written by
James Johnson
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Do you want to learn how to count from 0-100 in German, and find out more about German numbers?
In this article, I want to share with you how to learn, remember, and use German numbers with you.
Table of contents
- German Numbers from 1-100
- Learn the German Numbers 1-10
- Learn the German Numbers 11-20
- Learn the German Multiples of 10
- German For “One”:Ein, Eins, Eine, Einen, Eines, EinerorEinem?
- How To Count From 100 to 1,000 In German
- How To Count From 1,000 to 10,000 in German
- German Numbers: 10,000 And Beyond
- Remember the German Numbers with This Language Hack
- The Etymology of German Numbers
- German Numbers You Can Count On…
German Numbers from 1-100
Let’s start with the basics. Below is a table of the German numbers from zero to 100. Take a few minutes read through it, then I’ll give you some tips to help you remember it all:
| 0 | Null |
| 1 | Eins |
| 2 | Zwei |
| 3 | Drei |
| 4 | Vier |
| 5 | Fünf |
| 6 | Sechs |
| 7 | Sieben |
| 8 | Acht |
| 9 | Neun |
| 10 | Zehn |
| 11 | Elf |
| 12 | Zwölf |
| 13 | Dreizehn |
| 14 | Vierzehn |
| 15 | Fünfzehn |
| 16 | Sechszehn |
| 17 | Siebzehn |
| 18 | Achtzehn |
| 19 | Neunzehn |
| 20 | Zwanzig |
| 21 | Einundzwanzig |
| 22 | Zweiundzwanzig |
| 23 | Dreiundzwanzig |
| 24 | Vierundzwanzig |
| 25 | Fünfundzwanzig |
| 26 | Sechsundzwanzig |
| 27 | Siebenundzwanzig |
| 28 | Achtundzwanzig |
| 29 | Neunundzwanzig |
| 30 | Dreiβig |
| 31 | Einunddreiβig |
| 32 | Zweiunddreiβig |
| 33 | Dreiunddreiβig |
| 34 | Vierunddreiβig |
| 35 | Fünfunddreiβig |
| 36 | Sechsunddreiβig |
| 37 | Siebenunddreiβig |
| 38 | Achtunddreiβig |
| 39 | Neununddreiβig |
| 40 | Vierzig |
| 41 | Einundvierzig |
| 42 | Zweiundvierzig |
| 43 | Dreiundvierzig |
| 44 | Vierundvierzig |
| 45 | Fünfundvierzig |
| 46 | Sechsundvierzig |
| 47 | Siebenundvierzig |
| 48 | Achtundvierzig |
| 49 | Neunundvierzig |
| 50 | Fünfzig |
| 51 | Einundfünfzig |
| 52 | Zweiundfünfzig |
| 53 | Dreiundfünfzig |
| 54 | Vierundfünfzig |
| 55 | Fünfundfünfzig |
| 56 | Sechsundfünfzig |
| 57 | Siebenundfünfzig |
| 58 | Achtundfünfzig |
| 59 | Neunundfünfzig |
| 60 | Sechzig |
| 61 | Einundsechzig |
| 62 | Zweiundsechzig |
| 63 | Dreiundsechzig |
| 64 | Vierundsechzig |
| 65 | Fünfundsechzig |
| 66 | Sechsundsechzig |
| 67 | Siebenundsechzig |
| 68 | Achtundsechzig |
| 69 | Neunundsechzig |
| 70 | Siebzig |
| 71 | Einundsiebzig |
| 72 | Zweiundsiebzig |
| 73 | Dreiundsiebzig |
| 74 | Vierundsiebzig |
| 75 | Fünfundsiebzig |
| 76 | Sechsundsiebzig |
| 77 | Siebenundsiebzig |
| 78 | Achtundsiebzig |
| 79 | Neunundsiebzig |
| 80 | Achtzig |
| 81 | Einundachtzig |
| 82 | Zweiundachtzig |
| 83 | Dreiundachtzig |
| 84 | Vierundachtzig |
| 85 | Fünfundachtzig |
| 86 | Sechsundachtzig |
| 87 | Siebenundachtzig |
| 88 | Achtundachtzig |
| 89 | Neunundachtzig |
| 90 | Neunzig |
| 91 | Einundneunzig |
| 92 | Zweiundneunzig |
| 93 | Dreiundneunzig |
| 94 | Vierundneunzig |
| 95 | Fünfundneunzig |
| 96 | Sechsundneunzig |
| 97 | Siebenundneunzig |
| 98 | Achtundneunzig |
| 99 | Neunundneunzig |
| 100 | Einhundert |
Seeing it all in one big block can be a little overwhelming, right? Well, don’t worry. Using the simple tips and language hacks below, you’ll be able to remember all of this information with little effort.
Learn the German Numbers 1-10
The German numbers 1-10 are:
- Ein– “One”
- Zwei– “Two”
- Drei– “Three”
- Vier– “Four”
- Fünf– “Five”
- Sechs– “Six”
- Sieben– “Seven”
- Acht– “Eight”
- Neun– “Nine”
- Zehn– “Ten”
There are norulesfor these numbers – though I’ll share a simple trick for memorising them later in the article. And it is important to remember these numbers, as they occur, in one form or another, in every number you’ll use when counting.
For example, just as “eight” is in “eighteen”, “twenty-eight”, “eighty” and “eighthundred”, the same can be said foracht(“eight”) in German. “Achtzehn”, “achtundzwanzig”,”achtzig” and “achthundert”.
Learn the German Numbers 11-20
Elf(“eleven”) andzwölf(“twelve”) also don’t follow a pattern. You’ll just have to learn these by heart.
For the other German numbers between 13 and 19 you take the first four letters of the number between three and nine (like the rule above) and add the wordzehnor ten at the end:dreizehn(“thirteen”),vierzehn(“fourteen”),fünfzehn(“fifteen”), and so on.
Learn the German Multiples of 10
Between forty and ninety, all of these numbers are regular. They take the first four letters of the number between one and ten and add the word “zig” to the end of it.
Vierzig (“forty”),fünfzig(“fifty”),sechzig(“sixty”),siebzig(“seventy”),achtzig(“eighty”),neunzig(“ninety”).
Twenty and thirty are exceptions. Twenty takes the formzwanzig, and thirty isdreiiβig.
Once you’ve learned all of these you can begin to fill in the numbers with a simple formula.
All of the numbers larger than twenty follow the same pattern. Thesecondnumber is said at the start. Let me explain that a bit more:
- In English you would say “thirty-four”. The biggest number is said first, followed by the smallest number. As if you’re reading the number left to right. In German it’s the other way around.
- In German you would say, “four and thirty” orvierunddreiβig. The four comes first, followed by the thirty.
- Although I can’t tell youwhythis happens, I can tell you that it’s regular and all of these numbers in German follow this pattern.
This swapping around can take some getting used to so take some time to practice them. When it comes to writing these, many German children are taught to write the second number first, the same way as when it’s spoken, then place the first number before it.
Practicing this may help you understand it too.
Also don’t forget that:
- Zero =Null(As in null and void)
- 100 =Einhundert(This is an easy one to remember!)
By using these tips and language hacks you should have no trouble mastering the German numbers 1 to 100.
German For “One”:Ein, Eins, Eine, Einen, Eines, EinerorEinem?
The number one in German is the only number that needs to be modified.
In English, we have three words for “one”. We have the number one itself, or we use “a” or “an” to express we only have one of something.
- “I have one brother.”
- “I have a sister.”
- “I have an apple.”
In German these three words are expressed using variations ofeinandeins.
When you’re counting the quantity of something – like how many people are in a group – you’ll always use the “eins” form of the word, which is the number one itself, as you can see in the table at the start of this article.
However when you’re referring to anything else you’ll use the “ein” form of the word and its case-based variations. Such as:
Nominative:
- Masculine:ein Bruder(“a Brother”)
- Neutral:ein Auto(“a Car”)
- Feminine:eine Schwester(“a Sister”)
Accusative:
- Masculine:einen Bruder
- Neutral:ein Auto
- Feminine:eine Schwester
Dative:
- Masculine:einem Bruder
- Neutral:einem Auto
- Feminine:einer Schwester
Genitive:
- Masculine:eines Bruders
- Neutral:eines Autos
- Feminine:einer Schwester
Explaining each of these in-depth is a little beyond the scope of this article. But remember that when you’re counting, you use numbers. When you’re talking to someone, you’ll useeinand its variations.
Other numbers like “two” in German or “three” in German don’t need to be modified and stay the same throughout.
Related learning:How to Use the Dative Case in German – In-Depth Guide [with Charts]
How To Count From 100 to 1,000 In German
The rule for counting in the hundreds isexactlythe same as in English. You take the number from one to nine and add the wordhundert(“hundred”) to the end of it.
Here’s a table to show you what I mean:
| 100 | Einhundert |
| 200 | Zweihundert |
| 300 | Dreihundert |
| 400 | Vierhundert |
| 500 | Fünfhundert |
| 600 | Sechshundert |
| 700 | Siebenhundert |
| 800 | Achthundert |
| 900 | Neunhundert |
| 1000 | Eintausend |
Filling in the gaps between these numbers is relatively simple too. There are just a few things to remember:
- You always say the hundred number first.
- Between 100 and 119 you say it the same way you would in English. So 101 (“one-hundred and one”) becomeseinhundertundeins.
- Once you get higher than 20 the number-swapping rule comes into effect, but only for the two digit numbers. That means 176 (“one-hundred and seventy six”) becomeseinhundertsechsundsiebzig.
These rules apply throughout all the hundreds.
How To Count From 1,000 to 10,000 in German
You’ve already learned the hardest parts of counting in German. From here on out it’s so similar to English you don’t need to remember much.
The word for thousand in German istausend, which is said like you’re saying the English word “thousands” in a German accent.
Then the thousands themselves follow work the same as you just saw in the 100’s, but with the wordtausendadded to the end:
| 1000 | Eintausend |
| 2000 | Zweitausend |
| 3000 | Dreitausend |
| 4000 | Viertausend |
| 5000 | Fünftausend |
| 6000 | Sechstausend |
| 7000 | Siebentausend |
| 8000 | Achttausend |
| 9000 | Neuntausend |
| 10000 | Zehntausend |
When you start adding hundreds into the mix, the rules of the 100’s you just read still apply. You only change the two-digit number – like 43 – around, the rest go in order.
German Numbers: 10,000 And Beyond
For the numbers in the 10,000’s you’re going to follow the two-digit number rules. In succession, these numbers follow on in multiples of ten:zehntausend,zwanzigtausend,dreiβigtausendand so on.
When the numbers change to have a second digit, like 87, this would then becomesiebenundachtzigtausend(“seven and eighty-thousand”). This can become quite a mouthful when the number is 87,787 which would besiebenundachtzigtausendsiebenhundertsiebenundachtzig.
When you reach the 100,000’s you can then apply the rules for this, but with 100’s numbers. So 100,000 would behunderttausend, 200,000 would bezweihunderttausend, 300,000 would bedreihunderttausend, and so on.
Here are the terminologies for numbers when you count higher than that:
- Million:Million
- Billion:Milliarde
- Trillion:Billion
Remember the German Numbers with This Language Hack
You may be looking at all of these numbers right now and thinking, “How in the world am I ever going to remember all of this?”. But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
There are a few number words in German that you can simply remember as the English form and translate. For example:
- “Hundred” ->Hundert
- “Thousand” ->Tausend
- “Hundred Thousand” ->Hunderttausend
- “Million” ->Million
But how do you remember the trickier, German-sounding words?
Well, one of my favourite ways to remember numbers ismnemonics. These are attachments you make to a word to help you recall it. It can be a funny sentence, a visualistion, a play on the word or anything that helps you remember.
Well here are a few of my favourites from my time learning German:
- Drei-> Three bottles ofdrywhite wine.
- Vier-> Three isfearful of this number.
- Elf-> Eleven little Christmas elves.
- Zwanzig-> Twenty swans drawing a zig-zag in a lake.
The more ridiculous, the better! Don’t censor yourself when trying to do this, these are to help you remember, not somebody else.
For more language hacks, check out theLanguage Hacking Podcast,where hosts Benny, Shannon, and Elizabeth discuss language learning and language hacks with guests from all over the world.
The Etymology of German Numbers
Where do German numbers come from? They’re part of a branch of the language family tree called Germanic. This branch sprouts off into languages like English, Dutch and Swedish.
In fact, if you look at the major European Germanic languages side by side, you can see a lot of similarities in their spellings and pronunciations (pay close attention to the number six):
| German | Dutch | English | Norweigan | Danish | Swedish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eins | Een | One | En | En | Ett |
| Zwei | Twee | Two | To | To | Två |
| Drei | Drie | Three | Tre | Tre | Tre |
| Vier | Vier | Four | Fire | Fire | Fyra |
| Funf | Vijf | Five | Fem | Fem | Fem |
| Sechs | Zes | Six | Seks | Seks | Sex |
| Sieben | Zeven | Seven | Sju | Syv | Sju |
| Acht | Acht | Eight | Åtte | Otte | Åtta |
| Neun | Negen | Nine | Ni | Ni | Nio |
| Zehn | Tien | Ten | Ti | Ti | Tio |
If you look back toold high Germanwhich was spoken between the years 700 and 1050, you can see how some of their similarities have carried on through time too:
- Ein– “One”
- Zwene– “Two”
- Dri– “Three”
- Fior / Feor– “Four”
- Fimf– “Five”
- Sehs– “Six”
- Sibun– “Seven”
- Ahto– “Eight”
- Niun– “Nine”
- Zehan– “Ten”
German Numbers You Can Count On…
There are lots of similarities between English numbers and German numbers, and once you get used to swapping two-digit numbers around, it becomes really simple.
Once you learn your German numbers from 1-10, the rest starts to fall into place.
Original article by James Johnson, updated by the Fluent in 3 Months team.
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James Johnson
Social Media Manager, Fluent in 3 Months
As well as managing our Facebook and Twitter feeds, James teaches people how to learn German, and move to Germany, on his blog Deutschified.
Speaks: English, Spanish, German
View all posts by James Johnson
FAQs
How to learn German numbers 1 100? ›
- zero — null.
- one — eins.
- two — zwei.
- three — drei.
- four — vier.
- five — fünf.
- six — sechs.
- seven — sieben.
German numbers are pretty straightforward, but they differ from English in one way. Instead of the tens coming before the ones (ninety-seven), the ones come before the tens (siebenundneunzig, or literally “seven-and-ninety”). The word und in the middle is German for “and,” which comes up a lot in numbers.
What does a German 7 look like? ›Description. One of the main characteristics of the German number 7 is the "roof" extending to the upper left of the main stem. This roof looks something like a horizontal s, or perhaps a backward loop with a descending diagonal line to the left.
How do you say 1000 in Germany? ›Note: the numbers 100 and 1000 can be spoken as hundert/einhundert (a hundred/one hundred) and tausend/eintausend (a thousand/one thousand).
Is A1 German easy? ›The A1 test isn't to be taken lightly, but it's not impossible either. It's a very basic test, and it's not designed to throw any curveballs at you. If you go about things intelligently, you can pass this test and not have to worry about it ever again.
How fast can you learn A1 German? ›| Assess your current level & test your German online! | Intensive course (20 lessons/week) | |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | beginner | 8 weeks |
| A2 | elementary | 8 weeks |
| B1 | intermediate | 8 weeks |
| B2 | upper intermediate | 10 weeks* |
How to write German phone numbers. A German phone number has 3 parts: the country code, the area code, and the rest of the phone number. Take this number for example: +49 30 901820. +49 is the country code (Ländervorwahl) for Germany.
Do Germans count differently? ›In countries like Germany, France, Italy etc. one starts counting with the thumb (=1), adding one finger at each number up to five.
How do Germans say 60? ›Vierzig (“forty”), fünfzig (“fifty”), sechzig (“sixty”), siebzig (“seventy”), achtzig (“eighty”), neunzig (“ninety”).
Is German a hard class? ›With plenty of straightforward rules, German is not actually as hard to learn as most people think. And since English and German stem from the same language family, you might actually be surprised at the things you pick up without even trying! And on top of it all, it's definitely a useful one, too.
What is ABCD in German? ›
In German, the letters of the Alphabet are pronounced like this, and can be spelt phonetically as such: A = ah. B = bay. C = tsay. D = day.
What is the longest Germany word? ›The longest word in the standard German dictionary is Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung – which is the word for motor vehicle liability insurance. But at 36 letters, it's rather puny. Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften, a touch longer at 39 letters, is the language's longest non-dictionary word.
How do you say 99 cents in German? ›Vierunddreißig Euro und sechzig Cent. [slowly] Vierunddreißig Euro und sechzig Cent. Get ready for the next example: "99 Euros and 99 cents."
How do you say 2.30 in German? ›Es ist halb drei. (Its is two-thirty.) Es ist halb vier.
Can I learn German A1 in 15 days? ›Yes, it is possible, that is if you have dedicated many hours of German language learning without distractions. Language experts mention that learning German beginner level (or German A1 level) takes at least 75 hours to fully grasp. That takes at least 10 hours or more a day to really finish your language lessons.
How many months to learn German? ›The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) estimates that learning German will take about 30 weeks, or 750 classroom hours, as it is rated as a category two language similar to English.
Is it possible to learn German in 6 months? ›We estimate that to achieve an intermediate level in German, you'll need around 350 hours of study. This means that, if you dedicate around 15 hours a week to practicing your German, you'll be able to reach this level in just six months!
What level of German is fluent? ›C2 (Upper Advanced/Fluent)
Your mastery at the C2 level lets you produce and understand highly complex German.
German is very closely related to English. They're in the same language family called West Germanic. The two languages share common words, sentence structures, and an extremely similar alphabet. So, since you already know English, learning German by yourself won't be hard at all.
Is 1 year enough to learn German? ›It is estimated that a total of 30 weeks or 750 classroom hours are necessary to learn German. But you could complete those 750 hours in a matter of months or over the course of many years.
Do Germans use the same numbers as English? ›
...
1. Cardinal Numbers.
In the system used for example in Germany and France, the thumb represents 1, the thumb plus the index finger represents 2, and so on, until the thumb plus the index, middle, ring, and little fingers represents 5.
How do you say 6 in Germany? ›...
One to Twelve.
| Number | German Word | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | sechs | zex |
| 7 | sieben | ZEE-bin |
| 8 | acht | akt |
| 9 | neun | noin |
If we go around the clock in five-minute steps, it looks a little bit like this: 12:05 > fünf nach zwölf. 12:10 > zehn nach zwölf. 12:15 > viertel nach zwölf.
How do you say 7 45 in German? ›Es ist viertel nach halb 8 (07:45)
What does 3 fingers mean in German? ›The “Thumbs Up” Sign
In one particular scene, a spy who's posing as a German soldier in a bar gives himself away by holding up his three middle fingers when asking for three glasses. A German would have shown the number three by holding up their index and middle fingers alongside their thumb.
Germans tend to be direct and to the point. They consider small talk and over-politeness a waste of time. Americans often mistake German frankness for rudeness.
Do Germans speak high or Low German? ›Standard German is based on High German. Originally, the spread of High German as a “standard” form of the language was due to the widespread influence of the Luther Bible, Martin Luther's 16th-century translation of the Bible into his native Saxon dialect.
What is called 77 in German? ›77 siebenundsiebzig seven and seventy. 72 zweiundsiebzig two and seventy. 81 einundachtzig one and eighty. 85 fünfundachtzig five and eighty. 99 neunundneunzig nine and ninety.
What do Germans say at lunchtime? ›Mahlzeit is a German salutation. It is the short form of a more formal salutation, "Gesegnete Mahlzeit" (archaic term, de: Blessed mealtime).
How many hours do Germans study? ›
Education in Germany is designed to provide students with 20 to 30 hours of lessons per week.
Which is harder French or German? ›French tends to be easier for beginners, though it gets harder as you get into its intermediate and advanced layers. German has a tougher on-ramp for beginners, but gets easier as you go along.
Which is harder German or Japanese? ›However, in general, we can say that German is generally considered to be an easier language for English speakers to learn than Japanese. This is because German and English share many similarities in terms of grammar and vocabulary.
Is J pronounced Y in German? ›J in German is pronounced as “yott” (rhyming with “thought”). The German J is pronounced as an English Y. This can be observed in words like ja, Jammer, and Jahr. Q in German shares a similarity with English: it is always paired with a U.
What letter is not used in German? ›ß does not exist everywhere that German is spoken—the Swiss dropped it years ago. But its purpose is to help readers figure out pronunciation: A ß signals that the preceding vowel is pronounced long, instead of short, and that you should make an “ss,” not “z,” sound.
Why is V pronounced F in German? ›Originally, in Middle High German, the sound /f/ had been voiced in some dialects and was therefore written ⟨v⟩. Contemporary German has gone back to the unvoiced pronunciation, but idiosyncratically sometimes retained the medieval spelling.
What is the shortest German word? ›Hi, “wo” -> where, although the o is pronounced dilatatated, it is shorter than “ja”. Apart from some dialects there are no single letter words in German.
What is German slang for cash? ›Kohle is one of the more informal and common ways to talk about money in Germany, along the lines of "dough", "dosh" or "cash" in English.
What is German cash called? ›Adoption of the euro
The euro banknotes and coins were introduced in Germany on 1 January 2002, after a transitional period of three years when the euro was the official currency but only existed as 'book money'.
The sole currency of Germany has been the Euro since 2002.
What is 2 ß in German? ›
Why Does ß Mean “Double S” in German? In German, the letter ß is known as the eszett or scharfes (sharp) S. It's a special character, similar to the German umlaut you're probably used to seeing by now. But unlike those two dots above a, o or u, the eszett is written as a capital B-shaped character with a tail: ß.
How to say 9 15 in German? ›For 'quarter past,' you say Viertel nach: 'Viertel nach neun' = 9:15.
How to get A1 level German? ›...
All exams seek to assess the knowledge of applicants in four aspects:
- Listen ( Hören ).
- Read ( Lesen ).
- Write ( Schreiben ).
- Talk ( Sprechen ).
- Never learn German vocabulary that's irrelevant. ...
- Practice speaking with a native tutor. ...
- Use Heylama to build a vast & active vocabulary base. ...
- Learn what you would learn anyway, but in German. ...
- Create Tik Toks. ...
- Sign yourself up for a test.
➡ 5050. Sum of 1+2+3+4...... 100 is 5050. Hope it will help you !!!
What is the easiest way to memorize numbers? ›- Create associations. ...
- Break long numbers into smaller parts. ...
- Look for patterns. ...
- Learn actively. ...
- Repeat it. ...
- Visualize the shape the numbers make on a keypad. ...
- Convert numbers to words or images.
German is very closely related to English. They're in the same language family called West Germanic. The two languages share common words, sentence structures, and an extremely similar alphabet. So, since you already know English, learning German by yourself won't be hard at all.
Is A1 enough to work in Germany? ›What can I do with A1 in Germany? With a A1 German you can start to start at a German university (English-speaking studies). Also you can become an Au pair in Germany or start an FSJ or BFD. If you are an EU citizen with German A1 you can directly work in several jobs.
Is German A1 tough? ›German A1 exam pattern is quite simple. As it's a language, there are 4 modules- Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. It is 60 points exam and you have to score 36 points (60%) to pass the exam.
Is Duolingo enough for A1 German? ›Yes you can. Duolingo is a great tool for vocabs and basics learning, if you use Duolingo web version you can read grammar reviews written by contributors and there is a discussion space for each exercise. If you want to know further about anything, the web is full of resources for german language.
What level is fluent German? ›
C2 (Upper Advanced/Fluent)
This is close to native-level German fluency.
According to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI), you'll need about 750 hours of study to become fluent in German. This means that if you study 12-15 hours a week, you'll be able to speak like a pro in just a year!
Can I reach B2 German in 6 months? ›Can I Complete B2 German in 6 Months? On average, you would need 7-9 months to reach the B2 level and get a good rating, but with enough determination it is possible to complete it for 6 months as well if you simply immerse yourself in the language.
How difficult is German B2? ›How hard is B2 level German? The German language is complex yet highly systematic. For a systematic language, you need a systematic course structure though. If the course material you are using has a thought-out structure, then it shouldn't be difficult.