Spelling German numbers well and counting fast in German doesn’t have to be difficult. Students who have mastered the basic numbers from one to ten and the irregular numbers from 11 to 20 will find that counting in German follows a regular pattern that is easy to crack. For spelling and saying German numbers aloud, practice makes perfect.
German Numbers from 20 to 30 – die Zahlen von 20 bis 30
Unlike in English, German numbers beyond 20 start with the cardinal number and then mention the multiple of ten. Therefore, 22 is zweiundzwanzig, 2 + 20 in German and not 20 + 2 as in twenty-two. Refresh German counting basics for pronunciation and the numbers from 1 to 20. Here’s a useful list for counting from 20 to 30 in German:
- zwanzig – twenty
- einundzwanzig – twenty-one
- zweiundzwanzig – twenty-two
- dreiundzwanzig – twenty-three
- vierundzwanzig – twenty-four
- fünfundzwanzig – twenty-five
- sechsundzwanzig – twenty-six
- siebenundzwanzig – twenty-seven
- achtundzwanzig – twenty-eight
- neunundzwanzig – twenty-nine
- dreißig – thirty
Counting from 30 to 100 in German – Zählen von 30 bis 100
According to the model above, simply merge the cardinal number prefix (ein-, zwei-, drei-, vier-, fünf-, sechs-, sieben-, acht- or neun-) with the desired multiple of ten by connecting it with -und. For example, 33 would be drei- + -und- + -dreißig = dreiunddreißig. Note that German numbers are spelled as one long word. Here are the correct multiples of ten preceded by -und from 30 to 100:
- -unddreißig – thirty-
- -undvierzig – forty-
- -undfünfzig – fifty-
- -undsechzig – sixty-
- -undsiebzig – seventy-
- -undachtzig – eighty-
- -undneunzig – ninety
- einhundert – one hundred
To see what the following numbers would be according to this pattern: 38, 47, 55, 62, 74, 83 and 91? Find the answers at the bottom.
Spelling German Numbers from 100 to 120
Counting above 100 in German follows the simply pattern prefix einhundert- plus cardinal number like in English. No -und- connection is used to keep the number as short as possible. Saying einhundertundeins for 101 instead of einhunderteins would not be wrong though. Here are the German numbers from 100 to 110:
- einhundert – one hundred
- einhunderteins – one hundred one
- einhundertzwei – one hundred two
- einhundertdrei – one hundred three
- einhundertvier – one hundred four
- einhundertfünf – one hundred five
- einhundertsechs – one hundred six
- einhundertsieben – one hundred seven
- einhundertacht – one hundred eight
- einhundertneun – one hundred nine
- einhundertzehn – one hundred ten
Simple, isn’t it? Now, for counting from 111 to 120, follow the same pattern:
- einhundertelf – one hundred eleven
- einhundertzwölf – one hundred twelve
- einhundertdreizehn – one hundred thirteen
- einhundertvierzehn – one hundred fourteen
- einhundertfünfzehn – one hundred fifteen
- einhundertsechzehn – one hundred sixteen
- einhundertsiebzehn – one hundred seventeen
- einhundertachtzehn – one hundred eighteen
- einhundertneunzehn – one hundred nineteen
- einhundertzwanzig – one hundred twenty
German Numbers from 120 to 200 – die Zahlen von 120 bis 200
Counting from 120 to 200 in German becomes even easier because the numbers above 20 follow a more regular pattern. Use the first list of this article and simply add the suffix einhundert-; for example, 121 would be einhunderteinundzwanzig.
Note that the multiples of ten are connected to one hundred without using the connector -und-, so one would say einhundertdreißig, not einhundertunddreißig. In spoken German, it is even common to speak of hundert, not einhundert. So 142 would become hundertzweiundvierzig, not einhundertzweiundvierzig. However, when distinguishing one hundred from multiples of hundred, it is better to be precise and speak of einhundert. Alles klar?
Finally, test the knowledge acquired. Write down the following numbers in German: 123, 135, 142, 151, 167, 176, 188 and 191 and compare them with the answers below.
By breaking down German numbers into their components and understanding how they are calculated, counting and spelling German numbers becomes quite easy. Learn one multiple of ten at a time before moving on to the next and soon become an expert at counting and spelling even long numbers in German.
Once comfortable with this number range, don't miss the article German Numbers from 100-1000. For pronunciation, refer to the article How to Pronounce German Consonants .
(Solution to Question1: achtunddreißig, siebenundvierzig, fünfundfünfzig, zweiundsechzig,vierundsiebzig,dreiundachtzig and einundneunzig.)
(Solution to Question2: einhundertdreiundzwanzig, einhundertfünfunddreißig, einhundertzweiundvierzig, einhunderteinundfünfzig, einhundertsiebenundsechzig, einhundertsechsundsiebzig, einhundertachtundachtzig and einhunderteinundneunzig.)
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