Numbers in Spanish

I noticed an interesting thing: almost everyone who starts learning Spanish at first does not worry about numbers at all. Usually people think that numbers are the easiest topic. But then a moment comes when after uno, dos and tres, long words like veinticinco or setecientos appear, and the brain starts resisting a little.
And usually the problem is not even in the numbers themselves. Spanish numbers simply look unusual for an English-speaking person. Especially if you try to learn everything in one evening.
In practice, everything is much easier. When you start regularly hearing numbers in speech, seeing prices, time, or dates in Spanish, numbers gradually stop feeling like “a mess”.

Spanish numbers are needed literally all the time. Without them, it is impossible to:
• ask for a price;
• say your age;
• understand the time;
• dictate a phone number;
• understand dates;
• order something in a café.
The most interesting thing is that many people memorize numbers not through tables, but through ordinary everyday situations. Some people count steps, some read prices in Spanish online stores, and some start automatically translating time in their head.

Usually the fastest numbers to remember are:
• uno;
• dos;
• tres.
But many people start confusing siete and nueve after just a few days. Especially when Spanish speech sounds fast.
And this is normal. For most people, numbers mix together in their head at first.

This is exactly the moment when many people start worrying that they will never remember all of this. Although after a couple of weeks of practice, these words no longer seem strange.

After 30, the conjunction y is used:
• treinta y uno;
• cuarenta y cinco;
• sesenta y ocho.
Interestingly, almost all beginners confuse:
• sesenta;
• setenta.
When native speakers talk quickly, these numbers really sound very similar.

When you reach hundreds, it seems that everything is about to become really difficult. But unexpectedly, the system becomes understandable again.
The main thing is not to confuse:
• cien — exactly one hundred;
• ciento — if the number continues.
For example:
• cien euros;
• ciento veinte personas;
• ciento uno.
The main hundreds look like this:

Some words really look strange at first. Especially quinientos. But later the eyes gradually get used to them.

Cardinal numbers answer the question “how many?”.
For example:
• dos libros — two books;
• treinta alumnos — thirty students;
• cien personas — one hundred people.
These are exactly the Spanish numbers most commonly used in spoken language.
If you want to start understanding numbers by ear faster, it is better not to try memorizing huge tables. It is much more useful to:
• count purchases;
• read prices;
• tell the time;
• listen to Spanish speech;
• repeat numbers aloud.
For many people, numbers begin to be remembered normally exactly at the moment when they stop being just a “textbook topic” and start appearing in ordinary life.

Sign up for a free trial class and experience our effective methodology in practice!

online

at a time that suits you best