Vocabulary isn’t just made up of words—you’ll need the numbers too.
There are countless reasons why you need to know numbers in any language you’re learning. You’ll use German numbers in almost any conversation and without them, you won’t be able to express yourself accurately and precisely.
Here’s the good news: counting in German is relatively simple, so no need to worry.
We’ll keep this simple. We’ll list down the numbers in German (divided into groups), along with their proper pronunciation, and give you examples. Sound good?
Okay, ready?
Drei… zwei… eins…
Go!
German Numbers 0-10
Instead of starting with German numbers 1-10, let’s start with 0.
Like with many words in English, a lot of German words sound somewhat similar to their English counterparts.
While one in German, eins, doesn’t really sound like “one”...
…Three in German is drei and 9 in German is neun. Very similar sounding.
Practical Examples:
- Telling Age: “Mein Sohn ist acht Jahre alt” (I am thirty years old.)
- Ordering at a Café: "Bitte, zwei Kaffee." (Two coffees, please.)
German Numbers 11-19
The German numbers from eleven to nineteen follow a pattern similar to English.
Eleven and twelve have a standalone form. However, 13 to 19 involve the primary number and word for “ten” (or “teen” in English).
So for example, “fourteen” is essentially “four and ten” in English.
It’s the same for German: 13 (dreizehn) is three (drei) + ten (zehn).
Note: For 16 and 17, the 's' in "sechs" is dropped to form "sechzehn," and the 'en' in "sieben" is dropped to form "siebzehn."
Practical Examples:
- Discussing Time: "Der Film beginnt um achtzehn Uhr." (The movie starts at 18:00.)
- Counting Items: "Ich habe fünfzehn Bücher." (I have fifteen books.)
German Numbers 20-99
Numbers twenty onwards is where it gets confusing for English speakers. Up until this point, German numbers have been very similar to English numbers. However, it’s still relatively simple.
In English, these numbers start with the tens and then the ones.
For example, take “twenty-four.” The tens number (twenty) comes before the ones number (four). It is also basically short for “twenty and four.”
In German, the “and” (und) is not omitted and the ones go before the tens.
So in German, it would be four (vier) and (und) twenty (zwanzig).
As a result, you get: Vierundzwanzig.
Some people will debate which is a better way to say numbers, but I personally prefer the German one myself!
Here’s the list of the whole tens numbers:
Examples:
- 21: einundzwanzig (one and twenty)
- 35: fünfunddreißig (five and thirty)
- 48: achtundvierzig (eight and forty)
Practical Examples:
- Giving a Phone Number: "Meine Nummer ist dreiundvierzig achtundfünfzig zweiundzwanzig." (My number is 43 58 22.)
- Discussing Prices: "Das kostet neunundneunzig Euro." (That costs 99 euros.)
German Numbers 100 and Beyond
For numbers beyond 100, German continues to follow English structures.
For hundreds—which is hundert in German—simply add the number with hundert and other numbers to it.
- 100: einhundert
- 101: einhunderteins
- 150: einhundertfünfzig
- 200: zweihundert
- 862: achthundertzweiundsechzig
The same goes for thousand, which is tausend.
- 1000: eintausend
- 1003: eintausendunddrei
- 3205: dreitausendzweihundertfünf
- 9264: neuntausendzweihundertvierundsechzig
When doing hundreds of thousands, simply combine the two.
- 700,000: siebenhunderttausend
- 245,000: zweihundertfünfundvierzigtausend
- 828,671: achthundertachtundzwanzigtausendsechshunderteinundsiebzig
For millions, the German of million is, well… also million. However, when talking about multiples of million, use the plural millionen.
- 6,000,000: sechs Millionen
- 2,600,000: zwei Millionen sechshunderttausend
- 4,762,148: vier Millionen siebenhundertzweiundsechzigtausendeinhundertachtundvierzig
Look like tongue twisters? Kind of. At least, like in English, you don’t need to worry about writing them, since numbers this large are usually written in digits as well.
But still, it’s a good idea to know how to say it in speech. Though, of course, focus your energy on the smaller numbers that are more often used in real-life conversations.
Practical Examples:
- Discussing Distance: "Berlin ist etwa dreihundert Kilometer entfernt." (Berlin is about 300 kilometers away.)
- Talking About Population: "Die Stadt hat zweihunderttausend Einwohner." (The city has 200,000 inhabitants.)
Tips for Mastering German Numbers
All right, let’s end with some practical tips.
As always, the underlying principle is proactivity and real-life applications. Whenever you see numbers and digits, try saying (and thinking) them in German.
See a number on a billboard? Or a car’s plate number during traffic? Say them in German.
Giving your phone number? Say them in German.
Ordering food? Always say how many—in German, of course.
Calculating your money? Say them in German.
Then, try to get faster and faster with it. Try to say the plate numbers of moving cars in German, instead of just whenever you’re stuck in traffic.
A friend of mine also recommended this technique: instead of thinking of numbers as numbers, think of them as WORDS.
After all, in English, you can often forgo the “and.” But in German, numbers are somewhat pronounced as words, given that und is always present for numbers above 20.
And lastly, don’t forget to master pronunciation! German speakers may have a hard time understanding you and get the number wrong.
All right, that’s it, I hope it helped. Count on yourself, you got this!
