Spanish Numbers: Counting, Grammar, and Examples

Numbers, from hundreds to millions, behave differently and have particulars that significantly vary from English. Some of them don’t have plural forms, while others require an adjustment in the form of de. 

Hundreds

There are several specific points you need to know to say hundreds in Spanish. First, you need to know that if you name the exact 100 number, you should pronounce cien. However, adding any other numbers, the form changes to ciento or cientos, as you can see in the examples in the table:

Second, you don’t need to use un like it is in English (a hundred) with cien. It goes bare, without any articles (you can see it above). From 100 to 199, you just need the number you want to ciento: ciento dos, ciento noventa y ocho, ciento setenta y tres.

Third, with the Spanish numbers from 200 to 900, use special words: 

• 200 —   doscientos / doscientas
• 300 —   trescientos / trescientas 
• 400 —   cuatrocientos / cuatrocientas 
• 500 —   quinientos / quinientas  
• 600 —   seiscientos / seiscientas  
• 700 —   setecientos / setecientas
• 800 —   ochocientos / ochocientas 
• 900 —   novecientos / novecientas 

Remember, when using these words, you need to consider the gender of the noun.

Thousands

Common rules are applied to thousands in Spanish. Mil already means 1000, and you don’t need to add any other words. 

You use mil when you have a definite number of something and it is important for the context, and you choose miles when you want to say thousands, when you are not sure about the number, or it doesn’t matter. It should be followed by de. Example:

Millions

Unlike mil, using the number millón, we need to follow two rules. First, this word goes with un when referring to 1.000.000, as it is in the table. Second, it has singular and plural forms, millón and millones. 

When a noun goes right after millón or millones, de should follow the word as well.

To speak about someone’s position, mention an order of events, you need to understand the rules of ordinal numbers in Spanish, such as words like first, second, third, and so on. You need to be aware of the following:

• Ordinals agree with genders. 
• It is possible to shorten the form when it is masculine. 
• They also have singular and plural forms.

Here’s a full guide to ordinals with feminine nouns:

Here’s the list of ordinal numbers Spanish with masculine nouns:

It is too formal to use ordinals with all of the numbers in Spanish. From the eleventh, you can choose cardinal numbers to sound more natural. Look how it works:

El capítulo quince is used instead of el décimo quinto capítulo.  

It is easier and closer to what the natives say. 

When you need to emphasize a part of a whole number, you need to use decimals (1,5, 0,75, 0,5) and fractions (⅗, 5/9, 3/7). 

Decimals, which you will use to talk about value and percentage, go with a comma, as shown in the table below: 

When speaking about fractions, there are more rules on how to form them. The fraction structure consists of a numerator (a cardinal number) and a denominator (an ordinal number, or, if it is common, a special word for that, such as medio for 2, tercio for 3, centésimo for 100). They need to agree on a gender (un medio for masculine /una media for feminine).

If you use fractions that are not common, you’ll need to add the -avo ending (cuatro doceavos for 4/12 and un onceavo for 1/11).

Let’s continue exploring ways in which Spanish numbers can make your navigation in countries where the Spanish language is popular easier. By the end of this section, you will be knowledgeable about how to share your phone number with someone, ask and answer questions about prices and know what to tell if you need to know what time it is.

Phone numbers

You’ve seen numerous examples, including the numbers in Spanish 1-100, cardinal and ordinal, and know how to say prices, fractions and decimals. You could recognize certain patterns, but to make them more memorable, they will be highlighted additionally. 

Starting from treinta, any number that appears after it is joined with the word y. It separates different units, and no matter how large or small a number, it will play its role when it belongs to the Spanish number list from 31 to 99. 

When your number goes beyond 99, for example, you need to say 120, it doesn’t need the connecting word, and should be said just like ciento veinte instead of ciento y veinte. However, having a number 235, you’ll need to use it as a conjunction: doscientos treinta y cinco.  

Spanish numbers like cien (100) mil (1.000) and millón are neutral and are used the same way with masculine and feminine nouns. At the same time, when writing hundreds from 200, you need to agree numbers with genders:

The -os ending is applied to numbers that stand before masculine nouns, and the -as ending is used with feminine nouns. 

You probably remember that with some numbers we don’t need to use uno, because those words already bear this meaning, and there is no need for any others. Let’s review them:

Cien or ciento — you don’t need to add uno to specify that you mean 100, because cien is 100, and it will be a mistake to say so. 

Mil — with 1.000, you also are not required to provide any articles, it also doesn’t have a plural form. Having more than 1.000, for instance, 2.000 and 3.000, simply say them one after another: dos mil, tres mil.

There are a lot of aspects you need to take into account when using all Spanish numbers because it is more difficult than in English and requires additional knowledge about noun genders, forms, and distinctions. 

However, practice and attention to detail will make your speaking clear. Read about some frequent errors to be aware of them and prevent them from happening:

Misusing the genders of nouns

As you know, nouns in Spanish should be of a particular gender. It affects a lot in sentences — verbs, adjectives, and, of course, numbers. You need to learn the feminine form of numbers for words like mesa, casa, gata and the masculine form for carro, perro, and libro (and many others).

Using “uno” with “mil” and “ciento”

We have mentioned that when you use mil and ciento, you shouldn’t add any articles or additional numbers to indicate 100. Mil and ciento already help you convey this meaning, so it is really easy to make sentences with these words.

Forgetting about using “plural” after numbers

When you mention more than one object, you need to change the nouns as well.

Test how well you’ve mastered the basics of Spanish numbers — from uno to cien, it’s time to count like a native.

To sum up the rules, we can refine several points you need to remember. First of all, learn different types of numbers, cardinals and ordinals. Then, when learning to count, listen to audio recordings to learn how to say numbers in Spanish. Don’t forget to create your own examples with both types, as it will help you memorize them faster.