Spanish Cardinal Numbers
Spanish cardinal numbers are the numbers used for counting and expressing quantity.
They answer the question:
“How many?”
Examples include:
| Number | Spanish |
|---|---|
| 1 | uno |
| 2 | dos |
| 3 | tres |
Cardinal numbers are used in many everyday situations such as:
- counting objects
- giving prices
- telling time
- writing dates
- describing quantities
Learning cardinal numbers is the foundation for understanding Spanish numbers.
Spanish Cardinal Numbers 1–20
The first twenty numbers should be memorized because they form the foundation for larger numbers.
| Number | Spanish |
|---|---|
| 1 | uno |
| 2 | dos |
| 3 | tres |
| 4 | cuatro |
| 5 | cinco |
| 6 | seis |
| 7 | siete |
| 8 | ocho |
| 9 | nueve |
| 10 | diez |
| 11 | once |
| 12 | doce |
| 13 | trece |
| 14 | catorce |
| 15 | quince |
| 16 | dieciséis |
| 17 | diecisiete |
| 18 | dieciocho |
| 19 | diecinueve |
| 20 | veinte |
You can also view the full number chart here:
Spanish Cardinal Numbers 21–99
Spanish numbers follow a regular pattern.
Examples:
21 = veintiuno
24 = veinticuatro
37 = treinta y siete
48 = cuarenta y ocho
59 = cincuenta y nueve
The structure is generally:
tens + y + unit
Examples:
42 = cuarenta y dos
67 = sesenta y siete
Numbers from 21 to 29 are typically written as one word.
Examples:
veintidós
veintitrés
veintiséis
Spanish Tens
| Number | Spanish |
|---|---|
| 20 | veinte |
| 30 | treinta |
| 40 | cuarenta |
| 50 | cincuenta |
| 60 | sesenta |
| 70 | setenta |
| 80 | ochenta |
| 90 | noventa |
These combine with the numbers 1–9 to create larger numbers.
Example:
45 = cuarenta y cinco
Spanish Hundreds
Spanish hundreds follow a consistent pattern.
Examples:
| Number | Spanish |
|---|---|
| 100 | cien |
| 200 | doscientos |
| 300 | trescientos |
| 400 | cuatrocientos |
| 500 | quinientos |
These numbers combine with smaller numbers to create larger values.
Example:
245
doscientos cuarenta y cinco
Spanish Thousands
Examples:
| Number | Spanish |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | mil |
| 2,000 | dos mil |
| 10,000 | diez mil |
Spanish numbers continue to follow clear patterns as they increase.
Example:
3,500
tres mil quinientos
Examples of Spanish Cardinal Numbers
Example sentence:
Tengo tres libros.
Meaning:
I have three books.
Another example:
La ciudad tiene dos millones de habitantes.
Meaning:
The city has two million inhabitants.
Practice Spanish Cardinal Numbers
You can practice Spanish numbers using the interactive tools below.
Try The Spanish Numbers Interactive Translate Tool
Test Your Knowledge. Take the Spanish Numbers Quiz
Related Spanish Pages
Further reference: RAE on spelling of cardinal numerals.