Spanish numbers can feel like a breeze until you accidentally say catorce (14) when you meant cuarenta (40)! Trust me, you’re not alone. It’s totally normal to get a little tangled up with numbers, especially in a new language.
The good news? These mix-ups are super common and completely fixable! In today’s post, we’ll go over some of the most frequent mistakes learners make with Spanish numbers, and most importantly, how to say them the right way. Let’s turn those number troubles into confidence!
The Most Confusing Numbers
When it comes to Spanish numbers, one of the trickiest ranges is from 10 to 20. Why? Because their forms don’t always follow the same pattern, which can lead to some confusion! For instance, you’ve got once, doce, and trece, all pretty straightforward. But then, you might think the next number should be cuatroce, right? Well, surprise! 14 is actually catorce.
And 15? It’s not cincoce, but quince.
As you can see, these numbers like to mix things up a bit with stem changes that don’t always make sense at first. But don’t worry! Here’s a full list of the numbers from 10 to 20 to help you out:- 11 Once
- 12 Doce
- 13 Trece
- 14 Catorce
- 15 Quince
- 16 Dieciseis
- 17 Diecisiete
- 18 Dieciocho
- 19 Diecinueve
Other confusions you may have are from these numbers:
- Catorce (14) vs. Cuarenta (40)
- Quince (15) vs. Cincuenta (50)
- Sesenta (60) vs. Setenta (70)
Sometimes natives need to ask again to reinforce what they hear because the difference is very small between them, is not just you, my dear learner.
Pronunciation Hacks:
- Focus on the stressed syllable: cuaRENta vs. caTORce.
If you are wondering how to know which is the stressed syllable pay attention to the part of a word that you say with more emphasis or force than the other syllables. It's usually a bit louder, longer, and sometimes said at a slightly higher pitch than the surrounding syllables. We do it every day naturally.
- Practice them in a sentence to reinforce meaning.
Ordinal numbers vs Cardinal numbers
- Cardinal Numbers
Cardinal numbers are the numbers we use when we're counting things, they simply tell us how many of something there are. They're the numbers we use all the time in everyday life, often without even thinking about it.
So if you say, “Tengo cinco perros,” or “Hay 3 pájaros en el árbol,” you're using cardinal numbers.
- Ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers help us describe the position of things in a sequence, like when something comes first, second, or third in a line, a race, or a list.
So if you say ‘Soy el primer ganador’ (I’m the first winner) or, ‘Vivo en el séptimo piso’ (I live on the 7th floor) you are using ordinal numbers. I’ll drop the 10 so you can start to familiarize yourself with it.
1.º – primero / primera
2.º – segundo / segunda
3.º – tercero / tercera
4.º – cuarto / cuarta
5.º – quinto / quinta
6.º – sexto / sexta
7.º – séptimo / séptima
8.º – octavo / octava
9.º – noveno / novena
10.º – décimo / décima
It’s good to mention that ordinal numbers follow the gender and number rule.
For example:- ‘Yo vivo en el segundo piso’ (I live in the second floor)
- Yo no doy segundas oportunidades’ (I’m not giving second changes)
See? These numbers change depending on the noun they’re paired with.
Writing & Speaking Mistakes
We know there are a few differences when it comes to numbers in Spanish compared to English, and to help you feel more confident (and avoid those easy mix-ups!), here are some common mistakes to watch out for when writing and speaking Spanish numbers.
- Commas vs. Dots (in large numbers)
In English, large numbers are written with commas to separate the thousands. For example, 1,000 means one thousand.
In Spanish, however, a dot is used instead. So 1.000 also means one thousand.
It’s important not to confuse the Spanish dot with a decimal, it’s just their way of grouping large numbers.
- Decimals: Dots vs. Commas
In English, decimals are written with a dot, like 2.5 for two and a half.
In Spanish, a comma is used instead, so the same number would be written as 2,5. This small change makes a big difference. In Spanish, 3,14 means three point one four, not three thousand fourteen.
Large Numbers: "One billion" is not "un billón"
In English, 1,000,000,000, is one billion, a thousand million.
In Spanish, this is called “mil millones”, not un billón.
That’s because in Spanish, “un billón” actually means a million million 1,000,000,000,000. So be careful: a billón in Spanish is 1,000 times bigger than a billion in English!
And that’s it for today, everyone! Numbers are a really interesting topic, and they can feel a bit overwhelming at times, but don’t worry! Just be patient with yourself and practice them as much as you can, and soon they’ll become a natural part of your daily speaking.
Is there a specific number that you struggle with? I’m sure your experiences can help other learners like you! Keep going, and remember: practice makes perfect!
