German Cardinal Numbers: Counting Numbers in German
German cardinal numbers are the basic numbers used for counting and expressing quantity.
For example:
| English | German |
|---|---|
| one | eins |
| two | zwei |
| three | drei |
Cardinal numbers answer the question:
“How many?”
They are used in everyday situations such as:
- counting objects
- telling time
- writing dates
- prices and money
- phone numbers
Learning cardinal numbers is the first step to understanding German numbers.
German Cardinal Numbers 1–20
| Number | German |
|---|---|
| 1 | eins |
| 2 | zwei |
| 3 | drei |
| 4 | vier |
| 5 | fünf |
| 6 | sechs |
| 7 | sieben |
| 8 | acht |
| 9 | neun |
| 10 | zehn |
| 11 | elf |
| 12 | zwölf |
| 13 | dreizehn |
| 14 | vierzehn |
| 15 | fünfzehn |
| 16 | sechzehn |
| 17 | siebzehn |
| 18 | achtzehn |
| 19 | neunzehn |
| 20 | zwanzig |
German Cardinal Numbers 21–100
German numbers follow a reversed structure compared to English.
Example:
21 = einundzwanzig
This literally means:
one and twenty
More examples:
24 = vierundzwanzig
35 = fünfunddreißig
47 = siebenundvierzig
The pattern is:
unit + und + ten
German Tens
| Number | German |
|---|---|
| 20 | zwanzig |
| 30 | dreißig |
| 40 | vierzig |
| 50 | fünfzig |
| 60 | sechzig |
| 70 | siebzig |
| 80 | achtzig |
| 90 | neunzig |
German Hundreds
Examples:
100 = hundert
200 = zweihundert
300 = dreihundert
Hundreds combine with smaller numbers:
245 = zweihundertfünfundvierzig
German Thousands
Examples:
1,000 = tausend
2,000 = zweitausend
10,000 = zehntausend
Examples of German Cardinal Numbers
Example sentences:
Ich habe drei Bücher.
(I have three books.)
Der Preis ist fünfzig Euro.
(The price is fifty euros.)
Sie wohnt in Haus Nummer zwölf.
(She lives in house number twelve.)
H2
Practice German Cardinal Numbers
Use the interactive practice tool below.
Translate Tool
Example: 1234
Related German Number Pages
Test your knowledge
Take the German Numbers Quiz
Further reference: Duden dictionary.