-forty)
- 99 = neunundneunzig (nine-and-ninety)
🔢 Large Numbers
| Number | German |
|---|---|
| 100 | hundert |
| 200 | zweihundert |
| 1,000 | tausend |
| 10,000 | zehntausend |
| 1,000,000 | eine Million |
🔢 Ordinal Numbers
| Ordinal | German |
|---|---|
| 1st | erste |
| 2nd | zweite |
| 3rd | dritte |
| 4th | vierte |
| 5th | fünfte |
| 10th | zehnte |
| 20th | zwanzigste |
✏️ Übungen (Practice)
Exercise 1: How do you say 25 in German? Answer: fünfundzwanzig
Exercise 2: What is 47 in German? Answer: siebenundvierzig
Exercise 3: How do you say your age? E.g. "Ich bin __ Jahre alt" Fill in your number!
🔗 Continue Learning
- 👉 Days, Months & Time — use numbers with time
- 👉 Shopping & Money — use numbers for prices
- 👉 Greetings — go back to basics
🎯 Ready to Test Your German?
Take our free online German quiz and find out your level — A1, A2, B1 or higher!
Take the Free Quiz at deutschelernen.com/test →