成人快手

Knowing numbers and counting in French is a really useful skill. In this section, you can learn more about numbers and numeracy in French.

Numbers 1 - 20

NumberFrenchNumberFrench
111
212
313
414
515
616
717
818
919
1020

Numbers 20 - 30

Numbers 30 to 50

Numbers 50 to 69

Numbers 70 - 99

The names for numbers 70 - 99 are a little different to English. They are like maths calculations. They are at the end of this guide if you would like to learn them.

Number 100

  • 100 is

Saying how old you are

Boy with glasses

In English, you use the verb 'to be' to say how old you are but in French, you use the verb 'to have' - avoir:

  • J'ai __ ans

  • - I am seven years old

So it is like saying 'I have seven years' rather than 'I am seven years old' as we do in English.

Did you notice that the word for 'I' has changed from Je to J'? This is because it appears in front of a vowel.

Here are some useful phrases to practise saying how old you are:

FrenchEnglish
I am seven years old
I am eight years old
I am nine years old
I am ten years old
I am eleven years old

Asking someone's age

To ask someone how old they are, you first need a question phrase (what age).

Then use the word for 'you' 鈥 with 'have' 鈥 .

  • 鈥 How old are you?

So it is like saying 'What age do you have?'.

Calculations

Once you鈥檝e learned how to count in French, you can extend your knowledge and skills by trying out some simple calculations!

FrenchEnglish
plus
minus
multiplied by
divided by
equals
A boy does maths at a board
  • - 4 + 4 = 8 ( four plus four equals eight )
  • - 12 - 4 = 8 ( twelve minus four equals eight )
  • - 16 \(\div\) 2 = 8 (sixteen divided by two equals eight )

How would you say these calculations in French?

1 + 1 = 2

5 - 1 = 4

10 \(\div\) 2 = 5

Ordinal numbers

A trophy with the number 1 on it

Ordinal numbers are how we say 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc.

  • - the 1st
  • - the 2nd
  • - the 3rd
  • - the 4th
  • - the 5th

Tip: The only one of these we use for dates in French is ('the 1st').

Example:

- Today is the 1st of May

All other dates just use the number.

Example

- Tomorrow is the 2nd of May

A trophy with the number 1 on it

Cardinal directions

A compass in French

Cardinal points are the points of the compass (north, south, east, west, etc). They are useful for describing where things are and are quite similar to our words in English.

(Tip: The word for words which are recognisable across languages is 'cognates'. You will come across a lot of these in French as a lot of English and French words have the same roots!)

FrenchEnglish
the north
the south
the east
the west
A compass in French

You can combine two cardinal points to give a more specific location, just like in English.

Example:

- the north-east

Can you guess these ones?

To say 'in' + a compass point, we use the word which means 'in'.

Examples:

  • - in the south
  • - in the north-east
Scotland map image

You can link this to talking about where you live:

  • - I live in Edinburgh in the east of Scotland
  • - I live in Hawick in the south of Scotland
  • - I live in Ullapool in the north-west of Scotland
Scotland map image

Numbers 70 - 99

The names for numbers 70 - 99 in French are like maths calculations.

Look at the clues below and guess how to say each number. Then click to find out the answers!

Numbers 70 to 79

Clue:

70 is called 60,10 (because 60 + 10 = 70)

71 is called 60 and 11 (because 60 + 11 = 71)

72 is called 60, 12 (because 60 + 12 = 72)

Etc.

Numbers 80 - 89

Clue:

80 is called four 20s (because 4 x 20 = 80)

81 is called four 20, 1 (because 4 x 20, + 1 = 81)

82 is called four 20, 2 (because 4 x 20, + 2 = 82)

Etc.

Numbers 90 - 99

Clue:

90 is called four 20, ten (because 4 x 20, + 10 = 90)

91 is called four 20, eleven (because 4 x 20, + 11 = 91)

92 is called four 20, twelve (because 4 x 20, + 12 = 92)

Etc.

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