Spanish Numbers Hub: Complete Guide from A1 to C2

Spanish numbers 1-10: 1 = uno, 2 = dos, 3 = tres, 4 = cuatro, 5 = cinco, 6 = seis, 7 = siete, 8 = ocho, 9 = nueve, 10 = diez. Note that “uno” changes to “un” before masculine nouns (un libro) and to “una” before feminine nouns (una casa). For more practice, check out our Complete Spanish Numbers 1-100 Guide.

Spanish numbers 11-15 are unique words that must be memorized: 11 = once, 12 = doce, 13 = trece, 14 = catorce, 15 = quince. These don’t follow a pattern like English “eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.” Starting at 16, they follow a regular pattern.

Numbers 16-19 follow a pattern: diez (10) + y (and) + 6-9, but written as one word: 16 = dieciséis (diez + y + seis), 17 = diecisiete, 18 = dieciocho, 19 = diecinueve. Note the accent on “dieciséis” and “veintidós” (22).

20 = veinte. For 21-29, use “veinti” + the digit, written as one word: 21 = veintiuno, 22 = veintidós (with accent), 23 = veintitrés (accent), 24 = veinticuatro, 25 = veinticinco, 26 = veintiséis (accent), 27 = veintisiete, 28 = veintiocho, 29 = veintinueve. Note that “veintiuno” becomes “veintiún” before masculine nouns: “veintiún años” (21 years).

For numbers 31-99, use the pattern: tens + “y” + units. 31 = treinta y uno, 42 = cuarenta y dos, 55 = cincuenta y cinco, 68 = sesenta y ocho, 79 = setenta y nueve, 87 = ochenta y siete, 94 = noventa y cuatro. These are always written as three separate words (unlike 16-29 which are one word).

0 = cero. It’s masculine: “el cero.” In phone numbers, Spanish speakers often say “cero” or sometimes “oh” like in English. For temperatures below zero, say “bajo cero” (below zero). Example: “Hay cero grados” (It’s zero degrees). In sports scores: “cero a cero” (zero-zero tie).

Spanish tens: 30 = treinta, 40 = cuarenta, 50 = cincuenta, 60 = sesenta, 70 = setenta, 80 = ochenta, 90 = noventa, 100 = cien. Note that “cuarenta” has no “u” after the c (not “cuarenta”? actually it IS cuarenta – correct!), “cincuenta” has a ‘c’, and “sesenta” has an ‘s’.

Cien is used for exactly 100 and before thousands/millions: “cien libros” (100 books), “cien mil” (100,000). Ciento is used for numbers 101-199: “ciento uno” (101), “ciento cincuenta” (150), “ciento noventa y nueve” (199). For 200 and above, use the regular hundreds: doscientos, trescientos, etc.

Spanish hundreds change to match the gender of the noun: 200 = doscientos/as, 300 = trescientos/as, 400 = cuatrocientos/as, 500 = quinientos/as (irregular!), 600 = seiscientos/as, 700 = setecientos/as (irregular!), 800 = ochocientos/as, 900 = novecientos/as (irregular!). Example: “doscientas mujeres” (200 women), “doscientos hombres” (200 men).

1,000 = mil (no “un mil” – just “mil”). 2,000 = dos mil, 3,000 = tres mil, etc. 10,000 = diez mil. 100,000 = cien mil. Note that “mil” doesn’t change for gender or number. For years: 1999 is “mil novecientos noventa y nueve.” For more practice with large numbers, check out our Spanish Numbers Guide.

Spanish years are said as complete numbers, not divided like English “nineteen ninety-nine.” 1999 = mil novecientos noventa y nueve. 2024 = dos mil veinticuatro. 1492 = mil cuatrocientos noventa y dos. 2000 = dos mil. 1900 = mil novecientos. For dates: “en el año 2024” (in the year 2024).

Ordinal numbers must agree in gender with the noun: 1st = primero/primera, 2nd = segundo/segunda, 3rd = tercero/tercera, 4th = cuarto/cuarta, 5th = quinto/quinta, 6th = sexto/sexta, 7th = séptimo/séptima, 8th = octavo/octava, 9th = noveno/novena, 10th = décimo/décima. Before masculine singular nouns, “primero” and “tercero” drop the -o: “el primer libro” (the first book), “el tercer piso” (the third floor).

11th = undécimo/undécima or “decimoprimero”, 12th = duodécimo/duodécima or “decimosegundo”, 13th = decimotercero/decimotercera, 14th = decimocuarto/decimocuarta, 15th = decimoquinto/decimoquinta, 16th = decimosexto/decimosexta, 17th = decimoséptimo/decimoséptima, 18th = decimoctavo/decimoctava, 19th = decimonoveno/decimonovena, 20th = vigésimo/vigésima. For higher numbers, Spanish often uses cardinal numbers instead (el piso 21 instead of el vigésimo primer piso).

1,000,000 = un millón (not “uno millón”). 2,000,000 = dos millones. 5,000,000 = cinco millones. Note that “millón” and “millones” are masculine and require “de” before a noun: “un millón de dólares” (one million dollars), “dos millones de personas” (two million people). For 1,000,000,000 (one billion in English), see the next question about the false friend “billón.”

⚠️ FALSE FRIEND ALERT! English “billion” = 1,000,000,000 (9 zeros). Spanish “billón” = 1,000,000,000,000 (12 zeros) – which is English “trillion.” To say English “billion” in Spanish, use “mil millones” (1,000 million). Example: “1,000,000,000 = mil millones.” “1,000,000,000,000 = un billón.” This is a very common and costly mistake in financial contexts!

Spanish groups large numbers by thousands and millions: 1,234,567 = un millón doscientos treinta y cuatro mil quinientos sesenta y siete. Break it down: “un millón” (1 million) + “doscientos treinta y cuatro mil” (234 thousand) + “quinientos sesenta y siete” (567). Remember: periods are used as thousand separators in Spanish (1.234.567), not commas!

1/2 = medio or “un medio” (half), 1/3 = un tercio, 2/3 = dos tercios, 1/4 = un cuarto or “una cuarta parte”, 3/4 = tres cuartos, 1/5 = un quinto, 1/6 = un sexto, 1/7 = un séptimo, 1/8 = un octavo, 1/9 = un noveno, 1/10 = un décimo. For cooking: “media taza” (half a cup), “un cuarto de kilo” (a quarter kilo).

⚠️ This is reversed from English! In Spanish: Periods (.) = thousand separators, Commas (,) = decimal separators. Example: English “1,234.56” becomes Spanish “1.234,56”. English “$1,000.50” becomes Spanish “1.000,50 €”. This is critical for reading prices, financial documents, and data. When speaking decimals, say “coma” for the decimal point: “1.234,56” is “mil doscientos treinta y cuatro coma cincuenta y seis.”

Use “coma” for the decimal point (not “punto”). 3.14 (English) = 3,14 (Spanish) = “tres coma catorce”. 2.5 = 2,5 = “dos coma cinco”. 0.75 = 0,75 = “cero coma setenta y cinco”. For money: €10.99 = “diez euros con noventa y nueve céntimos” or “diez coma noventa y nueve euros.”

% = por ciento (not “porcentaje” – that’s the noun “percentage”). 25% = veinticinco por ciento, 50% = cincuenta por ciento, 100% = cien por ciento. Example: “El IVA es el 21 por ciento” (VAT is 21%). “El cien por ciento de los estudiantes aprobaron” (One hundred percent of the students passed). “Porcentaje” is used as a noun: “El porcentaje de aprobados fue alto” (The passing percentage was high).

Half an hour = media hora. “Y media” means “and a half” for time: “Son las dos y media” (It’s 2:30). Quarter hour = cuarto: “Son las tres y cuarto” (3:15), “Son las cuatro menos cuarto” (3:45 – quarter to four). Other time expressions: “un cuarto de hora” (a quarter hour), “tres cuartos de hora” (45 minutes), “en punto” (o’clock – exactly).

Dates in Spanish use cardinal numbers, not ordinals (except for the 1st). Format: el + day + de + month + de + year. May 5th, 2024 = el cinco de mayo de 2024. January 1st = el primero de enero (only “primero” for the 1st). June 15th = el quince de junio. The month and year are never capitalized unless at the beginning of a sentence. For more practice with dates and numbers, check out our Complete Numbers Guide.

Spanish phone numbers are typically said digit by digit. 555-123-4567 = cinco, cinco, cinco, uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete. For double digits, you can say “veintidós” but digit-by-digit is clearer. In Spain, phone numbers often start with 6 or 9; in Mexico, they often start with 55 (CDMX). Country code: +34 (Spain), +52 (Mexico), +54 (Argentina), etc. “Mi número es…” (My number is…), “¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono?” (What’s your phone number?).

Street addresses: Calle Mayor, 25 (pronounced “calle Mayor, veinticinco”). Floors: “primer piso” (first floor), “segundo piso” (second floor). ⚠️ Warning: In many Spanish-speaking countries, “primer piso” is the first floor ABOVE ground level (what Americans call “second floor”). The ground floor is “planta baja” or “piso bajo.” Always confirm which floor system is used! Example: “Vivo en el quinto piso” (I live on the 5th floor).

“Estar en el quinto pino” means “to be in the middle of nowhere” or “to be very far away.” Literally “to be at the fifth pine tree.” It originated from a pilgrimage route where a specific pine tree marked the fifth league. Example: “Su casa está en el quinto pino, tardamos dos horas en llegar” (His house is in the middle of nowhere – it took us two hours to get there).

“Ponerse como un tres” is a Spanish expression meaning “to get very drunk.” Literally “to become like a three.” It’s believed to come from old currency (a “tres” was a coin) or from the shape of a drunk person. Example: “En la fiesta se puso como un tres y no recordaba nada” (He got so drunk at the party that he didn’t remember anything).

“Tener dos dedos de frente” means “to have common sense” or “to be smart enough.” Literally “to have two fingers of forehead.” It implies that a person has enough intelligence (the size of their forehead) to think logically. Example: “Cualquier persona con dos dedos de frente sabe que eso está mal” (Anyone with common sense knows that’s wrong).

“Ser el número uno” means “to be the best” or “to be number one.” Example: “Ese restaurante es el número uno de la ciudad” (That restaurant is number one in the city). Similar to English, but also used in romantic contexts: “Para mí, tú eres el número uno” (For me, you’re number one). Other number idioms: “poner a alguien de vuelta y media” (to criticize someone harshly), “no tener dos dedos de frente” (to be stupid).

The main difference is the pronunciation of “c” and “z” in numbers like cinco, cien, dieciséis, trece. In Spain (except Canary Islands), “ci” and “ce” are pronounced like the English “th” (as in “thin”): “theenco” for cinco, “thee-een” for cien. In Latin America, they are pronounced as “s”: “seenco” for cinco, “see-een” for cien. Also, in Argentina and Uruguay, “ll” and “y” are pronounced like “sh” or “zh,” but this doesn’t affect numbers directly.

In Argentina and Uruguay, the pronunciation of “y” (as in “treinta y uno”) can sound like “sh” (or “zh” in some areas). So “treinta y uno” sounds like “treinta sh uno” or “treinta zh uno.” This is called “yeísmo rehilado”. The same applies to “veinte y dos” (veinte sh dos). Also, Argentina uses “vos” instead of “tú” for informal “you,” but that doesn’t change numbers themselves. The numbers are written the same, only the sound of “y” changes.