The Ultimate Guide to Italian Numbers: Mastering Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers

Italian numbers are an essential part of the language, and understanding them is crucial for communicating effectively in day-to-day situations. Whether you’re ordering food in a restaurant, shopping, or giving directions, knowing how to count, read, and write in Italian is essential. This guide will cover everything you need to know about Italian numbers, including cardinal and ordinal numbers.

Cardinal Numbers in Italian

Cardinal numbers are used to count and express quantities. In Italian, cardinal numbers are divided into two groups: those that end in -o, and those that end in -a. In this section, we’ll cover the basics and provide examples to help you understand how they’re used in context.

Numbers from 0-12

The first twelve cardinal numbers in Italian are easy to remember, as they’re the same in both masculine and feminine forms. Here are the numbers from 0 to 12:

• 0 – zero
• 1 – uno
• 2 – due
• 3 – tre
• 4 – quattro
• 5 – cinque
• 6 – sei
• 7 – sette
• 8 – otto
• 9 – nove
• 10 – dieci
• 11 – undici
• 12 – dodici

Numbers from 13-19

The next seven numbers are a little more challenging, but they follow a pattern. To form these numbers, you simply add “-dici” to the root word before or after. Here are the numbers from 13 to 19:

• 13 – tredici
• 14 – quattordici
• 15 – quindici
• 16 – sedici
• 17 – diciassette
• 18 – diciotto
• 19 – diciannove

Numbers from 20 to 99

From 20 onwards, the Italian numbers are formed by combining the tens and the units. Here are the numbers from 20 to 99:

• 20 – venti
• 21 – ventuno
• 22 – ventidue
• 23 – ventitré
• 24 – ventiquattro
• 25 – venticinque
• 26 – ventisei
• 27 – ventisette
• 28 – ventotto
• 29 – ventinove
• 30 – trenta
• 40 – quaranta
• 50 – cinquanta
• 60 – sessanta
• 70 – settanta
• 80 – ottanta
• 90 – novanta
• 99 – novantanove

Numbers from 100 to 1 million

Here is a list of the Italian cardinal numbers up to 1 million:

• 100 – cento
• 213 – duecentotredici
• 547 – cinquecentoquarantasette
• 1000 – mille
• 1594 – millenovecentonovantaquattro
• 2000 – duemila
• 3000 – tremila
• 3094 – tremilanovantaquattro
• 10,000 – diecimila
• 100,000 – centomila
• 1,000,000 – un milione

Ordinal Numbers in Italian

Ordinal numbers are used to indicate order or rank. In Italian, ordinal numbers are formed by adding the suffix “-esimo” to the cardinal number. Here are the ordinal numbers from 1 to 23:

• 1st – primo
• 2nd – second
• 3rd – terzo
• 4th – quarto
• 5th – quinto
• 6th – sesto
• 7th – settimo
• 8th – ottavo
• 9th – nono
• 10th – decimo
• 11th – undicesimo
• 12th – dodicesimo
• 13th – tredicesimo
• 14th – quattordicesimo
• 15th – quindicesimo
• 16th – sedicesimo
• 17th – diciassettesimo
• 18th – diciottesimo
• 19th – diciannovesimo
• 20th – ventesimo
• 21st – ventunesimo
• 22nd – ventiduesimo
• 23rd – ventitreesimo