In the ninth class of our Absolute Beginner Spanish course we are going to learn the Spanish cardinal numerals from 0 to 100.
Cardinal numerals
Cardinal numerals are, in plain English, the normal numbers, that is, not the ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc.
From 0 to 10
Each of these numbers need to be learned by heart, as they are the most basic ones and will be the foundations for bigger numbers.
- cero
- uno
- dos
- tres
- cuatro
- cinco
- seis
- siete
- ocho
- nueve
- diez
From 11 to 19
In this group we have two kinds of numbers: those which you also need to learn by heart (11-15) and those which are formed by diez (diec‑) + y (‑i‑) + unit (16-19).
- once
- doce
- trece
- catorce
- quince
- dieciséis
- diecisiete
- dieciocho
- diecinueve
From 20 to 100
What you have to take into account here is that you should learn the tens (20, 30, 40…) totally by heart. Then, 21-29 are slightly irregular and written in one word. After that, everything is completely regular: ten + y + unit.
- veinte
- veintiuno
- veintidós
- veintitrés
- veinticuatro
- veinticinco
- veintiséis
- veintisiete
- veintiocho
- veintinueve
- treinta
- treinta y uno
- treinta y dos
Notice the diphthong in the root of veinte and treinta. It won’t appear from now on:
- cuarenta
- cincuenta
- sesenta
- setenta
- ochenta
- noventa
- cien
Tens + units
Starting from 30, it is supereasy to make numbers such as 38, 46, 72 or 99. You just have to use the following pattern: ten + y + unit (three different words). And that’s it!
For example, it would be treinta y ocho, cuarenta y seis, setenta y dos and noventa y nueve.
There are bigger numbers, and we will study them. But for now, this is good enough!