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Numbers in German follow a learnable pattern, though they have one famous quirk: numbers from 21–99 are said in the reverse order from English — 21 is einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty). Once you learn the pattern up to 20, the rest follows rules.
Grammar tip
German phone numbers, prices, and addresses all require quick number recognition. Prices use a comma where English uses a decimal point: 4,99 € is said as vier Euro neunundneunzig (Cent). Ordinal numbers (first, second, third) in German typically add -te to numbers 4–19 and -ste to numbers 20+ (der zwanzigste).
| German | English | Level |
|---|---|---|
| eins | one (1) | A1 |
| zwei | two (2) | A1 |
| drei | three (3) | A1 |
| vier | four (4) | A1 |
| fünf | five (5) | A1 |
| sechs | six (6) | A1 |
| sieben | seven (7) | A1 |
| acht | eight (8) | A1 |
| neun | nine (9) | A1 |
| zehn | ten (10) | A1 |
| zwanzig | twenty (20) | A1 |
| dreißig | thirty (30) | A1 |
| hundert | hundred (100) | A1 |
| die Zahl | number (mathematical) | A1 |
| die Nummer | number (ID/phone/label) | A1 |
| zählen | to count | A1 |
| plus | plus / and (addition) | A1 |
| minus | minus / subtract | A1 |
| erste/r/s | first (1st) | A1 |
| zweite/r/s | second (2nd) | A1 |
| dritte/r/s | third (3rd) | A1 |
| tausend | thousand (1,000) | A2 |
| eine Million | one million (1,000,000) | A2 |
| rechnen | to calculate / to work out | A2 |
| mal | times / multiplied by | A2 |
| geteilt durch | divided by | A2 |
| zwanzigste/r/s | twentieth (20th) | A2 |
| ungefähr | approximately / about | A2 |
| die Hälfte | half | A2 |
| das Ergebnis | result / answer (maths) | B1 |
See these words in action
Butterfluent shows German subtitles on real videos — and highlights noun genders in colour as you watch. Masculine words appear in blue, feminine in pink, neuter in green. Click any word to see its translation, article, and grammar explanation instantly. No more forgetting which article goes with which noun.
German numbers between 21 and 99 follow the pattern 'ones-and-tens': einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty = 21), vierunddreißig (four-and-thirty = 34). This reverse order is a historical feature shared with Dutch and some other Germanic languages. Once you know the tens (zwanzig, dreißig, vierzig...) and the ones (eins through neun), you can construct any number up to 99.
Die Zahl refers to a mathematical number or quantity — the concept of a number in counting or maths. Die Nummer refers to a number used as an identifier or label — a phone number, a house number, a jersey number, a ticket number. So die Telefonnummer (phone number) uses Nummer, while eine große Zahl (a large number in mathematics) uses Zahl.