Italian Numbers
Learning the Italian Numbers is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. The more you practice the subject, the closer you get to mastering the Italian language. But first we need to know what the role of Numbers is in the structure of the grammar in Italian.
Italian cardinal number convey the "how many" they're also known as "counting numbers," because they show quantity.
Grammar Tips:
In Italian numbers from 1 to 20 are
unique and therefore need to be memorized individually. Numbers from 21 and
upwards are formed by using the following pattern: for example 21 can be formed
by using 20 + 1 while connecting them. 22 = ventidue. When 2 vowels are together, the first is dropped to make ventuno (not ventiuno, 21) and ventotto (not ventiotto, 28). 45 can be formed by using 40 + e + 5 while connecting
them: 45 = Quarantacinque.
Here are some examples:
| English Numbers | Italian Numbers |
| numbers | numeri |
| one | uno |
| two | due |
| three | tre |
| four | quattro |
| five | cinque |
| six | sei |
| seven | sette |
| eight | otto |
| nine | nove |
| ten | dieci |
| eleven | undici |
| twelve | dodici |
| thirteen | tredici |
| fourteen | quattordici |
| fifteen | quindici |
| sixteen | sedici |
| seventeen | diciassette |
| eighteen | diciotto |
| nineteen | diciannove |
| twenty | venti |
| hundred | cento |
| one thousand | mille |
| million | milione |
As you can see from the example above, the structure of the Numbers in Italian has a logical pattern. Locate the Numbers above and see how it works with the rest of the sentence in Italian.
List of Ordinal Numbers in Italian
Italian Ordinal numbers tell the order of things in a set: first, second, third, etc. Ordinal numbers do not show quantity. They only show rank or position. Below is a list of the Cardinal Numbers and Ordinal Numbers in Italian. Memorizing this table will help you add very useful and important words to your Italian vocabulary.
| English Numbers | Italian Numbers |
| Ordinal Numbers | Numeri Ordinali |
| first | primo (masculine) and prima (feminine) |
| second | secondo |
| third | terzo |
| fourth | quarto |
| fifth | quinto |
| sixth | sesto |
| seventh | settimo |
| eighth | ottavo |
| ninth | nono |
| tenth | decimo |
| eleventh | undicesimo |
| twelfth | dodicesimo |
| thirteenth | tredicesimo |
| fourteenth | quattordicesimo |
| fifteenth | quindicesimo |
| sixteenth | sedicesimo |
| seventeenth | diciassettesimo |
| eighteenth | diciottesimo |
| nineteenth | diciannovesimo |
| twentieth | ventesimo |
| |
| once | una volta |
| twice | due volte |
Cardinal Numbers and Ordinal Numbers have a very important role in Italian, therefore they need very special attention. Once you're done with Italian Numbers, you might want to check the rest of our Italian lessons here: Learn Italian. Don't forget to bookmark this page.