Numbers 1-100
Learn German numbers from 1 to 100. Understanding numbers is essential for shopping, telling time, giving your phone number, and everyday conversations.
1Numbers 1-12
The first twelve numbers in German must be memorized individually as they form the basis for all other numbers. These are used constantly in daily life - for time, dates, counting, and basic math. Pay special attention to the pronunciation, especially of "sechs" (six) and "sieben" (seven), which can be confused by English speakers.
Examples
eins, zwei, drei
one, two, three
1, 2, 3 - the basics
vier, fünf, sechs
four, five, six
4, 5, 6 - note the ü in fünf
sieben, acht, neun
seven, eight, nine
7, 8, 9
zehn, elf, zwölf
ten, eleven, twelve
10, 11, 12 - elf and zwölf are irregular
2Numbers 13-19 (Teens)
Numbers from 13 to 19 follow a pattern: the unit comes first, then "zehn" (ten) is added. This is similar to English "thirteen" (three-ten). Note that "sechzehn" drops the 's' from sechs, and "siebzehn" drops the 'en' from sieben. The stress is usually on the first syllable of the compound number.
Examples
dreizehn
thirteen
drei + zehn = 13
vierzehn, fünfzehn
fourteen, fifteen
14, 15 - regular pattern
sechzehn
sixteen
sechs → sech + zehn (the 's' is dropped)
siebzehn, achtzehn, neunzehn
seventeen, eighteen, nineteen
17, 18, 19 - sieben → sieb (drops 'en')
3Tens (20, 30, 40...)
The tens in German are formed by adding "-zig" to the base number, with some modifications. "Zwanzig" (20) and "dreißig" (30) are slightly irregular. Note that dreißig uses "ß" (or "ss") not "z". The pattern "-zig" is similar to English "-ty" (thirty, forty, etc.).
Examples
zwanzig
twenty
20 - irregular form (not 'zweizig')
dreißig
thirty
30 - uses 'ß', not 'z'
vierzig, fünfzig, sechzig
forty, fifty, sixty
40, 50, 60 - regular pattern
siebzig, achtzig, neunzig
seventy, eighty, ninety
70, 80, 90 - siebzig (not 'siebenzig')
4Compound Numbers (21-99)
Here's where German differs most from English: compound numbers are said "backwards" from an English perspective. You say the unit first, then "und" (and), then the ten. So 21 is "einundzwanzig" (one-and-twenty). This takes practice but becomes natural with use. It's similar to the old English "four-and-twenty blackbirds."
Examples
einundzwanzig
twenty-one
21 = ein + und + zwanzig (one-and-twenty)
zweiunddreißig
thirty-two
32 = zwei + und + dreißig
fünfundvierzig
forty-five
45 = fünf + und + vierzig
siebenundneunzig
ninety-seven
97 = sieben + und + neunzig
5Using Numbers in Context
Numbers are used in many everyday situations: telling your age, giving phone numbers, prices, addresses, and time. When saying phone numbers, Germans typically say each digit separately, and "null" means zero. For prices, Germans use comma instead of decimal point: 3,50 € is "drei Euro fünfzig" (three euros fifty).
Examples
Ich bin fünfundzwanzig Jahre alt.
I am twenty-five years old.
Age expression with numbers
Das kostet neunundneunzig Euro.
That costs ninety-nine euros.
Price with number
Meine Telefonnummer ist null-eins-sieben-zwei...
My phone number is 0172...
Phone numbers digit by digit, null = 0
Einhundert
One hundred
100 - 'ein' + 'hundert'