Numbers 0–100 and Basic Counting — A No-Nonsense (but Fun) Guide

“Numbers are just words with commitment issues — they want you to say them precisely.”

You already learned how to say "Bonjour!" and awkwardly introduce yourself (great job, personality!). You also covered liaison and elision — the magical glue and polite swallowing of sounds in French. Now we’re putting those tools to work: counting, saying ages, prices, times and not embarrassing yourself when someone asks how many croissants you’ve eaten. Let’s get from 0 to 100 in a way your brain will actually enjoy.

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Why this matters (and why French numbers are dramatic)

• Practical: telling age (J’ai vingt ans), price (C’est dix euros), time (Il est neuf heures), phone numbers, dates, and quantities.
• Pronunciation practice: numbers force you to use liaison, nasal vowels, and tricky sound combinations — perfect follow-up to Position 6 on liaison/elision.
• Cultural finesse: understanding patterns (like quatre-vingts) helps you sound more natural and understand French TV, menus, and markets.

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The essentials: 0–20 (table + pronunciation hints)

Number	French	Pronunciation hint
0	zéro	ZAY-roh
1	un	uh(n) — nasal (like 'uhn' but nasal)
2	deux	duh (rounded vowel: /dø/)
3	trois	twa (r is guttural: /tʁwa/)
4	quatre	ka-truh
5	cinq	sank (nasal)
6	six	sees (or 'sees' with final s sometimes sounding like /s/ or /z/)
7	sept	set
8	huit	weet (initial glide /ɥi/)
9	neuf	nœf (rounded)
10	dix	dees
11	onze	onz (nasal)
12	douze	dooz
13	treize	trehz
14	quatorze	ka-torz
15	quinze	kanz (nasal)
16	seize	sez
17	dix-sept	dees-set
18	dix-huit	dees-weet
19	dix-neuf	dees-nœf
20	vingt	van (nasal)

Tip: Nasal vowels (un, cinq, onze, quinze, vingt) are a frequent stumbling block — lean into the nasal, don’t try to pronounce a separate 'n'.

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Tens: 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 — simple and polite

• 20 — vingt (van)
• 30 — trente (tront)
• 40 — quarante (ka-ront)
• 50 — cinquante (san-kont)
• 60 — soixante (swah-sont)

For 21, 31, 41, 51, 61: French uses "et un" (and one). Spoken: vingt et un, trente et un, etc. In writing, modern orthography often uses hyphens (e.g. vingt-et-un), but in speech you’ll hear the words separately.

Examples:

• 22 = vingt-deux (vingt + - + deux)
• 35 = trente-cinq

Rule of thumb for 22–69: tens + hyphen + digit (vingt-deux, trente-trois, soixante-neuf).

Code-ish pattern:

for tens in [20,30,40,50,60]:
  number = tens + (if unit==1 then 'et-un' else '-' + unit)

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The drama: 70, 80, 90 (the French plot twist)

This is where English learners sigh and French smirks:

• 70 = soixante-dix (60 + 10)

• 71 = soixante et onze (60 + 11) — note the et here

• 72 = soixante-douze (60 + 12)

• 80 = quatre-vingts (literally "four twenties") — quatro-vingts has an -s when it's exactly 80

• 81 = quatre-vingt-un (no s on vingt when followed by another number)

• 90 = quatre-vingt-dix (80 + 10)

• 91 = quatre-vingt-onze (80 + 11)

So: think of 70 as 60+10 and 90 as 80+10. 80 is 4×20. Once you get that mental mapping, the rest is mechanical.

Quick examples:

• 77 = soixante-dix-sept
• 84 = quatre-vingt-quatre
• 99 = quatre-vingt-dix-neuf

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Liaison & elision reminders (from Position 6) — how numbers link to other words

You’ve learned that French often links words with sound changes — here are typical cases with numbers:

• Liaison: when a number ending in a consonant is followed by a vowel-starting word, you might link: deux amis → [døz‿ami] (the /z/ sound joins).
• No liaison after "et": in vingt et un, you don’t liaison between "vingt" and "et".
• Elision: numbers before heure(s) or heures follow the usual rules: une heure, deux heures — if you had l’ before a vowel, you’d elide it like in other phrases.

Practice spot: Say aloud, and listen for liaisons — "trois amis", "quatre heures", "deux étudiants".

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Little usage museum: where you’ll use numbers right away

• Age: J’ai vingt-deux ans. (I’m 22.)
• Price: C’est quinze euros.
• Time: Il est huit heures. (If you want et quart, et demie, moins le quart — we’ll cover those in the time lesson.)
• Phone/IDs: read digits individually: 06 12 34 56 78 — zéro six, douze, trente-quatre...

Bonus phrase patterns:

• Counting objects: J’ai trois pommes.
• Quantities: Beaucoup, quelques, and numbers — quelques ~ some, but precise numbers beat vagueness.

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Tricks, mnemonics & practice drills (so you don’t forget)

• Mnemonic for 80/90: Picture four vingts stacked up like a cake — that’s 80. For 70/90 think add teens to 60/80.
• 1–20 rap: say out loud, then immediately say 20–1 backwards. Memory loves reversed practice.
• Count by tens: 10, 20, 30... then fill in units. This builds the pattern.
• Practice liaison pairs: deux amis, six hommes, trois enfants — see how the consonant sneaks onto the next word.

Practice exercise (try without looking):

1. Write the French for 37, 71, 80, 99.
2. Say aloud: "I’m 25 years old" / "It costs 43 euros" / "There are 18 students."

Answers: 37 = trente-sept; 71 = soixante et onze; 80 = quatre-vingts; 99 = quatre-vingt-dix-neuf.

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Quick pitfalls to avoid

• Don’t over-pronounce the final 's' in quatre-vingts when followed by another number (no s in quatre-vingt-un).
• Watch your nasal vowels — "un" vs "une" matters.
• Don’t add an extra liaison after "et" (e.g. vingt et un — no liaison on "et").

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Wrap-up & next moves

Key takeaways:

• 0–60 follow predictable tens + units patterns; 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 use et un.
• 70 = 60+10; 80 = 4×20; 90 = 80+10.
• Liaison/elision rules you learned earlier apply here — numbers are a great way to practice linking naturally.

Final pep talk: Numbers are the secret handshake of any language. Nail them and you’ll instantly sound more confident — and that confidence is how French speakers will decide whether to keep talking to you about croissants or politics. Practice aloud, listen for liaisons, and if in doubt, count again (and again).

Want a printable 0–100 cheat sheet + audio clips for pronunciation? Say the word and I’ll build it for you — with bonus croissant-themed examples. 🥐