Wanna learn German? Start with numbers! They’re like, everywhere. When you buy stuff. When you travel. When you tell time. When you say your age. Numbers pop up all the time.
German numbers might look weird at first. But hey, they follow super clear rules. Once you get it, you can make any number. No stress!
This guide keeps things simple. No hard words. No tricky grammar. Just easy stuff that makes sense.
Why Learn German Numbers
You need numbers for so many things:
- Buying stuff (prices!)
• Booking hotels
• Reading train times
• Giving your phone number
• Telling dates
• Ordering food
• Saying your age
• Talking about money
• Filling out forms
Numbers make you sound good. They help you feel sure when talking. And guess what? Once you know numbers. Then the rest gets easier.
From 1 to 20
These are the big ones. You should learn these first
eins (one)
zwei (two)
drei (three)
vier (four)
fünf (five)
sechs (six)
sieben (seven)
acht (eight)
neun (nine)
zehn (ten)
elf (eleven)
zwölf (twelve)
dreizehn (thirteen)
vierzehn (fourteen)
fünfzehn (fifteen)
sechzehn (sixteen)
siebzehn (seventeen)
achtzehn (eighteen)
neunzehn (nineteen)
zwanzig (twenty)
See something cool?
- Numbers 13 to 19 end with “zehn” – kinda like our “teen”
• Watch out! 16 and 17 drop some letters:
- sechzehn (not sechszehn)
- siebzehn (not siebenzehn)
Get these 20 down pat. They’re your key to everything else!
German Numbers 21 to 29
OK, here’s where it gets fun. Germans flip things around! We say “twenty-one.” They say “one and twenty.” Wild, right?
The trick:
small number + und + big number
Look:
21 = einundzwanzig
22 = zweiundzwanzig
23 = dreiundzwanzig
24 = vierundzwanzig
25 = fünfundzwanzig
26 = sechsundzwanzig
27 = siebenundzwanzig
28 = achtundzwanzig
29 = neunundzwanzig
See? Once you get the flip, it’s easy!
Tens in German: 30 to 100
Here come the tens. Learn these good – you’ll need ’em!
30 = dreißig
40 = vierzig
50 = fünfzig
60 = sechzig
70 = siebzig
80 = achtzig
90 = neunzig
100 = hundert
Quick notes:
- dreißig has that funny ß thing
• sechzig drops the “s”
• siebzig drops the “en”
These changes make them easier to say. Nice!
Building Numbers 31 to 99
Same deal as the 20s.
small number + und + tens number
Like this:
31 = einunddreißig
35 = fünfunddreißig
42 = zweiundvierzig
57 = siebenundfünfzig
63 = dreiundsechzig
74 = vierundsiebzig
89 = neunundachtzig
96 = sechsundneunzig
Know your 1-9? Know your tens? Boom – you can make any number!
Full List: 1 to 100
Here you go!
1 eins
2 zwei
3 drei
4 vier
5 fünf
6 sechs
7 sieben
8 acht
9 neun
10 zehn
11 elf
12 zwölf
13 dreizehn
14 vierzehn
15 fünfzehn
16 sechzehn
17 siebzehn
18 achtzehn
19 neunzehn
20 zwanzig
21 einundzwanzig
22 zweiundzwanzig
23 dreiundzwanzig
24 vierundzwanzig
25 fünfundzwanzig
26 sechsundzwanzig
27 siebenundzwanzig
28 achtundzwanzig
29 neunundzwanzig
30 dreißig
31 einunddreißig
32 zweiunddreißig
33 dreiunddreißig
34 vierunddreißig
35 fünfunddreißig
36 sechsunddreißig
37 siebenunddreißig
38 achtunddreißig
39 neununddreißig
40 vierzig
41 einundvierzig
42 zweiundvierzig
43 dreiundvierzig
44 vierundvierzig
45 fünfundvierzig
46 sechsundvierzig
47 siebenundvierzig
48 achtundvierzig
49 neunundvierzig
50 fünfzig
51 einundfünfzig
52 zweiundfünfzig
53 dreiundfünfzig
54 vierundfünfzig
55 fünfundfünfzig
56 sechsundfünfzig
57 siebenundfünfzig
58 achtundfünfzig
59 neunundfünfzig
60 sechzig
61 einundsechzig
62 zweiundsechzig
63 dreiundsechzig
64 vierundsechzig
65 fünfundsechzig
66 sechsundsechzig
67 siebenundsechzig
68 achtundsechzig
69 neunundsechzig
70 siebzig
71 einundsiebzig
72 zweiundsiebzig
73 dreiundsiebzig
74 vierundsiebzig
75 fünfundsiebzig
76 sechsundsiebzig
77 siebenundsiebzig
78 achtundsiebzig
79 neunundsiebzig
80 achtzig
81 einundachtzig
82 zweiundachtzig
83 dreiundachtzig
84 vierundachtzig
85 fünfundachtzig
86 sechsundachtzig
87 siebenundachtzig
88 achtundachtzig
89 neunundachtzig
90 neunzig
91 einundneunzig
92 zweiundneunzig
93 dreiundneunzig
94 vierundneunzig
95 fünfundneunzig
96 sechsundneunzig
97 siebenundneunzig
98 achtundneunzig
99 neunundneunzig
100 hundert
How to Read Them
It’s super simple.
small number + und + tens number
Like:
21 = one and twenty
43 = three and forty
86 = six and eighty
In German:
21 = einundzwanzig
43 = dreiundvierzig
86 = sechsundachtzig
Get this idea? Everything clicks!
Examples of Numbers in Real Sentences
How people use them:
Ich bin dreiundzwanzig.
(I’m twenty-three.)
Das kostet vierzig Euro.
(That costs forty euros.)
Mein Zimmer ist Nummer einunddreißig.
(My room is number thirty-one.)
Wir sind neunundneunzig Schüler.
(We’re ninety-nine students.)
Der Bus kommt um fünfzig Minuten.
(The bus comes in fifty minutes.)
See? Numbers are everywhere!
How to Practice German Numbers
Wanna learn fast? Try these:
Say them out loud
Your mouth needs practice too!
Write them down
Do 1 to 100 every day.
Count stuff
Books. Steps. Pens. Trees. Count it all!
Use flash cards
Little cards work great.
Change your phone
Set it to German. Numbers all day!
Watch videos
Germans say numbers a lot.
Test yourself
Cover the list. Can you remember?
Also Read: Come Past Tense: Easy Guide for All English Learners
Common Mistakes
Watch out for these:
- Reading like English
Don’t forget – German flips it! - Missing the “und”
You need it! Like: sechsundvierzig (46) - Spelling oops
- sechzehn NOT sechszehn
- siebzig NOT siebenzig
- Mixing teens and tens
- dreizehn = thirteen
- dreißig = thirty
- Going too slow
Try to speak smoothly and quickly!
Dodge these and you’ll sound great!
Fun Ways to Practice
Make it fun! Try these:
- Count your steps
• Read car plates
• Count food in your fridge
• Watch German cartoons
• Play number games
• Quiz a friend
• Check prices online
Fun = fast learning!
Why German Numbers Are Easy
They look long but they’re not hard:
- Learn 1 to 20
• Learn the tens
• Add “und”
• Flip the order
• Mix and match
Once you get this. Then you can make any number. Even past 100!
Quick Review
What did we learn?
- All numbers 1 to 100
• Simple rules
• How to build them
• How to use them
• Practice tips
• Mistakes to dodge
You got this!
German numbers? Not so scary now, right? Learn 1 to 20. Get the tens. Use “und”, and flip it around. Done!
Practice every day. Count stuff. Say them loudly. The more you practice, the better you get.
You’re gonna nail this. Numbers are just the start. Keep going!