French Numbers 0 to 100: How to Count (and the 70-80-90 Rule)

French counting is straightforward from 0 to 69. The tricky part is 70, 80 and 90, where numbers are built from twenties. This guide covers French numbers from 0 to 100, with rough pronunciation and a simple rule for 70-80-90.

Prefer Hindi? यह पोस्ट हिंदी में पढ़ें.

(Respellings are approximate. Capitals show the stressed end of a word, and endings like an, on and in are nasal vowels, so do not pronounce a full “n”. Listen to audio as well.)

0 to 20

Number	French	Rough pronunciation
0	zéro	zay-ROH
1	un	uh (nasal)
2	deux	duh (rounded lips)
3	trois	twah
4	quatre	KATR
5	cinq	sank (nasal)
6	six	sees
7	sept	set
8	huit	weet
9	neuf	nuf
10	dix	dees
11	onze	onz (nasal)
12	douze	dooz
13	treize	trez
14	quatorze	ka-TORZ
15	quinze	kanz (nasal)
16	seize	sez
17	dix-sept	dee-SET
18	dix-huit	dee-ZWEET
19	dix-neuf	deez-NUF
20	vingt	van (nasal)

Tens: 20 to 60

Number	French	Rough pronunciation
20	vingt	van (nasal)
30	trente	tront (nasal)
40	quarante	ka-RONT
50	cinquante	san-KONT
60	soixante	swa-SONT

In-between numbers are easy: tens first, then units, joined by a hyphen: vingt-deux (22), trente-quatre (34), cinquante-neuf (59). Only 21, 31, 41, 51 and 61 take et (“and”): vingt et un, trente et un, soixante et un.

70, 80 and 90: counting in twenties

Here French thinks differently. 70 is “sixty-ten”, 80 is “four-twenties” and 90 is “four-twenties-ten”.

Number	French	How it is built
70	soixante-dix	60 + 10
71	soixante et onze	60 + 11
72	soixante-douze	60 + 12
79	soixante-dix-neuf	60 + 19
80	quatre-vingts	4 × 20
81	quatre-vingt-un	4 × 20 + 1
85	quatre-vingt-cinq	4 × 20 + 5
90	quatre-vingt-dix	4 × 20 + 10
91	quatre-vingt-onze	4 × 20 + 11
99	quatre-vingt-dix-neuf	4 × 20 + 19
100	cent	one hundred

If you speak Hindi, this should not feel too strange: Hindi numbers are not fully regular either (उनतालीस, उन्यासी, इक्यानवे) and we learn them through repetition. French 70–99 is the same kind of thing: understand the pattern once, then repeat it.

In parts of Belgium and Switzerland you will also hear septante (70) and nonante (90), which are simply “seventy” and “ninety”. In France, soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix are used.

Rules worth remembering

1. et appears only in 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 and 71. Not in 81 or 91: quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-onze.
2. quatre-vingts takes an s only when nothing follows it. 80 = quatre-vingts, but 81 = quatre-vingt-un.
3. Hundreds: 100 = cent; 200 = deux cents; but 201 = deux cent un. 1000 = mille (it never takes an s).
4. Hyphens: numbers under 100 are joined by hyphens (vingt-deux).
5. Prices and decimals: French uses a comma for decimals: 5,50 € = cinq euros cinquante.

Numbers in real life

• Age: J’ai vingt-cinq ans. (literally “I have 25 years”; French uses avoir, not être, for age.)
• Phone numbers: in France they are read in pairs: 06 12 34 56 78 = zéro six, douze, trente-quatre, cinquante-six, soixante-dix-huit.
• Time: Il est quinze heures. (It is 15:00, i.e. 3 pm.) The 24-hour clock is common in France.

Test yourself

Write these in French: 17, 42, 76, 89, 95. Answers: dix-sept, quarante-deux, soixante-seize, quatre-vingt-neuf, quatre-vingt-quinze.

Frequently asked questions

Why is 80 quatre-vingts in French?

It literally means “four twenties” (4 × 20), a leftover of an older way of counting that France still uses.

How do you count above 100 in French?

cent un (101), cent vingt (120), deux cents (200), mille (1000), with the rules above.

Should I learn numbers or greetings first?

Start with greetings and introductions, then numbers. In LearnLingo’s Foundations course, greetings and introductions are in Unit 1 and numbers 0–100 are in Unit 3.

Related reading

• How to Learn French as a Hindi Speaker
• French Greetings for Beginners
• French Pronunciation Guide for Hindi Speakers
• Japanese Numbers 1 to 100 (for comparison)