The numbers in German are cognates of their English equivalents. German also has both cardinal and ordinal numbers, as English does. Cardinal numbers are the numerals used to count (one, two, three). Ordinal numbers are adjectives that express a relative position in a series or order (first, second, third).
Cardinal numbers
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
40 vierzig
50 fünfzig
60 sechzig
70 siebzig
80 achtzig
90 neunzig
100 (ein)hundert
101 (ein)hunderteins
102 (ein)hundertzwei
120 (ein)hundertzwanzig
121 (ein)hunderteinundzwanzig
122 (ein)hundertzweiundzwanzig
200 zweihundert
300 dreihundert
1.000 (ein)tausend
1.001 (ein)tausendeins
1.002 (ein)tausendzwei
1.050 (ein)tausendfünfzig
1.100 (ein)tausendeinhundert
1.200 (ein)tausendzweihundert
1.250 (ein)tausendzweihundertfünfzig
1.251 (ein)tausendzweihunderteinundfünfzig
10.000 zehntausend
100.000 hunderttausend
1.000.000 eine Million
1.000.000.000 eine Millarde
Ordinal numbers
1. erste
2. zweite
3. dritte
4. vierte
5. fünfte
6. sechste
7. siebte
8. achte
9. neunte
10. zehnte
11. elfte
12. zwölfte
13. dreizehnte
14. vierzehnte
15. fünfzehnte
16. sechzehnte
17. siebzehnte
18. achtzehnte
19. nehnzehnte
20. zwanzigste
21. einundzwanzigste
22. zweiundzwanzigste
23. dreiundzwanzigste
24. vierundzwanzigste
25. fünfundzwanzigste
26. sechsundzwanzigste
27. siebenundzwanzigste
28. achtundzwanzigste
29. neunundzwanzigste
30. dreißigste
40. vierzigste
50. fünfzigste
60. sechzigste
70. siebzigste
80. achtzigste
90. neunzigste
100. (ein)hundertste
101. (ein)hunderterste
102. (ein)hundertzweite
120. (ein)hundertzwanzigste
121. (ein)hunderteinundzwanzigste
122. (ein)hundertzweiundzwanzigste
200. zweihundertste
300. dreihundertste
1000. (ein)tausendste
1001. (ein)tausenderste
1002. (ein)tausendzweite
1050. (ein)tausendfünfzigste
1101. (ein)tausendeinhundertste
1201. (ein)tausendzweihundertste
1250. (ein)tausendzweihundertfünfzigste
1251. (ein)tausendzweihunderteinundfünfzigste
10.000. zehntausendste
100.100. hunderttausendste
1.000.000 millionste
1.000.000.000 milliardste
About German cardinal numbers
Not all German numbers must be memorized. Knowing the basic numbers — i.e., from 0 to 20, multiples of 10 to 100, and then the name of each successive place value — and recognizing the pattern that German numbers follow is enough to figure out how to say any number in German.
♦ The suffix –zehn is a cognate of the English –teen, meaning “ten”. German numbers ending in zero (except 0 and 10) have the suffix -zig (or –ßig for 30).
♦ When followed by the suffixes –zehn or -zig, sechs drops the final –s (sechzehn, sechzig) and sieben drops the final –en (siebzehn, siebzig).
♦ When eins is used in combinations where it does not appear at the end of the word, it drops the final –s (einundachtzig, eintausend).
♦ German numbers between 21 and 99 that are not mulitples of ten (20, 30, 40, etc.) are expressed in reverse: one-and-twenty, two-and-twenty, three-and-twenty, and so on. This includes numbers in the hundreds place, thousands place, millions place, and every set of three digits thereafter.
♦ Where English uses a comma to separate hundreds from thousands, thousands from millions, etc., German uses a period or just a space (e.g., 10.000 or 10 000). Where English uses a decimal point, German uses a comma. When denoting currency, the currency is named where the comma appears.
♦ All German numbers below a million are written out as a single word. Million, Milliarde, and Billion are separate words (82 100 650 = zweiundachtzig Millionen einhunderttausendsechshundertfünfzig). The German Milliarde is equivalent to the English billion. The German Billion is equal to the English trillion.
About German ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers follow a pattern of their own. They are created by adding a -t to cardinal numbers under 20 and –st to cardinal numbers 20 and above. For German numbers above 100, the suffix depends on whether the last two digits are below or above 20.
♦ The four ordinal numbers for 1, 3, 7, and 8 (erst-, dritt, siebt-, acht-) are the only ones that deviate from this pattern.
♦ Because ordinal numbers are adjectives and because they are used attributively — i.e., directly before they noun they describe — they also require the appropriate adjective ending.
zum dritten Mal
for the third time
der einundzwanzigste April
the twenty-first of April
zum 3. Mal
for the third time
der 21. April
the twenty-first of April
Excellent piece on numbers but need rules on when the number and noun is singular or plural
Eg
Fünf Milliarden Knöpfe
Five billions button
(Both plural)
Zwei Milliarden Euro
(Plural number, singular noun)
Zwei Meter gross
(Singular noun)