French Numbers: Master the Unique Counting System

Q: Why does French have such a weird counting system for 70, 80, and 90?

The French vigesimal (base-20) system for numbers 70-99 is a historical remnant from Celtic and Gaulish languages spoken in France before Latin took over. The Gauls counted in twenties, and this system survived the shift to a Latin-based language. In medieval French, both systems coexisted. You could say either septante (seventy, base-10) or soixante-dix (sixty-ten, base-20). Over time, the base-20 forms won out in Standard French, the Paris dialect. Meanwhile, the base-10 forms survived in Belgian French (septante, nonante) and Swiss French (septante, huitante, nonante). Interestingly, the old French word vingt (twenty) was itself the basis for counting. The old French for 60 was trois-vingts (three-twenties). Hospitals in Paris still bear the name Quinze-Vingts (fifteen-twenties, or 300), referring to the 300 blind residents it originally housed.

Q: How do you say 70, 80, and 90 in French?

In Standard French, 70 is soixante-dix (literally sixty-ten), 80 is quatre-vingts (four-twenties), and 90 is quatre-vingt-dix (four-twenty-ten). To form numbers between these milestones, you add the ones digit: 75 is soixante-quinze (sixty-fifteen), 85 is quatre-vingt-cinq (four-twenty-five), and 95 is quatre-vingt-quinze (four-twenty-fifteen). Note that quatre-vingts takes an -s when it stands alone or ends a number, but loses the -s when followed by another number: quatre-vingts (80) but quatre-vingt-trois (83). Also note that 71 uses et (soixante et onze), but 81 and 91 do not (quatre-vingt-un and quatre-vingt-onze). These rules become automatic with practice.

Q: What are the French numbers 1-10?

The French numbers 1-10 are: un/une (1), deux (2), trois (3), quatre (4), cinq (5), six (6), sept (7), huit (8), neuf (9), dix (10). Note that un is masculine and une is feminine. Use un before masculine nouns (un livre, one book) and une before feminine nouns (une table, one table). French pronunciation of numbers has important features: the final consonants in cinq, six, huit, and dix are pronounced when the number stands alone or ends a sentence. Before certain words they may be silent or liaison differently. For example, six livres is pronounced "see leevr" (the x is silent), while six alone is pronounced "sees." These pronunciation rules are important for sounding natural in spoken French.

Q: Do the French say "je ne sais quoi"?

Yes, French speakers use je ne sais quoi, which literally means "I do not know what." The phrase expresses an ineffable quality that is hard to describe. It captures something intangible or beyond words, which is why English speakers adopted it to mean "a certain indescribable charm or style." When learning French numbers and vocabulary, the most effective approach combines clear goals with proven study techniques. Spaced repetition using systems like FluentFlash's FSRS algorithm ensures you review information at optimal intervals for long-term retention. Pair this with active recall through flashcards, and you will learn faster than with traditional methods. Testing yourself on material is far more effective than re-reading it. FluentFlash is built on this science, offering free access to study tools including AI card generation, all study modes, and the FSRS algorithm.

Q: What is 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 in French?

These numbers are: Onze (11) Douze (12) Treize (13) Quatorze (14) Quinze (15) Seize (16) These six numbers are unique words that must be memorized individually. They do not follow a pattern, so you cannot build them from component parts like you can with 17-19 (dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf). Once you internalize these, you have passed a major hurdle in French number learning. Study them with flashcards and spaced repetition to move them into long-term memory.

FrenchBy FluentFlash Research Team·Updated 2026-04-30

French numbers follow a straightforward pattern until you reach 70, where a fascinating linguistic quirk emerges. Most Romance languages use simple base-10 words for 70, 80, and 90. French instead uses a mixed base-20 system inherited from Celtic languages.

Here's how it works: 70 is soixante-dix (sixty-ten), 80 is quatre-vingts (four-twenties), and 90 is quatre-vingt-dix (four-twenty-ten). This means 99 becomes quatre-vingt-dix-neuf (four-twenty-ten-nine). With practice, this system becomes second nature.

Numbers 1-16 require memorization as unique words. Numbers 17-19 follow a transparent pattern (dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf). Numbers 20-69 work predictably. Notably, Belgian French and Swiss French use septante (70), huitante or octante (80), and nonante (90). This guide covers everything you need to count confidently in Standard French.

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French Numbers 1-20

Numbers 1-16 in French each have unique names that require memorization. From 17-19, the pattern is transparent: dix-sept (ten-seven), dix-huit (ten-eight), dix-neuf (ten-nine). Pay attention to liaison, the linking of final consonants to following vowels, which affects how numbers sound in connected speech.

Unique Numbers to Memorize

Look for these 16 distinct words that form the foundation of French counting. Each must be learned individually. Once you internalize them, building larger numbers becomes much easier.

The 17-19 Pattern

Numbers 17-19 break the memorization requirement by following a clear pattern. Each combines dix with a single-digit number. This transparency makes these three numbers easier to master.

Gender Agreement for One

Un is masculine and une is feminine. Use un before masculine nouns (un frere, one brother) and une before feminine nouns (une soeur, one sister).

Term	Meaning	Pronunciation	Example
un/une	one (1)	uhn / ewn	J'ai un frere. (I have one brother.), 'un' masculine, 'une' feminine.
deux	two (2)	duh	J'ai deux chats. (I have two cats.)
trois	three (3)	twah	Il y a trois chambres. (There are three bedrooms.)
quatre	four (4)	katr	Nous sommes quatre. (There are four of us.)
cinq	five (5)	sank	Il est cinq heures. (It is five o'clock.)
six	six (6)	sees	J'ai six ans d'experience. (I have six years of experience.)
sept	seven (7)	set	La semaine a sept jours. (The week has seven days.)
huit	eight (8)	weet	Le cours commence a huit heures. (The class starts at eight.)
neuf	nine (9)	nuhf	J'ai neuf cousins. (I have nine cousins.)
dix	ten (10)	dees	Ca coute dix euros. (It costs ten euros.)
onze	eleven (11)	onz	Le match est a onze heures. (The match is at eleven.)
douze	twelve (12)	dooz	Il y a douze mois dans l'annee. (There are twelve months in a year.)
treize	thirteen (13)	trehz	Elle a treize ans. (She is thirteen years old.)
quatorze	fourteen (14)	kah-TORZ	Le quatorze juillet est la fete nationale. (July fourteenth is the national holiday.)
quinze	fifteen (15)	kanz	Quinze minutes suffisent. (Fifteen minutes is enough.)
seize	sixteen (16)	sehz	Il a seize ans. (He is sixteen years old.)
dix-sept	seventeen (17)	dee-SET	Dix-sept eleves sont presents. (Seventeen students are present.)
dix-huit	eighteen (18)	deez-WEET	A dix-huit ans, on est majeur. (At eighteen, you are an adult.)
dix-neuf	nineteen (19)	deez-NUHF	Il reste dix-neuf places. (Nineteen seats remain.)
vingt	twenty (20)	van	J'ai vingt euros. (I have twenty euros.)

French Numbers 21-69: The Regular Pattern

From 21-69, French numbers follow a consistent pattern that makes counting predictable. The tens word comes first, then et un for numbers ending in 1 (vingt et un, trente et un). For all other numbers, use a hyphen (vingt-deux, trente-trois). The tens words themselves are straightforward: vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante.

Building Numbers 21-29

Start with vingt (twenty). Numbers ending in 1 use et: vingt et un (21). All other numbers use a hyphen: vingt-deux (22), vingt-trois (23). This pattern repeats for every tens group up to 69.

The Tens Words

Memorize these five tens words to unlock all numbers from 20-69:

Vingt (20)
Trente (30)
Quarante (40)
Cinquante (50)
Soixante (60)

Combining Tens and Units

Once you know the tens word and the unit digit, you can form any number from 21-69. The pattern never changes.

Term	Meaning	Pronunciation	Example
vingt et un	twenty-one (21)	van-tay-UHN	Elle a vingt et un ans. (She is twenty-one years old.)
vingt-deux	twenty-two (22)	van-DUH	Vingt-deux personnes sont venues. (Twenty-two people came.)
trente	thirty (30)	tront	Il fait trente degres. (It is thirty degrees.)
trente et un	thirty-one (31)	tront-ay-UHN	Janvier a trente et un jours. (January has thirty-one days.)
quarante	forty (40)	kah-RONT	Mon pere a quarante ans. (My father is forty years old.)
cinquante	fifty (50)	san-KONT	Ca coute cinquante euros. (It costs fifty euros.)
soixante	sixty (60)	swah-SONT	Une heure a soixante minutes. (An hour has sixty minutes.)
soixante-neuf	sixty-nine (69)	swah-sont-NUHF	Il y a soixante-neuf etudiants. (There are sixty-nine students.)

French Numbers 70-100: The Vigesimal System

Here is where French gets interesting. Instead of having distinct words for 70, 80, and 90, Standard French uses a base-20 system. Seventy is soixante-dix (sixty-ten), eighty is quatre-vingts (four-twenties), and ninety is quatre-vingt-dix (four-twenty-ten).

Note that quatre-vingts takes an -s when used alone, but drops it before another number (quatre-vingt-un). This rule is crucial for correct spelling.

Numbers 70-79

Add the unit digit to soixante-dix. Seventy-one is soixante et onze (using et). Seventy-two is soixante-douze. Continue this pattern through seventy-nine.

Numbers 80-89

Use quatre-vingts as your base. The number 80 alone carries an -s (quatre-vingts), but drops it in compounds (quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-deux). Eighty-one does not use et, unlike 21, 31, etc.

Numbers 90-99

Build from quatre-vingt-dix (four-twenty-ten). Ninety-one is quatre-vingt-onze (without et). Continue adding digits through ninety-nine, which becomes quatre-vingt-dix-neuf.

Term	Meaning	Pronunciation	Example
soixante-dix	seventy (70), literally 'sixty-ten'	swah-sont-DEES	Mon grand-pere a soixante-dix ans. (My grandfather is seventy years old.)
soixante et onze	seventy-one (71), literally 'sixty-and-eleven'	swah-sont-ay-ONZ	Il a soixante et onze ans. (He is seventy-one years old.)
soixante-douze	seventy-two (72), literally 'sixty-twelve'	swah-sont-DOOZ	Soixante-douze heures suffisent. (Seventy-two hours is enough.)
soixante-treize	seventy-three (73)	swah-sont-TREHZ	Page soixante-treize. (Page seventy-three.)
soixante-dix-neuf	seventy-nine (79), literally 'sixty-nineteen'	swah-sont-deez-NUHF	Il a soixante-dix-neuf ans. (He is seventy-nine years old.)
quatre-vingts	eighty (80), literally 'four-twenties'	katr-VAN	Ma grand-mere a quatre-vingts ans. (My grandmother is eighty years old.)
quatre-vingt-un	eighty-one (81)	katr-van-UHN	Il y a quatre-vingt-un departements. (There are eighty-one departments.)
quatre-vingt-dix	ninety (90), literally 'four-twenty-ten'	katr-van-DEES	Le billet coute quatre-vingt-dix euros. (The ticket costs ninety euros.)
quatre-vingt-onze	ninety-one (91)	katr-van-ONZ	Quatre-vingt-onze personnes sont venues. (Ninety-one people came.)
quatre-vingt-dix-neuf	ninety-nine (99), literally 'four-twenty-nineteen'	katr-van-deez-NUHF	Quatre-vingt-dix-neuf ballons. (Ninety-nine balloons.)
cent	one hundred (100)	son	Cent pour cent. (One hundred percent.)

How to Study French Effectively

Mastering French requires the right study approach, not just more hours. Research in cognitive science shows three techniques produce the best learning outcomes: active recall (testing yourself rather than re-reading), spaced repetition (reviewing at scientifically-optimized intervals), and interleaving (mixing related topics rather than studying in isolation). FluentFlash uses all three methods together.

When you study French numbers with our FSRS algorithm, every term is scheduled for review at exactly the moment you are about to forget it. This maximizes retention while minimizing study time.

Why Passive Review Fails

The most common mistake students make is relying on passive methods. Re-reading notes, highlighting textbook passages, or watching videos feels productive but studies show these produce only 10-20% of the retention that active recall achieves. Flashcards force your brain to retrieve information, which strengthens memory pathways far more than recognition alone. Pair this with spaced repetition scheduling, and you can learn in 20 minutes daily what would take hours of passive review.

Building Your Study Plan

Start by creating 15-25 flashcards covering the highest-priority concepts. Review them daily for the first week using FSRS scheduling. As cards become easier, intervals automatically expand from minutes to days to weeks. You are always working on material at the edge of your knowledge. After 2-3 weeks of consistent practice, French concepts become automatic rather than effortful to recall.

1
Generate flashcards using FluentFlash AI or create them manually from your notes
2
Study 15-20 new cards per day, plus scheduled reviews
3
Use multiple study modes (flip, multiple choice, written) to strengthen recall
4
Track your progress and identify weak topics for focused review
5
Review consistently, daily practice beats marathon sessions

Study These Words with Flashcards

Turn this vocabulary list into smart flashcards. AI-powered spaced repetition helps you remember every word.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does French have such a weird counting system for 70, 80, and 90?

The French vigesimal (base-20) system for numbers 70-99 is a historical remnant from Celtic and Gaulish languages spoken in France before Latin took over. The Gauls counted in twenties, and this system survived the shift to a Latin-based language.

In medieval French, both systems coexisted. You could say either septante (seventy, base-10) or soixante-dix (sixty-ten, base-20). Over time, the base-20 forms won out in Standard French, the Paris dialect. Meanwhile, the base-10 forms survived in Belgian French (septante, nonante) and Swiss French (septante, huitante, nonante).

Interestingly, the old French word vingt (twenty) was itself the basis for counting. The old French for 60 was trois-vingts (three-twenties). Hospitals in Paris still bear the name Quinze-Vingts (fifteen-twenties, or 300), referring to the 300 blind residents it originally housed.

How do you say 70, 80, and 90 in French?

In Standard French, 70 is soixante-dix (literally sixty-ten), 80 is quatre-vingts (four-twenties), and 90 is quatre-vingt-dix (four-twenty-ten). To form numbers between these milestones, you add the ones digit: 75 is soixante-quinze (sixty-fifteen), 85 is quatre-vingt-cinq (four-twenty-five), and 95 is quatre-vingt-quinze (four-twenty-fifteen).

Note that quatre-vingts takes an -s when it stands alone or ends a number, but loses the -s when followed by another number: quatre-vingts (80) but quatre-vingt-trois (83). Also note that 71 uses et (soixante et onze), but 81 and 91 do not (quatre-vingt-un and quatre-vingt-onze). These rules become automatic with practice.

What are the French numbers 1-10?

The French numbers 1-10 are: un/une (1), deux (2), trois (3), quatre (4), cinq (5), six (6), sept (7), huit (8), neuf (9), dix (10). Note that un is masculine and une is feminine. Use un before masculine nouns (un livre, one book) and une before feminine nouns (une table, one table).

French pronunciation of numbers has important features: the final consonants in cinq, six, huit, and dix are pronounced when the number stands alone or ends a sentence. Before certain words they may be silent or liaison differently. For example, six livres is pronounced "see leevr" (the x is silent), while six alone is pronounced "sees." These pronunciation rules are important for sounding natural in spoken French.

How do you count to 100 in French?

Counting to 100 in French requires learning four groups. First, memorize the unique names for 1-16. Then learn the pattern for 17-19: dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf. Next, learn the regular tens: vingt (20), trente (30), quarante (40), cinquante (50), soixante (60).

For 21-69, use the tens word plus the digit with a hyphen. Numbers ending in 1 use et un: vingt et un (21), trente-deux (32), quarante-cinq (45). Finally, learn the vigesimal system: soixante-dix (70), quatre-vingts (80), quatre-vingt-dix (90), cent (100).

Numbers 70-79 add to 60: soixante et onze (71), soixante-douze (72). Numbers 80-89 add to quatre-vingts: quatre-vingt-un (81), quatre-vingt-deux (82). Numbers 90-99 add to quatre-vingt-dix: quatre-vingt-onze (91), quatre-vingt-douze (92). Practice these in groups, and the pattern will click.

Do the French say "je ne sais quoi"?

Yes, French speakers use je ne sais quoi, which literally means "I do not know what." The phrase expresses an ineffable quality that is hard to describe. It captures something intangible or beyond words, which is why English speakers adopted it to mean "a certain indescribable charm or style."

When learning French numbers and vocabulary, the most effective approach combines clear goals with proven study techniques. Spaced repetition using systems like FluentFlash's FSRS algorithm ensures you review information at optimal intervals for long-term retention. Pair this with active recall through flashcards, and you will learn faster than with traditional methods. Testing yourself on material is far more effective than re-reading it. FluentFlash is built on this science, offering free access to study tools including AI card generation, all study modes, and the FSRS algorithm.

What is 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 in French?

These numbers are:

Onze (11)
Douze (12)
Treize (13)
Quatorze (14)
Quinze (15)
Seize (16)

These six numbers are unique words that must be memorized individually. They do not follow a pattern, so you cannot build them from component parts like you can with 17-19 (dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf). Once you internalize these, you have passed a major hurdle in French number learning. Study them with flashcards and spaced repetition to move them into long-term memory.

What is the 80/20 rule for learning French?

The 80/20 rule (Pareto principle) for language learning states that 20% of vocabulary accounts for 80% of everyday conversation. This means focusing on the highest-frequency words first gives you disproportionate value. French numbers are part of this core vocabulary, as you use them constantly for telling time, prices, dates, and quantities.

Consistent daily practice, even just 10-15 minutes, is more effective than long, infrequent study sessions. The FSRS algorithm in FluentFlash automatically schedules your reviews at the optimal moment for retention, so you spend less time studying while retaining more. By applying the 80/20 principle to French numbers and other high-frequency vocabulary, you maximize learning efficiency and build practical conversation skills faster.