Imagine buying croissants, sharing your phone number, or telling someone your age—all in French. With numbers, you’ll do all of that confidently. In this lesson, you’ll learn the building blocks (0–20), the patterns for tens, and the famous French twist from 70 to 99. Then you’ll put it to use with age, prices, and everyday conversations.

The building blocks: 0–20

Here are the most common numbers you’ll use from the start:

• 0 — zéro
• 1 — un (masc.) / une (fem.)
• 2 — deux
• 3 — trois
• 4 — quatre
• 5 — cinq
• 6 — six
• 7 — sept
• 8 — huit
• 9 — neuf
• 10 — dix
• 11 — onze
• 12 — douze
• 13 — treize
• 14 — quatorze
• 15 — quinze
• 16 — seize
• 17 — dix-sept
• 18 — dix-huit
• 19 — dix-neuf
• 20 — vingt

Pronunciation tips:

• six often sounds like “sees” and huit like “weet.”
• The final “t” in vingt is silent alone, but you may hear it in liaison: vingt heures (vin-tœur).

Tens and clear patterns (20–69)

Learn the tens first:

• 20 — vingt
• 30 — trente
• 40 — quarante
• 50 — cinquante
• 60 — soixante

Then add units:

• 22 → vingt-deux
• 34 → trente-quatre
• 41 → quarante et un
• 58 → cinquante-huit
• 69 → soixante-neuf

Notice the pattern: hyphens for most, “et” for numbers ending in 1 (21, 31, 41, 51, 61).

soixante-

The famous French twist (70–99)

French uses a “60 + teen” and “80 + unit” logic:

• 70 — soixante-dix (60 + 10)
• 71 — soixante et onze (60 + 11)
• 72–79 — soixante-douze, soixante-treize, … soixante-dix-neuf
• 80 — quatre-vingts (4 × 20)
• 81 — quatre-vingt-un (no “et”)
• 82–89 — quatre-vingt-deux, … quatre-vingt-neuf
• 90 — quatre-vingt-dix
• 91–99 — quatre-vingt-onze, … quatre-vingt-dix-neuf

Cultural note: In Belgium and Switzerland, you’ll hear septante (70), huitante or octante (80), and nonante (90). In France, the forms above are standard.

quatre-vingt-

Numbers in action: age, prices, quantities, phone numbers

You’ll often use numbers with everyday phrases:

• Age: In French, you “have” years. J’ai vingt ans. (I am 20.)
• Prices: Ça coûte quinze euros. (It costs 15 euros.)
• Quantities: Il y a trois étudiants. (There are three students.)
• Phone numbers: French numbers are usually read in pairs: 06 12 45 78 90 → zéro six, douze, quarante-cinq, soixante-dix-huit, quatre-vingt-dix.

Je suis 20 ans. → J’ai 20 ans. Use avoir for age in French.

J’ai ans.

Wrap-up and mini practice

You’ve learned the core numbers (0–20), the tens (20–60), and the special French pattern (70–99). You can now talk about age, prices, quantities, and phone numbers.

Mini practice:

• Say your age: J’ai ___ ans.
• State a price: Ça coûte ___ euros.
• Count items near you: Il y a ___ objets sur la table.

Keep noticing patterns—hyphens, where et appears (21, 31, 41, 51, 61), and the twist from 70 onward. With a little daily practice, numbers will feel natural. Bon courage !