German Numbers 1–1,000,000: How to Say Them, Write Them, and Use Them in Sentences

German numbers are one of the first things every beginner searches for — and once you get past 12, there's a pattern that makes the whole system logical. The most confusing part for English speakers is that German says 'one-and-twenty' instead of 'twenty-one' — einundzwanzig, not zwanzigeins. Once you know this, numbers become mechanical. This guide covers all German numbers from 1 to one million with the exact patterns, common mistakes, and how numbers appear in everyday German conversation.

1–20: just learn these

1=eins, 2=zwei, 3=drei, 4=vier, 5=fünf, 6=sechs, 7=sieben, 8=acht, 9=neun, 10=zehn, 11=elf, 12=zwölf, 13=dreizehn, 14=vierzehn, 15=fünfzehn, 16=sechzehn, 17=siebzehn, 18=achtzehn, 19=neunzehn, 20=zwanzig. Note: 'eins' (standalone) but 'ein' before a noun (ein Mann). Siebzehn drops the -en from sieben. Sechzehn drops the -s from sechs. These small irregularities trip up learners — worth memorising them as exceptions.

21–99: the reversed pattern

German reverses the tens and units with 'und' between them: 21=einundzwanzig, 22=zweiundzwanzig, 23=dreiundzwanzig. The pattern: [units]und[tens]. 30=dreißig (not dreizig — irregular spelling), 40=vierzig, 50=fünfzig, 60=sechzig, 70=siebzig, 80=achtzig, 90=neunzig. So 47=siebenundvierzig, 83=dreiundachtzig, 99=neunundneunzig. This reversed pattern makes Germans sound like Yoda to English speakers at first. It becomes automatic after hearing German numbers in real contexts — phone numbers, prices, addresses, dates in German TV and film.

100–1,000,000 and German number quirks

100=hundert (or einhundert), 200=zweihundert, 1000=tausend (or eintausend), 1,000,000=eine Million. Large numbers: 1,234=tausendzweihundertvierunddreißig. Note: German uses a period where English uses a comma in large numbers, and a comma where English uses a decimal point. €1.234,56 = one thousand two hundred thirty-four euros and fifty-six cents. Phone numbers in German are often read in pairs: 04321 = null-drei-zwei-eins (or zero-three-twenty-one). Ordinal numbers: erste (1st), zweite (2nd), dritte (3rd), vierte (4th)...zwanzigste (20th).

Numbers in real German conversations

You'll use German numbers constantly for prices, times, dates, addresses, and statistics. 'Das kostet dreiundzwanzig Euro fünfzig' (that costs €23.50). 'Um halb acht' (at half past seven — literally half eight, another confusing German time pattern). 'Am fünfzehnten März' (on the 15th of March). German numbers in speech are spoken quickly and run together — 'siebenundachtzig' sounds very different from how it's written. Watching real German TV and film trains your ear to parse numbers in context far better than any app. Listen for prices in German cooking shows, football scores in German sports news, and dates in German historical documentaries.