This lesson is about the numbers and their use in the italian grammar.
First, let’s start with the cardinal numbers, used to express quantity referring to people, things and so on.
Numbers in italian do not change whether the object is masculine or feminine, the only exception is 1 (uno) because it is also the singular form of the indefinite article.
1 = uno/a
2 = due
3 = tre
4 = quattro
5 = cinque
6 = sei
7 = sette
8 = otto
9 = nove
10 = dieci
11 = undici
12 = dodici
13 = tredici
14 = quattordici
15 = quindici
16 = sedici
17 = diciassette
18 = diciotto
19 = diciannove
The ‘tens’ from twenty to ninety-nine, have to be written in a single word.
20 = venti (21 = vent + uno, ventuno; 22 = venti + due, ventidue…)
30 = trenta (31 = trent + uno, trentuno; 32 = trenta + due, trentadue…)
40 = quaranta (41 = quarant + uno, quarantuno; 42 = quaranta + due, quarantadue…)
50 = cinquanta (51 = cinquant + uno, cinquantuno; 52 = cinquanta + due, cinquantadue…)
60 = sessanta (61 = sessant + uno, sessantuno; 62 = sessanta + due, sessantadue…)
70 = settanta (71 = settant + uno, settantuno; 72 = settanta + due, settantadue…)
80 = ottanta (81 = ottant + uno, ottantuno; 82 = ottanta + due, ottantadue…)
90 = novanta (91 = novant + uno, novantuno; 92 = novanta + due, novantadue…)
100 = cento (101 = cento + uno, centouno; 102 = cento + due, centodue…)
If this number is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, it is usually elided with an apostrophe.
Example: Mio nonno ha cent’anni. (My grandfather is one hundred years old)
The ‘hundreds’ from 200 to 999 have to be written in a single word.
200, 300… = duecento, trecento…
201, 301… = duecentouno, trecentouno…
1.000 = mille (1001 = mille + uno, milleuno…)
The number mille becomes mila in the plural: 2.000, 3.000… = duemila, tremila… and you simply need to add the number for the units at the end: 2.002, 3.002… = duemiladue, tremiladue…
As regards the words for 1.000.000 and 1.000.000.000 etc., they behave in a slightly different way: the words have to be detached!
1.000.000 = un milione
2.000.000, 3.000.000… = due milioni, tre milioni…
1.000.000.000 = un miliardo
2.000.000.000, 3.000.000.000… = due miliardi, tre miliardi…
Final example: 4.539.892.071 = quattro miliardi cinquecentotrentanove milioni ottocentonovantaduemila settantuno.
We will now see the ordinal numbers, generally used to express the order or the position of an element in a series.
There are special words for expressing the numbers of the first tens:
1° = primo (first)
2° = secondo
3° = terzo
4° = quarto
5° = quinto
6° = sesto
7° = settimo
8° = ottavo
9° = nono
10° = decimo
As regards the remaining ones, you just need to add the suffix “-esimo/a” (depending if the word they refer to is masculine or feminine) to the root of the cardinal number, by first dropping the final letter.
Examples:
11° = undici + esimo = undicesimo
20° = venti + esimo = ventesimo
54° = cinquantaquattro + esimo = cinquantaquattresimo
If you would like to test your knowledge of numbers, you can find some exercises here and here!