# Numbers in Spanish

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Updated 2026-10-23 · HTML version: https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/numbers

> Spanish numbers are regular once you know a few rules: 16 to 29 are written as one word (*dieciséis*, *veintitrés*), from 31 on you join tens and units with *y* (*treinta y uno*), 100 is *cien* on its own but *ciento* before more digits (*ciento cinco*), and 500, 700 and 900 are irregular (*quinientos*, *setecientos*, *novecientos*). *Mil* never takes *un*, and *millón* needs *de* before a noun (*un millón de personas*).

## 0 to 30


|   | Spanish |   | Spanish |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 0 | cero | 16 | dieciséis |
| 1 | uno | 17 | diecisiete |
| 2 | dos | 18 | dieciocho |
| 3 | tres | 19 | diecinueve |
| 4 | cuatro | 20 | veinte |
| 5 | cinco | 21 | veintiuno |
| 6 | seis | 22 | veintidós |
| 7 | siete | 23 | veintitrés |
| 8 | ocho | 24 | veinticuatro |
| 9 | nueve | 25 | veinticinco |
| 10 | diez | 26 | veintiséis |
| 11 | once | 27 | veintisiete |
| 12 | doce | 28 | veintiocho |
| 13 | trece | 29 | veintinueve |
| 14 | catorce | 30 | treinta |
| 15 | quince |  |  |

11 to 15 have their own words. From 16 to 29 the number is one word, built from the parts: *diez y seis* became *dieciséis*, *veinte y tres* became *veintitrés*. Watch the written accents on *dieciséis*, *veintidós*, *veintitrés* and *veintiséis*.

## Tens, hundreds and beyond


|   | Spanish |   | Spanish |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 31 | treinta y uno | 200 | doscientos |
| 40 | cuarenta | 300 | trescientos |
| 50 | cincuenta | 400 | cuatrocientos |
| 60 | sesenta | 500 | quinientos |
| 70 | setenta | 600 | seiscientos |
| 80 | ochenta | 700 | setecientos |
| 90 | noventa | 800 | ochocientos |
| 100 | cien | 900 | novecientos |
| 101 | ciento uno | 1,000 | mil |
| 110 | ciento diez | 2,000 | dos mil |
| 199 | ciento noventa y nueve | 1,000,000 | un millón |

## The rules that trip people up

- ***Y* only joins tens and units.** *Treinta y cinco*, *ciento treinta y cinco*, but never *ciento y treinta*.
- ***Uno* changes before a noun.** It becomes *un* before a masculine noun and *una* before a feminine one, even inside bigger numbers: *veintiún años* (21 years), *treinta y una semanas* (31 weeks).
- ***Cien* or *ciento*.** Exactly 100, or 100 before a noun, *mil* or *millones*, is *cien*: *cien euros*, *cien mil*. With more digits after it, it's *ciento*: *ciento veinte*.
- **Hundreds agree with the noun.** *Doscientos libros* but *doscientas páginas*; *quinientos pesos* but *quinientas personas*.
- **Three irregular hundreds.** *Quinientos* (500), *setecientos* (700) and *novecientos* (900), not *cincocientos*, *sietecientos* or *nuevecientos*.
- ***Mil* stands alone.** 1,000 is *mil*, not *un mil*; 2,000 is *dos mil*. *Miles de* means "thousands of".
- ***Millón* is a noun.** It takes *de* before what it counts: *un millón de habitantes*, *dos millones de euros*. And *mil millones* is an English billion; *un billón* is a million million.

Written numbers vary by country. Spain writes *1.000* and *3,50*; Mexico and most of Central America write *1,000* and *3.50*, as in English. When in doubt, read from context.

## Dates


| English | Spanish |
| --- | --- |
| October 23, 2026 | el 23 de octubre de 2026 |
| the first of May | el primero de mayo · el uno de mayo |
| What's the date today? | ¿Qué fecha es hoy? |
| It's the 23rd. | Hoy es 23. · Estamos a 23. |
| in 1998 | en mil novecientos noventa y ocho |
| in 2026 | en dos mil veintiséis |

Day, then month, then year, and months and weekdays are lowercase: *enero, febrero, marzo, abril, mayo, junio, julio, agosto, septiembre, octubre, noviembre, diciembre*. For the first of the month, Latin America mostly says *el primero*; Spain mostly says *el uno*. Years are read as one whole number, never split in pairs the way English says "nineteen ninety-eight". Short dates are day first too: 23/10/2026.

## Telling the time


| Time | Spanish |
| --- | --- |
| What time is it? | ¿Qué hora es? |
| 1:00 | Es la una. |
| 2:00 | Son las dos. |
| 3:15 | Son las tres y cuarto. |
| 4:30 | Son las cuatro y media. |
| 6:10 | Son las seis y diez. |
| 4:45 | Son las cinco menos cuarto. · Es un cuarto para las cinco. |
| 6:40 | Son las siete menos veinte. · Son veinte para las siete. |
| At what time? | ¿A qué hora? |
| At eight in the evening | A las ocho de la noche. |
| at noon · at midnight | al mediodía · a medianoche |

It's *es la una* for one o'clock and *son las…* for every other hour, because *hora* is feminine and one is singular. For the minutes before the hour, Spain counts back with *menos* (*las cinco menos cuarto*); much of Latin America, Mexico included, says *un cuarto para las cinco*. *De la mañana*, *de la tarde* and *de la noche* do the job of a.m. and p.m. Timetables use the 24-hour clock: 20:30 is *las veinte treinta*.

## Prices


| English | Spanish |
| --- | --- |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto es? · ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| It's 20 euros. | Son veinte euros. |
| €3.50 | tres euros con cincuenta · tres cincuenta |
| $45.50 (pesos) | cuarenta y cinco pesos con cincuenta centavos |
| 10% off | un diez por ciento de descuento |

In shops, people usually drop the currency and the *con*: "*tres cincuenta*". In Spain the cents are *céntimos*; in Latin America, *centavos*.

## Phone numbers

Phone numbers are read in groups, not digit by digit. Spanish mobile numbers have nine digits and are often read as a group of three and three pairs: 612 34 56 78 is *seis doce, treinta y cuatro, cincuenta y seis, setenta y ocho*. Mexican numbers have ten digits and are often read in pairs: 55 12 34 56 78 is *cincuenta y cinco, doce, treinta y cuatro, cincuenta y seis, setenta y ocho*. If you need to, ask for it one by one: *¿Me lo dices número por número?*

## Ordinals: first, second, third


|   | Spanish |   | Spanish |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1st | primero | 6th | sexto |
| 2nd | segundo | 7th | séptimo |
| 3rd | tercero | 8th | octavo |
| 4th | cuarto | 9th | noveno |
| 5th | quinto | 10th | décimo |

Ordinals agree with the noun: *la primera vez*, *los segundos platos*. *Primero* and *tercero* shorten before a masculine singular noun: *el primer día*, *el tercer piso*. Past ten, people normally switch to plain numbers: *el piso doce*, *el siglo veintiuno* (the 21st century, written *siglo XXI*).

## Questions

### Is it veintiún or veintiuno?

Both, depending on what follows. Counting, or with nothing after it, it's *veintiuno*. Before a masculine noun it shortens to *veintiún* (*veintiún días*), and before a feminine noun it's *veintiuna* (*veintiuna noches*).

### When do you say cien and when ciento?

*Cien* is exactly 100, and 100 before a noun or a bigger number: *cien personas*, *cien mil*. *Ciento* is for 101 to 199: *ciento uno*, *ciento cincuenta*. Percentages are *por ciento* (*diez por ciento*), though Spain also says *cien por cien* for 100%.

### How do you say years in Spanish?

As one whole number: 1998 is *mil novecientos noventa y ocho* and 2026 is *dos mil veintiséis*. Spanish doesn't split years into pairs the way English does.

### What is a billion in Spanish?

An English billion (1,000,000,000) is *mil millones*. *Un billón* is a million million (10¹²), so be careful with news about money.

## Related

- [Ordering a coffee in Spanish](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/phrases/ordering-coffee.md)
- [Spanish phrases for real situations](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/phrases.md)
- [How long does it really take to learn Spanish?](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/how-long-to-learn.md)

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