Ordinal Numbers in Spanish

Master Spanish ordinal numbers (first, second, third...) - essential for dates, floors, rankings, competitions, and sequences!

What Are Ordinal Numbers?

Ordinal numbers indicate position or order in a sequence:

Cardinal numbers: uno, dos, tres (one, two, three) Ordinal numbers: primero, segundo, tercero (first, second, third)

Uses:

• Dates (first of the month)
• Floors in buildings
• Rankings and positions
• Sequences and lists
• Competition results

Ordinal Numbers 1st-10th

The First Ten

Examples:

• el primer día (the first day)
• la segunda vez (the second time)
• el tercer piso (the third floor)
• la cuarta calle (the fourth street)

Gender Agreement

Ordinals Match the Noun

Ordinal numbers are adjectives and must agree with the noun!

With masculine nouns:

• el primer libro (the first book)
• el segundo día (the second day)
• el tercer año (the third year)

With feminine nouns:

• la primera vez (the first time)
• la segunda página (the second page)
• la tercera casa (the third house)

Plural forms:

• los primeros días (the first days)
• las primeras veces (the first times)

Special Forms: PRIMERO and TERCERO

Shortening Before Masculine Singular Nouns

PRIMERO → PRIMER (before masculine singular noun) TERCERO → TERCER (before masculine singular noun)

Masculine singular:

• el primer día (the first day - not "primero")
• el tercer piso (the third floor - not "tercero")

Feminine (no change):

• la primera vez (the first time)
• la tercera calle (the third street)

Plural (no change):

• los primeros días (the first days)
• las terceras calles (the third streets)

Alone or after noun:

• Soy el primero (I'm the first - masculine)
• Vivo en el piso tercero (I live on the third floor - after noun)

Ordinal Numbers 11th-20th

Beyond Ten

Note: 11th-20th are rarely used in spoken Spanish!

Common practice: After 10th, use cardinal numbers instead

• el piso once (the 11th floor - using cardinal)
• el doce de mayo (May 12th - using cardinal)

Higher Ordinal Numbers

21st-100th

Important: These are VERY rarely used!

Common practice: Use cardinal numbers

• el aniversario cincuenta (the 50th anniversary)
• el piso veinticinco (the 25th floor)

Common Uses of Ordinal Numbers

1. First of the Month

PRIMERO is used for the first day:

• el primero de enero (January 1st)
• el primero de mayo (May 1st)
• el primero de mes (the first of the month)

All other dates use cardinal numbers:

• el dos de enero (January 2nd - not "segundo")
• el quince de marzo (March 15th)
• el treinta de abril (April 30th)

Examples:

• Hoy es el primero de enero (Today is January 1st)
• Mi cumpleaños es el cinco de mayo (My birthday is May 5th - cardinal!)

2. Floors in Buildings

Ordinals for floors 1-10:

• el primer piso (the first floor)
• el segundo piso (the second floor)
• el tercer piso (the third floor)
• el décimo piso (the tenth floor)

Cardinals for floors above 10:

• el piso once (the 11th floor)
• el piso quince (the 15th floor)
• el piso veinte (the 20th floor)

Note: In Spain, "planta baja" = ground floor, "primer piso" = second floor (US)!

Examples:

• Vivo en el segundo piso (I live on the second floor)
• Mi oficina está en el quinto piso (My office is on the fifth floor)

3. Kings and Queens

Ordinals with royalty:

• Carlos Quinto (Charles the Fifth / Charles V)
• Felipe Segundo (Philip the Second / Philip II)
• Isabel Primera (Isabella the First / Isabella I)
• Luis Catorce (Louis the Fourteenth / Louis XIV)

Note: Roman numerals are read as ordinals!

4. Competitions and Rankings

Position in races/competitions:

• Quedé en primer lugar (I came in first place)
• Llegó segundo (He/She came in second)
• Soy el tercero (I'm the third)
• Terminó en quinta posición (He/She finished in fifth position)

Common phrases:

• el primer premio (first prize)
• el segundo puesto (second place)
• la tercera medalla (third medal)

5. Sequences and Lists

In numbered lists:

• Primero, desayuno (First, I have breakfast)
• Segundo, voy a trabajar (Second, I go to work)
• Tercero, como (Third, I eat lunch)
• Por último, vuelvo a casa (Finally, I return home)

Alternative: Usar adverbs

• Primero / En primer lugar (First / In the first place)
• Luego / Después (Then / After)
• Finalmente / Por último (Finally / Lastly)

Position in Sentence

Before or After the Noun

Usually BEFORE the noun:

• el primer día (the first day)
• la segunda vez (the second time)
• el tercer piso (the third floor)

Can go AFTER for emphasis or style:

• el día primero (the first day - less common)
• el piso tercero (the third floor - formal)

ALWAYS before with dates:

• el primero de enero (January 1st - never "el uno de enero")

Abbreviations

Writing Ordinal Numbers

Masculine:

• 1º = primero
• 2º = segundo
• 3º = tercero
• 10º = décimo

Feminine:

• 1ª = primera
• 2ª = segunda
• 3ª = tercera
• 10ª = décima

Examples:

• 1º piso (1st floor)
• 2ª vez (2nd time)
• 3º año (3rd year)

Practice Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Finding an Apartment

Cliente: ¿En qué piso está el apartamento? Agente: Está en el tercer piso. Cliente: ¿Hay ascensor? Agente: Sí, hay ascensor. Cliente: ¿Es la primera vez que lo alquilan? Agente: No, es la segunda vez. El primer inquilino se mudó el mes pasado. Cliente: Entiendo. ¿Cuándo puedo verlo? Agente: Puede verlo mañana a primera hora.

Translation: Customer: What floor is the apartment on? Agent: It's on the third floor. Customer: Is there an elevator? Agent: Yes, there's an elevator. Customer: Is this the first time you're renting it? Agent: No, it's the second time. The first tenant moved out last month. Customer: I understand. When can I see it? Agent: You can see it tomorrow first thing.

Dialogue 2: Giving Directions

A: Disculpe, ¿dónde está la oficina de correos? B: Está en la tercera calle a la derecha. A: ¿En qué edificio? B: Es el segundo edificio después del banco. A: ¿En qué piso? B: En el primer piso. Es la primera puerta a la izquierda. A: Muchas gracias.

Translation: A: Excuse me, where is the post office? B: It's on the third street on the right. A: In which building? B: It's the second building after the bank. A: On which floor? B: On the first floor. It's the first door on the left. A: Thank you very much.

Dialogue 3: Competition Results

Locutor: En primer lugar, tenemos a María López. Público: [aplausos] Locutor: En segundo lugar, Carlos Fernández. Público: [aplausos] Locutor: Y en tercer lugar, Ana García. Público: [aplausos] Locutor: ¡Felicidades a los tres ganadores!

Translation: Announcer: In first place, we have María López. Audience: [applause] Announcer: In second place, Carlos Fernández. Audience: [applause] Announcer: And in third place, Ana García. Audience: [applause] Announcer: Congratulations to the three winners!

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Write the Ordinal

1. 1st (masculine) → ___
2. 2nd (feminine) → ___
3. 3rd (masculine before noun) → ___
4. 5th (feminine) → ___
5. 10th (masculine) → ___

Answers:

1. primero / primer (before noun)
2. segunda
3. tercer
4. quinta
5. décimo

Exercise 2: Complete with Correct Form

1. el ___ día (1st day)
2. la ___ vez (2nd time)
3. el ___ piso (3rd floor)
4. la ___ calle (4th street)
5. el ___ año (5th year)

Answers:

1. el primer día
2. la segunda vez
3. el tercer piso
4. la cuarta calle
5. el quinto año

Exercise 3: Dates

Write these dates correctly:

1. January 1st
2. March 5th (use cardinal!)
3. December 25th (use cardinal!)

Answers:

1. el primero de enero
2. el cinco de marzo
3. el veinticinco de diciembre

Exercise 4: Translate to Spanish

1. The first time
2. The third floor
3. Second place
4. The fifth day
5. January 1st

Answers:

1. La primera vez
2. El tercer piso / El tercero piso
3. El segundo lugar / El segundo puesto
4. El quinto día
5. El primero de enero

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Using Ordinals for Dates (except 1st)

Wrong: ❌ el segundo de mayo Right: ✅ el dos de mayo (May 2nd - use cardinal!)

Exception: el primero de mayo ✅ (May 1st - use ordinal!)

❌ Mistake 2: Not Shortening PRIMERO/TERCERO

Wrong: ❌ el primero día Right: ✅ el primer día (the first day)

Wrong: ❌ el tercero piso Right: ✅ el tercer piso (the third floor)

Shorten before masculine singular nouns!

❌ Mistake 3: Wrong Gender Agreement

Wrong: ❌ la segundo vez Right: ✅ la segunda vez (the second time - feminine)

Match the gender!

❌ Mistake 4: Using Ordinals Above 10th

Less common: el decimoquinto piso More natural: el piso quince (the 15th floor - cardinal)

Use cardinals above 10th in everyday speech!

Quick Reference Chart

Ordinal Numbers 1-10

Common Uses

Key Rules

Your Action Plan

Week 1: First Three

• Master primero, segundo, tercero
• Learn gender agreement
• Practice primer/tercer shortening

Week 2: 4th-10th

• Learn cuarto through décimo
• Practice with floors
• Use in sequences

Week 3: Dates

• Master "el primero de" for 1st
• Use cardinals for 2nd-31st
• Practice saying dates

Week 4: Natural Usage

• Use ordinals in rankings
• Practice giving directions with ordinals
• Make it automatic

Pro Tip: Practice ordinal numbers with floors! When you see a building, count the floors: "primer piso, segundo piso, tercer piso..." This makes the vocabulary stick!

Practice: Say dates daily: "Hoy es el primero de enero" or "Hoy es el cinco de marzo" (remember cardinals for 2nd-31st!). Practice floor numbers when in elevators!

Memory Trick:

• PRIMER/TERCER = shortened before masculine singular (like "primer día" not "primero día")
• First of month = only ordinal (el primero)
• All other dates = cardinal (el dos, el tres, el cuatro...)
• Above 10th = use cardinals in speech (el piso once, not "undécimo")

Remember: Ordinal numbers are essential for dates, floors, rankings, and sequences! Master the first ten, learn when to use them (and when to use cardinals instead), and practice the most common uses. The first three (primero, segundo, tercero) are by far the most important!