A fun and easy guide to cardinal & ordinal numbers in French

If you like languages, you might prefer letters to numbers. However, you can’t speak a language without knowing its numbers. From dates — days, months and years — to time, numbers are everywhere. This video proves my point!

There’s something curious about numbers in another language. As a polyglot, I still count in French in my head no matter where I am, for example to give change in a store, or share my phone number.

And there’s a scientific explanation to this: While languages and words are mainly processed in the brain’s left hemisphere, numerical reasoning happens in the right hemisphere.

So, give yourself a good brain workout and learn numbers in French! Trust me, your hemispheres won’t be disappointed, as you can see in this hilarious video.

In this article, though, we’ll focus on the difference between cardinal numbers and ordinal numbers in French.

Do these pompous names sound intimidating to you? Keep reading, it’s actually quite simple.

Cardinal numbers in French

Cardinal numbers are your usual numbers. They’re used for counting, or expressing the quantity of something. You use them every single day, and you probably started by learning from 1 to 10 in French — if not, time to meet Ratounet — and in your native language, actually.

What are the cardinal numbers in French? How do you write and pronounce them?

Here is a little soundtrack to learn the cardinal numbers in French below.

Examples of cardinal numbers in use

• J'ai trois chats à la maison. (I have three cats at home.)
• Nous avons réservé une table pour cinq au restaurant. (We have reserved a table for five at the restaurant.)
• Il mesure un mètre quatre-vingts. (He is a 1 m 80 tall)
• Elle a sept frères et sœurs. (She has seven brothers and sisters.)
• Le supermarché est ouvert vingt-quatre heures sur vingt-quatre. (The supermarket is open 24/7.)
• J'ai besoin de neuf timbres pour envoyer mes lettres. (I need nine stamps to send my letters.)
• Mon cousin a dix ans et il va à l'école primaire. (My cousin is ten years old, and he goes to elementary school.)
• Je suis né le trente et un janvier. (I was born on the thirty-first of January.)
• J’aimerais gagner un million d’euros. (I would like to win a million euros.)
• Mon frère a plus de cent amis sur Internet. (My brother has more than a hundred friends on the Internet.)

Ordinal numbers in French

Ordinal numbers are used to indicate the position or order of something, or someone, in a sequence — for example, a military… errr… elephant rank.

In French, most ordinal numbers are easy: Just add “-ième” at the end of the cardinal number.

But as you can imagine, there is an exception! However, for once, unlike in English, there’s only one! “First” is different:

• Masculine: Premier
• Feminine: Première

What are ordinal numbers in French? How do you write and pronounce them?

It’s time to put these numbers in order, don’t you think?

Note on “deuxième” vs. “second/seconde”

• “Deuxième” is preferred if there are more than two things, for example: “J’adore la deuxième chanson de cet album.” (I love the second song of this album).
• “Second/seconde” is preferred if there are only two things, for example: “Je préfère cette robe à la seconde.” (I prefer this dress to the other one).

Note on La énième fois

• "La énième fois" is an expression that translates to “the gazillionth time”, "the umpteenth time" or "the nth time". It conveys the idea of repetition or recurrence, indicating that something has happened or is happening repeatedly, often to the point of becoming tedious or predictable.

Examples of ordinal numbers in use

• C'est la première fois que je vais à Genève. (It's the first time I'm going to Geneva.)
• Nous sommes au vingt-et-unième siècle. (We are in the twenty-first century.)
• Elle est arrivée troisième lors de la course. (She came in third place in the race.)
• J'ai besoin du quatrième chapitre du livre. (I need the fourth chapter of the book.)
• Le deuxième étage de l'immeuble est réservé aux bureaux. (The second floor of the building is reserved for offices.)
• Le huitième mois de l'année est août. (The eighth month of the year is August.)
• J'ai rencontré mon ami dans le neuvième arrondissement de Paris. (I met my friend in the ninth district of Paris.)
• Le dixième anniversaire de notre mariage approche. (The tenth anniversary of our wedding is approaching.)
• Il fête son quatre-vingt-dixième anniversaire. (He’s celebrating his ninetieth birthday.)
• Je suis le septième enfant dans ma famille. (I am the seventh child in my family.)

When should you contract ordinal numbers

The contraction of ordinal numbers in French are as follows:

• Premier/première: 1er/1ère
• Deuxième: 2e
• Troisième: 3e
• And so on.

You might see “2ème” and “3ème” in some places, but these are not the correct typography in French.

Contractions are basically used like in English and widely accepted in most types of texts, except perhaps in a very formal context.

Below are a couple of examples:

• La chanson s’est classée à la 5e place du Top 50. (The song ranked 5th in the Top 50.)
• Il est 1er de sa classe. (He’s 1st of this class.)

When in France, you might also see Roman numeral contractions, for example for districts:

• Je vis dans le XIIe arrondissement de Paris. (I live in the 12th arrondissement of Paris.)

Ordinal vs cardinal numbers: the key differences

1. Purpose and usage:

Cardinal numbers indicate quantity and are used in general counting and measurement, while ordinal numbers express order, rank, sequence or position.

Examples:

• Je voudrais 2 kilos de pommes, s’il vous plait. (I’d like 2 kilos of apples, please.)
• C’est la deuxième fois qu’il achète des pommes cette semaine. (It’s the second time he bought apples this week.)

2. Formation:

Ordinal numbers are typically formed by adding the suffix "ième" to the cardinal numbers — with the exception of “er/ère” for “premier/première” — to the corresponding cardinal number (e.g., quatre → quatrième).

Examples:

• C’est la première fois qu’il visite Lyon. (It’s the first time he’s visiting Lyon.)
• Continuez tout droit et prenez la cinquième rue à gauche. (Keep straight ahead and take the fifth street on the left.)

3. Dates:

As in English, the ordinal number “premier” is used to indicate the first day of the month. However, unlike in English, cardinal numbers are used for all the other days.

Examples:

Aujourd’hui, c’est le 1er juin. (Today is June 1st.)

Demain, ce sera le 2 juin. (Tomorrow will be June 2nd.)

Ordinal vs. cardinal: Key numbers: