Ordinal Numbers in Spanish

Spanish ordinal numbers from 1.º to 1 000 000.º

How to use Spanish ordinal numbers

In Spanish, ordinal numbers agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe.

Examples:

el segundo autobústhe second bus

las segundas oportunidadesthe second opportunities

Manolo es el primero.Manolo is the first.

Anita es la tercera.Anita is the third.

Ordinal numbers in the tens and twenties (décimo..., vigésimo...) can be written as one word or two.

Examples:

el vigésimo noveno corredor el vigesimonoveno corredorthe twenty-ninth runner

when they are written together, the accent is dropped (not: vigésimonoveno)

Starting from the thirties, ordinal numbers are always written as two words.

Example:

el trigésimo segundo corredorthe thirty-second runner

If the ordinal number is made up of two or more separate words, all of them agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe, and they all maintain their accents.

Example:

la décima primera corredorathe eleventh runner

not: décimo primera

If the ordinal number is written as one word, only the final word changes its ending and the first word loses its accent.

Example:

la decimoprimera corredorathe eleventh (female) runner

not: décimaprimera

Exceptions with the ordinal numbers primero and tercero

We remove the ending -o from the ordinal numbers primero and tercero when they come before a masculine noun.

Examples:

Es mi primer coche.It’s my first car.

Es mi tercer intento.It’s my third try.

Es mi primera actuación.It’s my first performance.

How to write ordinal numbers in Spanish

Like in English, Spanish ordinal numbers are abbreviated by placing letters next to the numeral. These are known as letras voladas (superscript letters). When the numeral comes before a masculine noun, we use the superscript letters o and er, whereas the superscript letter a appears before feminine nouns.

Examples:

el 3.^er corredor (el tercer corredor)the 3rd/third runner

el 29.^º corredor (el vigésimo noveno corredor)the 29th/twenty-ninth runner

la 31.^a corredora (la trigésima primera corredora)the 31st/thirty-first runner

Roman numerals

Spanish also uses Roman numerals for royal and noble titles that are read aloud as ordinal numbers up to the number ten. After this, we read them as cardinal numbers.

Examples:

Juan Carlos I – Juan Carlos primero

Isabel II – Isabel segunda

Alfonso X – Alfonso décimo

but: Alfonso XII – Alfonso doce

Editions of events can also be written with Roman numerals as well as abbreviated ordinal numbers.

Example:

XVI edición del Festival de San Sebastián

or: 26.^a edición del Festival de San Sebastiánthe 26th/XVI/Twenty-sixth Edition of the Festival of San Sebastián