German numbers from 1 to 100

Count in German from 0 to 100: the numbers 1 to 20, the tens, how 21 to 99 are built, the spelling traps, and ten exercises with answers.

Prepared by Deutsch Schreiben with AI assistance; original learning material. ·

Short answer

German numbers 1 to 12 are single words (eins to zwölf), 13 to 19 add -zehn (dreizehn), and the tens end in -zig (zwanzig, vierzig), except dreißig. From 21 to 99 the unit comes first and everything is one word: 21 = einundzwanzig, 45 = fünfundvierzig. 100 is hundert.

0 to 20 and the tens

NumberGerman
0null
1eins
2zwei
3drei
4vier
5fünf
6sechs
7sieben
8acht
9neun
10zehn
11elf
12zwölf
13dreizehn
14vierzehn
15fünfzehn
16sechzehn
17siebzehn
18achtzehn
19neunzehn
20zwanzig
30dreißig
40vierzig
50fünfzig
60sechzig
70siebzig
80achtzig
90neunzig
100hundert

Watch three spellings: sechzehn and sechzig drop the s of sechs, siebzehn and siebzig drop the en of sieben, and dreißig is written with ß.

21 to 99: the unit comes first

German says the unit first, then “and”, then the ten, all in one word:

21 = einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty)

35 = fünfunddreißig

99 = neunundneunzig

Before und, eins becomes ein: einundzwanzig. The same order appears in the hundreds: hundertfünfundzwanzig = 125.

Typical mistakes

Numbers in daily life

Ten exercises with explanations

Type only the answer, then check it. You can open each explanation without an account.

1

Answer and explanation

sechzehn — The s at the end of sechs is dropped: sechzehn.

2

Answer and explanation

einundzwanzig — Unit first: ein + und + zwanzig. Eins loses its s before und.

3

Answer and explanation

dreißig — The ten after zwanzig is written with ß, not z.

4

Answer and explanation

fünfundvierzig — fünf + und + vierzig, written as one word.

5

Answer and explanation

siebenundsiebzig — The unit keeps sieben; only the ten shortens to siebzig.

6

Answer and explanation

zwölf — Zwölf is a word of its own, like elf (11).

7

Answer and explanation

neunzehn — neun + zehn, one word.

8

Answer and explanation

sechzig — As in sechzehn, the s of sechs is dropped.

9

Answer and explanation

siebzig — The ten drops the en of sieben.

10

Answer and explanation

achtundachtzig — acht + und + achtzig, one word.

Common questions

Why do Germans say the numbers backwards?

From 21 to 99 German says the unit before the ten (einundzwanzig = one-and-twenty), like Arabic واحد وعشرون. It is written as one word.

How do you say 100 and 1000 in German?

100 is hundert (or einhundert) and 1000 is tausend (or eintausend).

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