The Numbers in Spanish Translation | Speak Digits With Ease

Spanish numbers run on repeatable patterns: learn the building blocks, then combine them to say almost any number with steady pronunciation.

Numbers show up everywhere. You order food, read a bus route, share your phone number, pay a bill, book a room, or give an address. When Spanish numbers feel easy, the rest of your Spanish feels calmer, too.

This article gives you a straight path from the basics to real-life use. You’ll learn the word sets that matter, the patterns that join them, and the small spelling and agreement changes that make your Spanish sound natural.

Why Spanish Numbers Feel Tricky At First

Many learners cruise through uno, dos, tres, then slow down at the teens, the 20s, and anything past 100. It’s not a “bad memory” problem. Spanish keeps a few groups as fixed words, then switches into a pattern.

Once you see that switch, you stop hunting for a translation word by word. You start building numbers the way Spanish does: with set parts that snap together.

The Numbers in Spanish Translation

If you want a solid base, lock in three layers: 0–10, 11–29, and the tens from 30–90. After that, hundreds and thousands work like stacking blocks.

Zero To Ten

These are the bricks you reuse inside bigger numbers. Say them out loud until your mouth doesn’t hesitate.

• 0: cero
• 1: uno (often un or una before a noun)
• 2: dos
• 3: tres
• 4: cuatro
• 5: cinco
• 6: seis
• 7: siete
• 8: ocho
• 9: nueve
• 10: diez

Eleven To Fifteen Use Fixed Forms

Spanish keeps 11–15 as single words. Learn them as whole units and you’ll save a lot of friction.

• 11: once
• 12: doce
• 13: trece
• 14: catorce
• 15: quince

Sixteen To Nineteen Fuse Into One Word

16–19 are built as “ten and six,” “ten and seven,” and so on, but Spanish writes them as one word: dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve.

The accent in dieciséis marks the stress. Read what you see and your pronunciation stays steady.

Twenty To Twenty-Nine Also Fuse

20 is veinte. Then Spanish usually fuses 21–29 into one word: veintiuno, veintidós, veintitrés… up to veintinueve.

Spelling matters in this band. The RAE warns against “venti-” spellings; its note on veintiuno is a handy reference when you’re writing.

Tens From Thirty On Use “Y”

From 30 onward, Spanish uses a clean pattern: tens + y + ones.

• 30: treinta → 31: treinta y uno
• 40: cuarenta → 42: cuarenta y dos
• 50: cincuenta
• 60: sesenta
• 70: setenta
• 80: ochenta
• 90: noventa

Pronunciation Notes That Save You From Stumbles

Two habits help right away. First, keep each number in one steady beat, not in chopped syllables. Second, let written accents guide your stress in words like veintidós and veintitrés. If you also write numbers out in Spanish, the RAE’s Ortografía guidance on writing numbers as words explains when words are preferred over digits in running text.

Spanish Numbers Translation Patterns For Confident Recall

Now you can push past 100 by stacking place values. Spanish stays close to the math: hundreds, then thousands, then millions.

Hundreds

100 is cien when it stands alone: cien euros, cien páginas. In 101–199, it shifts to ciento: ciento uno, ciento quince, ciento noventa y nueve.

From 200 onward, many hundreds change with gender when they describe a noun:

• 200: doscientos / doscientas
• 300: trescientos / trescientas
• 400: cuatrocientos / cuatrocientas
• 500: quinientos / quinientas
• 600: seiscientos / seiscientas
• 700: setecientos / setecientas
• 800: ochocientos / ochocientas
• 900: novecientos / novecientas

In speech, people often drop the noun when the context is clear. Still, when a noun is present, matching gender keeps your Spanish tidy.

Thousands

1,000 is mil, not “un mil.” You say mil on its own, then add the rest: mil doscientos (1,200), mil cuarenta (1,040).

For 2,000 and up, it’s dos mil, tres mil, and so on. Spanish uses miles when you mean “thousands” in general: miles de personas.

Millions

1,000,000 is un millón. In plural, it’s dos millones. Then you keep stacking: dos millones trescientos mil (2,300,000).

Table Of Core Patterns And Tricky Spots

This table pulls the spots that cause most slips into one place, so you can check yourself when speaking or writing.

Number Range	How Spanish Builds It	Notes That Prevent Mistakes
0–10	Single words	Say them daily until they feel automatic.
11–15	Fixed forms	Learn as full units: once through quince.
16–19	Fused teen forms	Dieciséis carries an accent; keep stress clear.
20–29	veinte + fused unit	Write veinti- forms; avoid “venti-”.
30–99	Tens + y + unit	Use y only between tens and ones: treinta y dos.
100 vs. 101+	cien vs. ciento	Cien stands alone; ciento starts 101–199.
200–900	Hundreds with -cientos/-cientas	Match gender with the noun: doscientas páginas.
1,000+	mil, then stack	Say mil, not “un mil.” Add hundreds and tens after it.
1,000,000+	millón / millones	Un millón is singular; plural adds -es.

Ordinals And Fractions In Plain Spanish

Counting is only one slice of number words. Spanish also uses ordinals (first, second) and fractions (half). You’ll meet both in dates, floors, recipes, and schedules.

Ordinals You’ll Actually Hear

For 1st–10th, Spanish has short common forms: primero, segundo, tercero, cuarto, quinto, sexto, séptimo, octavo, noveno, décimo. Past that, Spanish can form longer ordinals, yet many speakers use cardinals in casual talk.

If you’re writing formal ordinals, the RAE’s entry on ordinales lists standard forms and notes.

Fractions That Come Up Often

• 1/2: medio / media
• 1/3: un tercio
• 1/4: un cuarto
• 3/4: tres cuartos

With time, you’ll often hear y cuarto and y media: Son las dos y cuarto (2:15), Son las dos y media (2:30).

Numbers In Real Life: Dates, Time, Money, And Phone Details

Knowing “one to one hundred” is nice. Using numbers under pressure is where the skill pays off. These four areas cover most day-to-day needs.

Dates

In many places, dates are written day-month-year. Spoken dates often use cardinals: el cinco de abril. For the first day of the month, Spanish often uses an ordinal: el primero de mayo.

Time

Two styles are common. One names the hour then adds minutes: Son las tres diez (3:10). Another counts toward the next hour with menos: Son las cuatro menos cinco (3:55). Both are normal.

Money

Prices are said with cardinals: trece euros, cincuenta pesos, dos dólares con cincuenta. In writing, currency formats vary by country, so follow the local norm on forms and receipts.

Phone Numbers And IDs

Long numbers are often read in chunks. Some people group digits in pairs; others read digit by digit. Choose a rhythm and pause between chunks so the listener can repeat it back.

If you want guided practice that matches beginner course content, the Centro Virtual Cervantes has an A1 activity on numbers from 1 to 100 that you can use as extra drilling.

Table Of Useful Numbers To Practice Out Loud

Read each line, then swap the noun at the end to train agreement and flow. Try to say each one twice without pausing.

Use Case	Spanish	Tip
Room 21	la habitación veintiuna	Match veintiuna with a feminine noun.
Bus 32	el autobús treinta y dos	Use y between tens and ones.
1,500 meters	mil quinientos metros	Say mil first, then the rest.
2.5 liters	dos coma cinco litros	Coma is the decimal marker in speech.
Half a kilo	medio kilo	Use medio with masculine nouns, media with feminine ones.
May 1	el primero de mayo	Many speakers use an ordinal only for the first day.
7:45	Son las ocho menos cuarto	Spanish often counts “to” the next hour.
€19	diecinueve euros	Keep teens as fused words; stress stays smooth.

Gender And Short Forms: “Un,” “Una,” And “-ún”

Spanish numbers can shift shape when they sit next to nouns. These changes are small, yet they show up all the time.

Uno Becomes Un Or Una

When “one” comes before a noun, uno usually shortens to un for masculine nouns and changes to una for feminine nouns: un libro, una mesa. The full uno stays when you count on its own: Uno, dos, tres…

Veintiuno And The -ún Form

Before a masculine singular noun, 21 often becomes veintiún: veintiún días. Before a feminine noun, it’s veintiuna: veintiuna semanas. The same pattern shows up with 31, 41, 51, and so on: treinta y un / treinta y una.

When A Noun Follows, Keep The Number Tight

With masculine singular nouns, uno shortens, but only when it sits right before the noun: ciento un libros sounds wrong because the noun is plural. A clean phrasing is ciento un libro (101 book) or, for plural nouns, choose a number that matches the meaning. In real talk, you’ll more often talk about rounder totals, so the safest habit is simple: say the noun, then re-check the ending on 1 and 21.

Practice That Feels Like Real Conversation

Lists can get dull. Short drills built around real tasks work better. Keep them loud, keep them brief, and repeat them often.

Drill 1: The Receipt Read-Out

Open a receipt or an online cart and read the quantities and prices in Spanish. Start with totals under 30, then move up. If you stumble, repeat that number three times, then continue.

Drill 2: The Address Swap

Write five made-up addresses: street number, apartment, and a postal code. Read each one to a friend, then switch roles. Ask them to repeat it back. You’ll learn where you must slow down.

Drill 3: The Clock Game

Set random alarms through the day. When one goes off, say the time in Spanish two ways: with minutes and with menos style. It takes ten seconds and it builds automatic recall.

A Mini List To Save In Your Notes

If you want one compact set to keep on your phone, use this. Read it daily for a week and you’ll feel the shift.

• 0–10: cero, uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez
• 11–15: once, doce, trece, catorce, quince
• 16–19: dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve
• 20–29: veinte + veinti- forms
• 30–99: tens + y + unit
• 100: cien; 101–199: ciento
• 1,000: mil; 1,000,000: un millón