Ordinal Numbers in Spanish
What are ordinal numbers in Spanish?
Ordinal numbers (los números ordinales) allow us to put things in an order, ranking or sequence.
How to write Spanish ordinal numbers
| 1 | primero | 11 | décimo primero / decimoprimero | 21 | vigésimo primero / vigesimoprimero | 31 | trigesimoprimero |
| 2 | segundo | 12 | décimo segundo / decimosegundo | 22 | vigésimo segundo / vigesimosegundo | 40 | cuadragésimo |
| 3 | tercero | 13 | décimo tercero / decimotercero | 23 | vigésimo tercero / vigesimotercero | 50 | quincuagésimo |
| 4 | cuarto | 14 | décimo cuarto / decimocuarto | 24 | vigésimo cuarto / vigesimocuarto | 60 | sexagésimo |
| 5 | quinto | 15 | décimo quinto / decimoquinto | 25 | vigésimo quinto / vigesimoquinto | 70 | septuagésimo |
| 6 | sexto | 16 | décimo sexto / decimosexto | 26 | vigésimo sexto / vigesimosexto | 80 | octogésimo |
| 7 | séptimo | 17 | décimo séptimo / decimoséptimo | 27 | vigésimo séptimo / vigesimoséptimo | 90 | nonagésimo |
| 8 | octavo | 18 | décimo octavo / decimoctavo | 28 | vigésimo octavo / vigesimoctavo | 100 | centésimo |
| 9 | noveno | 19 | décimo noveno / decimonoveno | 29 | vigésimo noveno / vigesimonoveno | 1.000 | milésimo |
| 10 | décimo | 20 | vigésimo | 30 | trigésimo | 1.000.000 | millonésimo |
How to use Spanish ordinal numbers correctly
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 together or separately.
- Examples:
- el vigésimo noveno corredorthe twenty-ninth runner
el vigesimonoveno corredor
Starting from the thirties, ordinal numbers are then only written as one word.
- Example:
- el trigesimosegundo 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. If the ordinal number is written as one word, only the final component agrees with the noun and the first component loses its accent.
- Examples:
la décima primera corredora (not:décimo primera)the eleventh runnerdécimoprimera,decimaprimera)- el trigesimosegundo corredor (not:
trigésimosegundo)the thirty-second runner
la trigesimosegunda corredora (not:trigesimasegunda)
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.
Writing ordinal numerals 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 3er corredor (el tercer corredor)the 3rd/third runner
- el 29o corredor (el vigésimo noveno corredor)the 29th/twenty-ninth runner
- la 31a corredora (la trigesimoprimera 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.
- Examples:
- Juan Carlos I – Juan Carlos Primero
- Isabel I – Isabel Primera
- Alfonso X – Alfonso Décimo
Editions of events can also be written with Roman numerals as well as abbreviated ordinal numbers.
- Example:
- XVI edición del Festival de San Sebastián – Vigésima sexta edición del Festival de San Sebastián (also correct: 26a edición del Festival de San Sebastián)the 26th/XVI/Twenty-sixth Edition of the Festival of San Sebastián