French numbers from 1 to 20
Vocalyra teaching team · Last updated:
The first twenty French numbers are the base for telling the time, giving your phone number and counting money. They also contain the seeds of the famous French counting system that continues at 70.
Un to dix
Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix. Two numbers here have context-dependent final consonants: six and dix are said like seece and deece alone, but the final letter is silent before a consonant (six livres sounds like see livres) and becomes a z before a vowel. Un becomes une before a feminine noun: une table.
Onze to vingt
Eleven to sixteen have their own words: onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, seize. Seventeen to nineteen are built with dix plus the unit joined by a hyphen: dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf. Vingt ends the series. Notice there is no elision before onze and huit: you say le onze and le huit, never l'onze or l'huit.
| Number | French | Sound hint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | un / une | uhn / ün |
| 6 | six | seece alone, see before a consonant |
| 9 | neuf | nurf |
| 10 | dix | deece alone, dee before a consonant |
| 11 | onze | onz, no elision |
| 16 | seize | sez |
| 17 | dix-sept | dee-set |
| 20 | vingt | van, silent gt |
Numbers in real life
Prices, times and phone numbers all use these: il est trois heures, ça coûte douze euros. Phone numbers are said in pairs: 06 12 34 is zéro six, douze, trente-quatre. Practise saying your own phone number and address aloud; it is the fastest way to make the sounds automatic.
A word about the spelling traps learners meet in dictations: quatre keeps its final e, cinq ends in a q, and neuf has an f that sounds like a v before ans and heures (neuv ans, neuv heures). Deux, six and dix have a final x that is often silent before consonants but can be pronounced as a z before vowels in liaison. The final t of vingt is heard in vingt et un, but not normally in vingt-deux or quatre-vingts. The companion guide explains 70, 80 and 90 in more detail. Count objects around you each day, alternating languages, until the switch is instant.
Quick self-check
How do you write 14 in French?
Show answer
quatorze
How do you write 17 in French?
Show answer
dix-sept
Choose: (l'onze / le onze) juillet
Show answer
le onze
Choose: une table is number one with a (masculine / feminine) noun.
Show answer
feminine