Cardinal numbers in Spanish

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What is a cardinal number?

In Spanish, the cardinal numbers (números cardinales) indicate quantities. They are used with countable nouns and answer the question how many.

How to write cardinal numbers in Spanish

1 uno 11 once 21 veintiuno 31 treinta y uno
2 dos 12 doce 22 veintidós 40 cuarenta
3 tres 13 trece 23 veintitrés 50 cincuenta
4 cuatro 14 catorce 24 veinticuatro 60 sesenta
5 cinco 15 quince 25 veinticinco 70 setenta
6 seis 16 dieciséis 26 veintiséis 80 ochenta
7 siete 17 diecisiete 27 veintisiete 90 noventa
8 ocho 18 dieciocho 28 veintiocho 100 cien
9 nueve 19 diecinueve 29 veintinueve 1000 mil
10 diez 20 veinte 30 treinta 1.000.000 un millón

Un or uno?

The word uno can mean one or a. Its form changes depending on the context.

Example:
Tengo un coche de segunda mano.I’ve got a second hand car.
Hoy hacen una fiesta en la plaza del pueblo.They’re having a party in the town square today.
  • If it is not accompanied by a noun, we use uno (= one). This is the cardinal number.
Example:
Yo también tengo uno.I’ve got one too.
Vivo en la calle Mayor, en el número uno.I live on Main Street, at number one

Numbers 11 to 19

The numbers 11 to 19 have different roots to the numbers 1-5.

The numbers 16 to 19 are written as one word: dieci + number.

Example:
Tengo diecisiete años.I’m 17 years old.
not: diezisiete

Numbers 21 to 29

The numbers 21 to 29 are all written as one word: veinti + number.

Example:
Marco cumple veintidós años.Marco is turning 22.
not: veintedós

Numbers 31 to 99

The numbers 31 to 99 are not written as one word. We simply write out the tens and units connected with y: 30/40/50 … y … 1/2/3 …

Example:
Mi hermana tiene cuarenta y tres años.My sister is forty-three.
not: cuarentaytres

100 to 999

  • As of 101, we use ciento(-s) not cien. The tens follow directly then the units are introduced by y.
Examples:
100 – cien
101 – ciento uno
210 – doscientos diez
345 – trescientos cuarenta y cinco
  • The hundreds 200, 300, 400, 600 and 800 are formed the same way as in English (one/two/three … + hundred)
Example:
300 – trescientos
  • 500, 700 and 900 are exceptions.
Example:
500 – quinientos
700 – setecientos
900 – novecientos
  • The hundreds from 200 to 900 change their endings depending on whether they refer to a masculine or feminine noun.
Examples:
230 árboles – doscientos treinta árboles230 trees
950 personas – novecientas personas950 people

Separating numbers in the thousands

In general, Spanish separates the thousands and hundreds using a decimal point.

However, certain regions in Latin America also use a comma, like in English.

Examples:
57.458.302
57,458,302

The Date

Spanish uses cardinal numbers to express the year, month and day when saying the date.

Example:
2-03-2020 → dos del tres del dos mil veinte

Learn more about saying the date in Spanish.