The Basics of German Numbering

In Germany, the way numbers are written and pronounced can seem a bit confusing at first. But once you learn the basics, it’s easy to understand! We will go over the basics of German numbering so that you will be able to count in German like a pro!

Mastering the German Numbers

Numbers are an important part of communication and should be one of the first vocabulary items learned when studying a foreign language. Knowing your numbers in German will be tremendously helpful, whether you are telling the time, shopping, looking for an address, making a phone call, paying the bill in a restaurant, riding the train, etc. Once you memorize 1-10 and the numbers by 10’s from 20-100, you can formulate any number in between from a pattern!

The German Numbers 1-10

Source: @LearnGermanOriginal

Ein – “One”

Zwei – “Two”

Drei – “Three”

Vier – “Four”

Fünf – “Five”

Sechs – “Six”

Sieben – “Seven”

Acht – “Eight”

Neun – “Nine”

Zehn – “Ten”

The numbers one through ten are very important in the German language. They are used in every number, for example, eighteen is “achtzehn”, twenty-eight is “achtundzwanzig” and eighty is “achtzig”. It is important to remember these numbers as you will need them frequently.

The German Numbers 11-20

German numbers between thirteen and nineteen follow a pattern. The first four letters of the number between three and nine are taken, then “zehn” or “ten” is added to the end. This pattern must be memorized, as it does not follow a predictable pattern. Some examples include “dreizehn” (“thirteen”), “vierzehn” (“fourteen”), and “fünfzehn” (“fifteen”).

Zig-Zag Numbers

The above content states that all numbers between 40 and 90 follow the same pattern, where “zig” is added to the end of the number. This pattern appears to continue in this sequence, as 90 is followed by 91, 92, 93, etc. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues as we approach 100.

German numbers are a little strange. The number 20 is “zwanzig”, and 30 is “dreiβig”. These are exceptions to the standard rule that numbers ending in “0” are pronounced “null”. This is probably because these two numbers are special cases – 20 is a multiple of 10, and 30 is a multiple of 5. So, the number 10 is “zehn”, 20 is “zwanzig”, 30 is “dreiβig”, 40 is “vierzig”, 50 is “fünfzig”, 60 is “sechzig”, 70 is “siebenzig”, 80 is “achtzig”, and 90 is “neunzig”.

The number 100 in German is “einhundert”. This means that when counting in German, after reaching 99, the number 100 is said as “einhundert”. This is also the number for one hundred in German.

Different ways to say “one” in English and German

There are three words for “one” in English, while the German language has multiple variations of the word ein (meaning “one”). When counting something in German, always use the “eins” form of the word. This can be a bit confusing for English speakers learning German, but with a little practice, it becomes easy to remember.

Der vs Ein: How to Use Them

When referring to people, the word “der” is used. This is because each person has a unique identity, and so deserves to be called by their name. It also shows that we respect and appreciate each individual for who they are.

The word “ein” is used instead of any other word in the German language. This makes it a versatile and interesting word to use in conversation. It can be used as a pronoun, an article, or even a number.

The Three Genders in German

There are three genders in German: masculine, feminine, and neutral. Each gender has its own set of pronouns, articles, and adjectives. For example, the word “Frau” is the German word for “woman” and is feminine. The word “Mann” is the word for “man” and is masculine. The word “es” is the word for “it” and is neutral.

The article “ein” is used for masculine nouns, “eine” is used for feminine nouns, and “ein” (without the umlaut) is used for neutral nouns. This is important to know when you are learning German, as you will need to use the correct article when talking about different genders. For example, if you are talking about a man, you would say “der Mann” (the man), but if you are talking about a woman, you would say “die Frau” (the woman).

Nouns are a part of the German language and can be masculine or feminine. Masculine nouns include “Bruder” (brother), while examples of feminine nouns include “Schwester” (sister). It is important to know the gender of a noun when speaking or writing in German, as the articles and adjectives that modify them change depending on the gender. For example, the word for “cat” is “Katze” in German, regardless of whether the cat is male or female. However, the word for “male cat” is “Kater” and the word for “female cat” is “Katze”. This is just one example of how gender affects word choice in German. It is important to pay attention to the gender of a noun when learning this language!

The Accusative Case

The accusative case is used when a noun is the direct object of a verb. In the example sentence, the accusative case is used for the nouns “Bruder” and “Auto.” The accusative case indicates that these nouns are the recipients of the action of the verbs “haben” and “kaufen,” respectively.

Nouns in the Dative Case

When referring to a brother, you would use the word “einem” in the dative case. When referring to a sister, you would use the word “einer” in the dative case. When referring to a car, you would use the word “einem” in the dative case.

The Genitive Case

When referring to anything else, you will use the “ein” form of the word and its case-based variations. For example, when referring to a brother, you would use “eines Bruders.” When referring to a car, you would use “eines Autos.” And when referring to a sister, you would use “einer Schwester.”

The German Numbers System: Understanding Ein, Zwei, and Drei

There are three types of numbers in German: cardinal, ordinal, and fractions. Cardinal numbers are the most basic type and simply refer to how many things there are. Ordinal numbers indicate the order of things, such as first, second, third, and so on. Fractions are used to denote a portion of something, such as one-half or three-quarters.

Each type of number has different endings that must be used depending on the gender and number of the noun it is modifying. For example, the cardinal number eins (one) becomes eine (feminine singular), ein (masculine singular), or eines (neuter singular) when it is modifying a noun. The ordinal number erste (first) becomes erstes (feminine singular), erster (masculine singular), or erstes (neuter singular).

In general, the endings for cardinal numbers are -s for plurals and -en for neuters. The endings for ordinal numbers are -e for feminine singulars, -er for masculine singulars, and -st for neuter singulars. The endings for fractions are always -tel for neuter nouns.

German Numbers: Hundreds

The numbers 100-1000 are just like the numbers in English, except for the addition of hundert at the end. This means that when counting in hundreds, you just take the number from one to nine and add hundert to it. This can be a little confusing at first, but with a little practice, it becomes second nature.

100 Einhundert

200 Zweihundert

300 Dreihundert

400 Vierhundert

500 Fünfhundert

600 Sechshundert

700 Siebenhundert

800 Achthundert

900 Neunhundert

1000 Eintausend

German numbers are written the same way as English numbers when they are between 1 and 20. 21 is zwanzig (20 + 1), 22 is zweiundzwanzig (2 x 20), and so on. When you get to a number with two digits, like 31, the first digit is swapped with the second digit. So 31 is dreiundzwanzig (3 x 20). The number 45 is also written as dreiundvierzig (3 + 4 x 20). This number-swapping rule applies up to 99. 100 is hundert (100), 101 is hundertundeins (100 + 1), and so on.

The hundredth number, 200, is written as zweihundert (2 x 100), and 300 is written as dreihundert (3 x 100). The thousandth number, 1000, is written as tausend (1,000), and 10,000 is written as zehntausend (10,000). 100,000 is written as hunderttausend (100,000), and 1,000,000 is written as eine Million (1,000,000).

Counting in German: From 1,000 to 10,000

The word for thousand in German is “tausend,” which is similar to English counting. From there, you do not need to remember much to continue counting up in German. For example, the word for ten thousand is “zehn tausend.”

1000 Eintausend

2000 Zweitausend

3000 Dreitausend

4000 Viertausend

5000 Fünftausend

6000 Sechstausend

7000 Siebentausend

8000 Achttausend

9000 Neuntausend

10000 Zehntausend

German Numbers in the 10,000’s

When it comes to writing about numbers in the 10,000’s, there are a few key things to remember. Firstly, when the number has two digits, the first digit still counts as the main number and the second digit is just added on afterwards. So for example, 87 would become seven and eighty-thousand (siebenundachtzigtausend), and 97 would become nine and seventy-thousand (neunundsiebzigtausend). Secondly, when you reach the 100,000’s, you can then apply the rules for this but with 100’s numbers. So 100 000 would be hunderttausend, 200 000 would be zweihunderttausend, 300 000 would be dreihunderttausend, and so on. This can become quite a mouthful when the number is 87,787 which would be siebenundachtzigtausendsiebenhundertsiebenundachtzig. But with a little practice, you’ll be able to spell out any number in no time at all!

Conclusion

Mastering the basics of German Numbering is a great way to improve your language skills. With a little practice, you’ll be able to confidently use numbers in various situations. These concepts are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to grammar rules in the German language.

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