Numbers, dates and telling time
A1 Les nombres, la date et l'heure 5 / 52
In short
French counts in a way that surprises English speakers past 60 (soixante-dix = “sixty-ten” = 70, quatre-vingts = “four-twenties” = 80). The one spelling rule to nail early: quatre-vingts takes an -s when it stands alone, but drops it in quatre-vingt-un and before another number.
The rule
Learn the cardinal numbers (one, two, three…) for counting, then the ordinals (first, second…) for order, dates and telling time.
Cardinal numbers
The numbers 0-16 are single words; 17-19 are built as dix + unit (dix-sept = 17). Tens follow a base-ten logic up to 60, then French switches to a base-twenty (“vigesimal”) system:
- 70 = soixante-dix (60 + 10), 71 = soixante et onze (60 + 11), 79 = soixante-dix-neuf.
- 80 = quatre-vingts (4 x 20), 81 = quatre-vingt-un, 90 = quatre-vingt-dix (4 x 20 + 10), 99 = quatre-vingt-dix-neuf.
The et rule. Use et (and, no hyphen) only for 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 and 71: vingt et un, trente et un, soixante et onze. All other compound numbers take a hyphen and no et: vingt-deux, quatre-vingt-un.
quatre-vingts vs quatre-vingt-un. This is the classic trap:
- quatre-vingts and cent take a final -s when they are multiplied and end the number: quatre-vingts, deux cents, trois cents.
- They lose the -s as soon as another number follows: quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-trois, deux cent cinq, trois cent dix.
- vingt takes the -s only in quatre-vingts, and cent never takes it without a multiplier in front (cent, cent dix); mille is invariable always: deux mille, cinq mille euros.
un agrees. The number un/une is the only cardinal that agrees in gender: un livre, une table, vingt et une pages, quatre-vingt-une personnes.
Ordinal numbers
Add -ième to the cardinal (dropping a final -e first) to make most ordinals: deux -> deuxième, quatre -> quatrième, onze -> onzième. Two irregulars:
- 1st = premier / première - the only ordinal that agrees in gender (le premier jour, la première fois).
- 5th = cinquième (add a u) and 9th = neuvième (f -> v).
- Second(e) exists alongside deuxième; it is often preferred when there are only two items.
- Abbreviations: 1er (premier), 1re (première), 2e, 3e…
Dates
Give the date with le + number + month (months are lowercase and take no article): le 3 mai, le 14 juillet.
- Use the ordinal only for the first of the month: le premier mai (le 1er mai). Every other day uses the cardinal: le deux mai, le quinze août.
- Full form: Nous sommes le dimanche 3 mai 2026. / C’est le 3 mai.
- Years are read as plain cardinals: deux mille vingt-six (2026). No en before a bare date, but en mai, en 2026 for “in”.
Telling time
Ask Quelle heure est-il ? and answer with Il est… heure(s). Heure is feminine, so une heure, and it takes -s from two o’clock on: deux heures.
- Quarter/half past use et: et quart (:15), et demie (:30). Demie agrees with the feminine heure: deux heures et demie.
- To the hour uses moins: moins le quart (:45), moins dix (:50). Il est huit heures moins le quart = 7:45.
- Noon = midi, midnight = minuit (both masculine): midi et demi (note: no -e, demi agrees with masculine midi).
- The 24-hour clock is standard in writing/schedules: 14 h 30 = quatorze heures trente; here you say the exact minutes, not et quart.
Forms & patterns
Cardinals and their ordinals:
| # | Cardinal | Ordinal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | un / une | premier / première |
| 2 | deux | deuxième (second/-e) |
| 4 | quatre | quatrième |
| 5 | cinq | cinquième |
| 9 | neuf | neuvième |
| 11 | onze | onzième |
| 21 | vingt et un | vingt et unième |
| 80 | quatre-vingts | quatre-vingtième |
The base-twenty tens (60-100):
| # | French | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | soixante | sixty |
| 70 | soixante-dix | sixty-ten |
| 71 | soixante et onze | sixty-and-eleven |
| 80 | quatre-vingts | four-twenties |
| 81 | quatre-vingt-un | four-twenty-one |
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix | four-twenty-ten |
| 91 | quatre-vingt-onze | four-twenty-eleven |
| 100 | cent | hundred |
The -s on vingt / cent:
| Number | -s? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| quatre-vingts | yes | multiplied, ends the number |
| quatre-vingt-un | no | followed by another number |
| deux cents | yes | multiplied, ends the number |
| deux cent cinq | no | followed by another number |
| deux mille | no | mille is invariable |
Telling the time:
| Clock | French |
|---|---|
| 8:00 | il est huit heures |
| 8:15 | il est huit heures et quart |
| 8:30 | il est huit heures et demie |
| 8:45 | il est neuf heures moins le quart |
| 8:50 | il est neuf heures moins dix |
| 12:00 | il est midi |
| 00:30 | il est minuit et demi |
Examples
| Français | English |
|---|---|
| J’ai quatre-vingts ans. | I am eighty years old. |
| Il y a quatre-vingt-un élèves. | There are eighty-one students. |
| C’est ma première fois à Paris. | It is my first time in Paris. |
| La fête du Travail est le premier mai. | Labour Day is the first of May. |
| Mon rendez-vous est le deux mai. | My appointment is the second of May. |
| Il est huit heures et quart. | It is a quarter past eight. |
| Le train part à quatorze heures trente. | The train leaves at 2:30 p.m. |
| Nous sommes le quinze août deux mille vingt-six. | It is the fifteenth of August 2026. |
Common mistakes
- quatre-vingt ans -> quatre-vingts ans - when quatre-vingts ends the number, keep the -s.
- quatre-vingts-un -> quatre-vingt-un - drop the -s as soon as another number follows.
- le un mai -> le premier mai - the first of the month is the one day that uses the ordinal.
- le deuxieme mai -> le deux mai - all days except the 1st use the plain cardinal.
- vingt-et-un -> vingt et un - the et in 21/31…/71 takes no hyphens.
- Il est huit heure et demi -> Il est huit heures et demie - plural heures from 2 on, and demie agrees with feminine heure.
Tips
- Break the 70s/90s down out loud: 75 = soixante + quinze, 95 = quatre-vingt + quinze. Do the arithmetic and read the pieces.
- The -s on quatre-vingts / cents is a “last word” flag: present when the multiple ends the number, gone when a digit trails it.
- Only two numbers agree in gender: un/une and the ordinal premier/première. Everything else is invariable.
- Dates: memorise “premier for the 1st, cardinal for the rest” - it is the whole rule.
- For time, et goes with quart and demie (past the hour); moins handles “to” the hour with le quart.
- Use midi/minuit (not douze heures) for 12:00, and note demi stays masculine there: midi et demi.