German Numbers (Numerale) – Cardinal & Ordinal Numbers

In German grammar, Numerale are numbers that indicate quantity or order. They are divided into two main types — Cardinal numbers (for counting) and Ordinal numbers (for ranking or order).

1. Cardinal Numbers (Kardinalzahlen)

Cardinal numbers answer the question Wie viele? (How many?). They are used for counting, expressing quantity and telling time.

eins (1), zwei (2), drei (3), vier (4), fünf (5), sechs (6), sieben (7), acht (8), neun (9), zehn (10)

Examples:

• Ich habe drei Bücher. → I have three books.
• Wir wohnen im zehnten Stock. → We live on the tenth floor.
• Er hat zwei Autos. → He has two cars.

Cardinal Numbers from 1 to 20

Numbers 21–99

German combines the unit before the tens with und (“and”):

einundzwanzig (21), zweiunddreißig (32), fünfundvierzig (45)

Hundreds and Thousands

• hundert – hundred
• zweihundert – two hundred
• tausend – thousand
• zweitausend – two thousand

2. Ordinal Numbers (Ordnungszahlen)

Ordinal numbers describe position or order, answering Der wievielte? (Which one?). They are formed with the suffix -te (for 1–19) and -ste (for 20+).

Formation:

• 1 → erste
• 2 → zweite
• 3 → dritte
• 4 → vierte
• 5 → fünfte
• 20 → zwanzigste
• 21 → einundzwanzigste

Examples:

Heute ist der dritte Mai. → Today is the third of May.

Er wohnt im vierten Stock. → He lives on the fourth floor.

Das ist mein zwanzigster Geburtstag. → That is my twentieth birthday.

Ordinal Numbers 1–10

3. Use of Numbers in Dates and Time

Der 25. Dezember ist Weihnachten. → December 25th is Christmas.

Ich komme am zehnten Juli. → I am coming on the 10th of July.

When writing dates in German ordinal numbers are shown with a period “.” after the number.

4. Pronunciation Tip

Pay attention to the difference between sechzehn (16) and sechzig (60) or siebzehn (17) and siebzig (70). They can sound similar to learners.

5. Summary Table

6. Practice Sentences

• Ich habe vier Freunde. → I have four friends.
• Heute ist mein neunter Tag in Berlin. → Today is my ninth day in Berlin.
• Das ist das dritte Kapitel. → That’s the third chapter.