Building 21 to 69
Tens work like English: vingt-deux, trente-cinq, cinquante-huit. Only the ones ending in 1 add et: vingt et un, trente et un.
- vingt et un21
- trente-quatre34
- cinquante-neuf59
A1Unit 3 of the A1 course · « Les nombres et l'heure »
French numbers 1 to 100, prices and the time
French numbers are regular until 69, then they turn into a little maths puzzle: 70 is « sixty-ten » and 80 is « four-twenties ». This page builds them step by step, then uses them for prices and times.
By the end of this unit you can: count to 100, give prices and tell the time.
What this unit covers
- 1De un à dix: Count from one to ten.
- 2De onze à cent: Understand any number up to 100.
- 3Les prix: Ask how much something costs and understand the answer.
- 4Quelle heure est-il ?: Ask for and tell the time.
- 5À la gare: Buy a ticket and check the departure time.
Grammar and usage, explained
The famous French maths
After 69, France counts in twenties. 70 is sixty-ten, 80 is four twenties, and 90 is four twenties plus ten. So 75 is soixante-quinze and 97 is quatre-vingt-dix-sept.
- soixante-quinze75
- quatre-vingt-deux82
- quatre-vingt-dix-sept97
Saying no: ne… pas
To make a sentence negative, wrap the verb in ne… pas. Before a vowel, ne becomes n'. In everyday speech people often drop the ne, but write it.
- C'est cher. → Ce n'est pas cher.It's expensive. → It isn't expensive.
- J'ai un vélo. → Je n'ai pas de vélo.I have a bike. → I don't have a bike.
Timetables use the 24-hour clock
Trains, cinemas and shops say the full hour and minutes: 18 h 30 is dix-huit heures trente. In conversation people usually say six heures et demie.
- Le train part à dix-huit heures trente.The train leaves at 18:30.
- On se voit à midi ?Shall we meet at noon?
Scene: Gare de Lyon
You need a ticket to Marseille. Ask the agent at the counter about the price and the time.
Vocabulary: 35 words and phrases
Tap 🔊 to hear each one, recorded by a native-sounding French voice.
De un à dix
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| un | one (1) | |
| deux | two (2) | |
| trois | three (3) | |
| quatre | four (4) | |
| cinq | five (5) | |
| six | six (6)Say « sees ». Before a consonant it's just « see »: six livres. | |
| sept | seven (7)The p is silent: « set ». | |
| huit | eight (8) | |
| neuf | nine (9) | |
| dix | ten (10)Say « deess ». |
De onze à cent
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| onze | eleven (11) | |
| douze | twelve (12) | |
| treize | thirteen (13) | |
| quatorze | fourteen (14) | |
| quinze | fifteen (15) | |
| seize | sixteen (16) | |
| dix-sept | seventeen (17)From 17 French counts ten-seven, ten-eight, ten-nine. | |
| vingt | twenty (20)Sounds like « vin ». The g and t are silent. The t is heard in vingt et un to vingt-neuf. | |
| trente | thirty (30) | |
| cinquante | fifty (50) | |
| soixante-dix | seventy (70)Literally sixty-ten. In Belgium and Switzerland: septante. | |
| quatre-vingts | eighty (80)Literally four twenties. | |
| quatre-vingt-dix | ninety (90)Four twenties and ten. Belgians say nonante. | |
| cent | a hundred (100) |
Les prix
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| c'est combien ? | how much is it?Also: Ça coûte combien ? | |
| ça fait…Ça fait douze euros. (That comes to twelve euros.) | that comes to… | |
| euro(masculine) | euroLink it: un euro sounds like « un-n-euro », deux euros like « deux-z-euros ». | |
| c'est cher | it's expensive | |
| ce n'est pas cher | it's not expensive |
Quelle heure est-il ?
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| quelle heure est-il ? | what time is it?Everyday version: Il est quelle heure ? | |
| il est trois heures | it's three o'clockAlways il est. Use heures, but une heure for 1 o'clock, and no heures with midi or minuit. | |
| et demieIl est huit heures et demie. (It's half past eight.) | half past | |
| et quart | quarter past | |
| moins le quartIl est dix heures moins le quart. (It's quarter to ten.) | quarter to | |
| midi | noonMinuit is midnight. After midi and minuit, write et demi (no e). |
Example sentences
- un, deux, trois, quatre, cinqone, two, three, four, five
- J'ai trente et un ans.I'm thirty-one.
- Ça fait vingt euros, s'il vous plaît.That's twenty euros, please.
- Il est huit heures et demie.It's half past eight.
- Merci, bonne journée !Thank you, have a nice day!
Practise it, don't just read it
This unit is part of French Ultimate's A1 course: 5 short lessons with an animated video each, speaking and listening practice, a reading and an end-of-unit test.
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