Numbers & Counting
Zahlen und Zählen
German numbers from 21 upwards are said in reverse order compared with English: the units come before the tens, joined by und and written as one word. So 21 is einundzwanzig, literally one-and-twenty, and 45 is fünfundvierzig. Numbers 0 to 12 are memorised, and 13 to 19 simply add -zehn.
Master cardinal and ordinal numbers in German.
Rules & Explanations
Numbers & Counting Introduction
Einführung: Zahlen und Zählen
Numbers in German follow a logical pattern — except for one big surprise: German says numbers backwards! Twenty-one is einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty). It is the opposite of English!
In German, 21 = einundzwanzig. The small number (ein) comes first, then und (and), then the big number (zwanzig). One-and-twenty! This is the biggest challenge with German numbers.
In English, twenty-one means 20 first, then 1. We say the big number first. This is logical.
Ich bin einundzwanzig Jahre alt.
I am twenty-one years old.
ein (1) + und (and) + zwanzig (20) = einundzwanzig (21). The small number comes first!
If you say numbers in the wrong order, people will misunderstand. Practice the backwards pattern!
Numbers 0-20
Zahlen 0-20
0-12 you must memorize. 13-19 = number + zehn. Watch out: 16 = sechzehn (not sechszehn) and 17 = siebzehn (not siebenzehn).
| Number | German | Number | German |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | null | 11 | elf |
| 1 | eins | 12 | zwölf |
| 2 | zwei | 13 | dreizehn |
| 3 | drei | 14 | vierzehn |
| 4 | vier | 15 | fünfzehn |
| 5 | fünf | 16 | sechzehn (not sechszehn!) |
| 6 | sechs | 17 | siebzehn (not siebenzehn!) |
| 7 | sieben | 18 | achtzehn |
| 8 | acht | 19 | neunzehn |
| 9 | neun | 20 | zwanzig |
| 10 | zehn |
13-19 = number + zehn. But 16 drops the s (sechzehn) and 17 drops the en (siebzehn)!
16 and 17 get shorter! sechs→sech, sieben→sieb.
Common Mistakes
-
✗ sechszehn
✓ sechzehn
sechs loses the s before zehn. sechzehn, not sechszehn.
-
✗ siebenzehn
✓ siebzehn
sieben loses the en before zehn. siebzehn, not siebenzehn.
Numbers 21-100: The Backwards Rule
Zahlen 21-100: Die Umkehr-Regel
Pattern: Ones + und + Tens. The small number comes first! All written as one word.
| Number | German | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | einundzwanzig | one-and-twenty |
| 32 | zweiunddreißig | two-and-thirty |
| 45 | fünfundvierzig | five-and-forty |
| 58 | achtundfünfzig | eight-and-fifty |
| 63 | dreiundsechzig | three-and-sixty |
| 74 | vierundsiebzig | four-and-seventy |
| 89 | neunundachtzig | nine-and-eighty |
| 96 | sechsundneunzig | six-and-ninety |
| 100 | hundert | hundred |
Pattern: small number + und + big number. 45 = fünf-und-vierzig (five-and-forty). Always backwards!
Think: 45 = 5 and 40. Always say the small number first!
Common Mistakes
-
✗ Saying zwanzigeins for 21
✓ einundzwanzig
German says the ones first: ein-und-zwanzig, not zwanzig-eins.
Tens: 20-90
Zehner: 20-90
Most tens = number + zig. Exceptions: 20 = zwanzig, 30 = dreißig, 60 = sechzig, 70 = siebzig.
| Number | German | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | zwanzig | |
| 30 | dreißig | Note: ß, not z! |
| 40 | vierzig | |
| 50 | fünfzig | |
| 60 | sechzig | sechs loses the s! |
| 70 | siebzig | sieben loses the en! |
| 80 | achtzig | |
| 90 | neunzig |
Quick Reference
Kurzübersicht
- ▸0-12: memorize individually (null, eins, zwei... zwölf)
- ▸13-19: number + zehn (dreizehn, vierzehn...). Exception: sechzehn, siebzehn
- ▸20-90: number + zig (zwanzig, dreißig, vierzig...)
- ▸21-99: Ones + und + Tens (backwards!). 45 = fünfundvierzig
- ▸All compound numbers are written as one word
- ▸30 = dreißig (with ß, not z). 60 = sechzig. 70 = siebzig.
Examples
Ich bin fünfundzwanzig Jahre alt.
I am twenty-five years old.
fünfundzwanzig25 = fünf (5) + und + zwanzig (20). Small number first!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ich | I |
| bin | am |
| fünfundzwanzig | 25 (5+and+20) |
| Jahre | years |
| alt | old |
Das kostet dreizehn Euro.
That costs thirteen euros.
dreizehn13 = drei + zehn. Simple: number + zehn for 13-19.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Das | that |
| kostet | costs |
| dreizehn | 13 (drei+zehn) |
| Euro | euros |
Meine Telefonnummer ist null-sechs-neun-zwei.
My phone number is 0-6-9-2.
null-sechs-neun-zweiFor phone numbers, say each digit separately.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Meine | my |
| Telefonnummer | phone number |
| ist | is |
| null-sechs-neun-zwei | 0-6-9-2 |
Er hat zweiunddreißig Zähne.
He has thirty-two teeth.
zweiunddreißig32 = zwei (2) + und + dreißig (30). Note: dreißig with ß!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Er | he |
| hat | has |
| zweiunddreißig | 32 (2+and+30) |
| Zähne | teeth |
Das Buch hat hundert Seiten.
The book has one hundred pages.
hundert100 = hundert. No ein before hundert (just hundert, not einhundert in everyday speech).
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Das | the |
| Buch | book |
| hat | has |
| hundert | 100 |
| Seiten | pages |
Sie ist sechzehn Jahre alt.
She is sixteen years old.
sechzehn16 = sechzehn. sechs loses the s! Not sechszehn.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sie | she |
| ist | is |
| sechzehn | 16 (sechs drops s!) |
| Jahre | years |
| alt | old |
Wir brauchen siebenundvierzig Stühle.
We need forty-seven chairs.
siebenundvierzig47 = sieben (7) + und + vierzig (40).
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wir | we |
| brauchen | need |
| siebenundvierzig | 47 (7+and+40) |
| Stühle | chairs |
Die Klasse hat achtundzwanzig Schüler.
The class has twenty-eight students.
achtundzwanzig28 = acht (8) + und + zwanzig (20).
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Die | the |
| Klasse | class |
| hat | has |
| achtundzwanzig | 28 (8+and+20) |
| Schüler | students |
Practice Exercises
8 interactive exercises
Wie sagt man 21?
How do you say 21 in German?
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Common questions about German numbers
Why do Germans say numbers backwards?
German keeps an older Germanic order in which the smaller unit is named first and joined to the ten with und. Einundzwanzig is literally one-and-twenty, and English once did the same, as in the nursery rhyme four and twenty blackbirds. Modern English reversed it, German did not. Everything is written as a single word: zweiunddreißig.
How do you count from 1 to 20 in German?
eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn, elf, zwölf, then dreizehn, vierzehn, fünfzehn, sechzehn, siebzehn, achtzehn, neunzehn and zwanzig. From 13 up you add -zehn to the basic number, but note two spelling shortcuts: 16 is sechzehn without the s, and 17 is siebzehn without the -en.
How do you say 21 in German?
Einundzwanzig — literally one-and-twenty. You take the unit (ein), add und, then the ten (zwanzig), and write the whole thing as one word. The same formula builds every number up to 99: fünfundvierzig for 45, achtundfünfzig for 58, sechsundneunzig for 96. Note that eins loses its final s inside these compounds.
What are the German tens from 20 to 90?
zwanzig, dreißig, vierzig, fünfzig, sechzig, siebzig, achtzig, neunzig. Most are the base number plus -zig, but four need attention: 20 is zwanzig rather than zweizig, 30 is spelled dreißig with ß, 60 drops the s of sechs to give sechzig, and 70 shortens sieben to sieb- in siebzig.
How do you give a phone number in German?
Germans usually read phone numbers digit by digit, so 0692 becomes null, sechs, neun, zwei. Some speakers group them in pairs, which reintroduces the reversed order and can confuse learners. When you take down a number, asking Können Sie das bitte einzeln sagen? — can you say it digit by digit — avoids the problem entirely.