Numbers and Quantities in Spanish

Master Spanish numbers! Learn to count, express quantities, talk about prices, and handle numbers in everyday situations.

Numbers 0-10

Basic Numbers

Important: UNO becomes UN before masculine nouns and UNA before feminine nouns:

• un libro (one book)
• una casa (one house)

Numbers 11-20

Teens (Special Forms)

Note: 16-19 are written as one word (dieciséis, diecisiete, etc.)

Numbers 21-29

Twenties

Pattern: VEINTI + number (all one word)

Numbers 30-100

Tens

Pattern from 31-99: tens + Y + ones (three words)

• 35 = treinta y cinco
• 47 = cuarenta y siete
• 68 = sesenta y ocho

Important: Y (and) only appears between tens and ones, nowhere else!

Numbers 100-1000

Hundreds

CIEN vs CIENTO:

• CIEN = exactly 100 (cien personas)
• CIENTO = 101-199 (ciento uno, ciento cincuenta)

Gender agreement with hundreds:

• doscientos libros (masculine)
• doscientas casas (feminine)

Larger Numbers

Thousands and Millions

Important differences:

• 1000 = mil (NOT un mil)
• 1,000,000 = un millón (YES un)
• Use DE after millón: un millón DE personas

Talking About Prices

Money Expressions

Examples:

• Cuesta diez dólares. (It costs ten dollars.)
• Son cincuenta euros. (They're fifty euros.)
• ¿Cuánto cuesta el libro? (How much does the book cost?)

Currency

Pattern: Number + currency

• veinte dólares (twenty dollars)
• cincuenta euros (fifty euros)
• cien pesos (one hundred pesos)

Quantity Expressions

How Many/Much

Examples:

• ¿Cuántos libros? (How many books?)
• ¿Cuántas casas? (How many houses?)
• ¿Cuánto dinero? (How much money?)
• ¿Cuánta agua? (How much water?)

Common Quantities

Ordinal Numbers

First Through Tenth

Important:

• PRIMERO and TERCERO drop the O before masculine singular nouns:
  • el primer día (the first day)
  • el tercer libro (the third book)
• Ordinals agree in gender:
  • la primera vez (the first time)
  • el segundo piso (the second floor)

Phone Numbers

Saying Phone Numbers

Spanish speakers usually say phone numbers in pairs:

Example: 555-1234

• cinco, cincuenta y cinco, doce, treinta y cuatro
• Or: cinco, cinco, cinco, uno, dos, tres, cuatro

Ages

Expressing Age

Pattern: TENER + number + AÑOS

Always use TENER (not SER) and include AÑOS!

Math Operations

Basic Math

Practical Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Shopping

English: Customer: How much does this cost? Seller: It costs fifteen dollars. Customer: And this one? Seller: That one costs twenty-five dollars. Customer: Okay, I'll take two. Seller: Perfect. That's fifty dollars.

Spanish: Cliente: ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? Vendedor: Cuesta quince dólares. Cliente: ¿Y este? Vendedor: Ese cuesta veinticinco dólares. Cliente: Bueno, llevo dos. Vendedor: Perfecto. Son cincuenta dólares.

Dialogue 2: Personal Information

English: A: How old are you? B: I'm thirty years old. And you? A: I'm twenty-eight. B: What's your phone number? A: It's 555-1234. B: And your address? A: I live at number 42 Main Street.

Spanish: A: ¿Cuántos años tienes? B: Tengo treinta años. ¿Y tú? A: Tengo veintiocho. B: ¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono? A: Es cinco, cincuenta y cinco, doce, treinta y cuatro. B: ¿Y tu dirección? A: Vivo en la calle Principal, número cuarenta y dos.

Dialogue 3: At a Restaurant

English: Waiter: Good evening. Table for how many? Customer: For four people. Waiter: Perfect. Here's your table. Customer: Thank you. How much is the daily special? Waiter: It's eighteen dollars. Customer: And the dessert? Waiter: Five dollars.

Spanish: Mesero: Buenas noches. ¿Mesa para cuántos? Cliente: Para cuatro personas. Mesero: Perfecto. Aquí está su mesa. Cliente: Gracias. ¿Cuánto cuesta el especial del día? Mesero: Cuesta dieciocho dólares. Cliente: ¿Y el postre? Mesero: Cinco dólares.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Using Y incorrectly

• Wrong: "ciento y cinco" (for 105)
• Right: "ciento cinco"
• Y only between tens and ones!

❌ Mistake 2: Saying "un mil"

• Wrong: "un mil"
• Right: "mil" (for 1000)
• Don't use "un" with mil!

❌ Mistake 3: Forgetting gender with hundreds

• Wrong: "doscientos casas"
• Right: "doscientas casas"
• Hundreds match gender!

❌ Mistake 4: Using SER for age

• Wrong: "Soy 25 años"
• Right: "Tengo 25 años"
• Always TENER for age!

❌ Mistake 5: Writing twenties wrong

• Wrong: "veinte y uno"
• Right: "veintiuno" (one word)
• 21-29 are one word!

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Write in Spanish

1. 15
2. 23
3. 47
4. 100
5. 250

Exercise 2: Solve and Say in Spanish

1. 5 + 3 = _____
2. 10 - 4 = _____
3. 2 × 6 = _____
4. 20 ÷ 4 = _____

Exercise 3: Translate to Spanish

1. I'm 30 years old.
2. It costs twenty dollars.
3. How much is it?
4. I have three books.
5. She has fifty euros.

Exercise 4: Gender Agreement

Choose correct form:

1. (doscientos/doscientas) personas
2. (quinientos/quinientas) libros
3. (trescientos/trescientas) casas
4. (cuatrocientos/cuatrocientas) dólares

Exercise 5: Fix the Mistakes

1. Tengo veinte y cinco años.
2. Cuesta un mil dólares.
3. Soy treinta años.
4. Ciento y diez personas.

Answer Key

Exercise 1

1. quince
2. veintitrés
3. cuarenta y siete
4. cien
5. doscientos cincuenta

Exercise 2

1. ocho (cinco más tres es ocho)
2. seis (diez menos cuatro es seis)
3. doce (dos por seis es doce)
4. cinco (veinte entre cuatro es cinco)

Exercise 3

1. Tengo treinta años.
2. Cuesta veinte dólares.
3. ¿Cuánto es? / ¿Cuánto cuesta?
4. Tengo tres libros.
5. Ella tiene cincuenta euros. / Tiene cincuenta euros.

Exercise 4

1. doscientas (personas - feminine)
2. quinientos (libros - masculine)
3. trescientas (casas - feminine)
4. cuatrocientos (dólares - masculine)

Exercise 5

1. Tengo veinticinco años. (one word for 25)
2. Cuesta mil dólares. (no "un")
3. Tengo treinta años. (tener, not ser)
4. Ciento diez personas. (no Y)

Quick Reference: Numbers

0-10

cero, uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez

11-15

once, doce, trece, catorce, quince

Tens

20 veinte, 30 treinta, 40 cuarenta, 50 cincuenta, 60 sesenta, 70 setenta, 80 ochenta, 90 noventa

Hundreds

100 cien, 200 doscientos, 300 trescientos, 400 cuatrocientos, 500 quinientos

Important Patterns

• 21-29: one word (veintiuno, veintidós)
• 31-99: three words with Y (treinta y uno)
• Hundreds agree in gender
• 1000 = mil (no "un")
• 1,000,000 = un millón (yes "un")

Pro Tips

💡 Tip 1: Y Placement Y only between tens and ones "cuarenta Y cinco" Never elsewhere!

💡 Tip 2: CIEN vs CIENTO CIEN = exactly 100 CIENTO = 101-199 "Cien personas" / "Ciento uno"

💡 Tip 3: Hundreds Match Gender doscientos hombres (masculine) doscientas mujeres (feminine) Must agree!

💡 Tip 4: TENER for Age Never SER! "Tengo 25 años" Always TENER + años

💡 Tip 5: No UN with MIL 1000 = mil (not "un mil") 2000 = dos mil Special rule for mil!

Cultural Notes

📚 Number Format: Spanish-speaking countries often use periods where English uses commas and vice versa: 1.000 (one thousand) and 1,5 (one and a half).

🗣️ Phone Numbers: Phone number formats vary by country. In Spain, they're often said in pairs. In Latin America, patterns vary.

🌍 Regional Variations:

• Numbers themselves are universal
• Currency names vary: peso, sol, quetzal, córdoba, etc.
• Some countries say "setiembre" instead of "septiembre" for September

💭 Bargaining: In markets, knowing numbers well is essential for bargaining, which is common in many Spanish-speaking countries!

Next Steps

After mastering numbers:

1. ✅ Learn more ordinal numbers (11th, 12th, etc.)
2. ✅ Study fractions and decimals
3. ✅ Practice dates and years
4. ✅ Master telling time
5. ✅ Learn percentages and statistics

4-Week Action Plan

Week 1: 0-100

• Day 1-2: Master 0-20
• Day 3-4: Learn 21-100
• Day 5-7: Practice daily

Week 2: Larger Numbers

• Day 1-3: Learn hundreds
• Day 4-5: Master thousands
• Day 6-7: Use in prices

Week 3: Practical Applications

• Day 1-3: Practice prices and shopping
• Day 4-5: Master ages
• Day 6-7: Phone numbers and addresses

Week 4: Natural Usage

• Day 1-3: Quick number recognition
• Day 4-5: Use in conversations
• Day 6-7: Count automatically

Remember: Numbers are essential for daily life! Master 0-100 first, then add hundreds and thousands. Remember that Y only goes between tens and ones (cuarenta Y cinco, not ciento Y cinco), hundreds match gender (doscientos/doscientas), and use TENER for age (tengo 25 años). Practice counting daily, use numbers when shopping, and you'll gain confidence quickly. Numbers are everywhere - master them and you'll handle countless situations in Spanish!