Not only is learning the numbers in German a fun and easy activity to do but knowing how to say numbers in German is also an important part of learning the German language.
From ordering food to giving someone your phone number, numbers will appear more often than you might think when you are having conversations in German.
Learning numbers in German is a relatively easy aspect of learning the language since once you know them up to twenty the patterns get predictable like in English.
This guide will take you through all the numbers from zero to one hundred and all the way up to one thousand and break down how to remember what you have learnt as well.
German Numbers from 1-100 at a Glance
This table simply lists all the numbers from zero to one hundred in one big table. Take your time to look over all the numbers and return to this section after following the rest of the guide.
| 0 | Null | 50 | Fünfzig |
| 1 | Eins | 51 | Einundfünfzig |
| 2 | Zwei | 52 | Zweiundfünfzig |
| 3 | Drei | 53 | Dreiundfünfzig |
| 4 | Vier | 54 | Vierundfünfzig |
| 5 | Fünf | 55 | Fünfundfünfzig |
| 6 | Sechs | 56 | Sechsundfünfzig |
| 7 | Sieben | 57 | Siebenundfünfzig |
| 8 | Acht | 58 | Achtundfünfzig |
| 9 | Neun | 59 | Neunundfünfzig |
| 10 | Zehn | 60 | Sechzig |
| 11 | Elf | 61 | Einundsechzig |
| 12 | Zwölf | 62 | Zweiundsechzig |
| 13 | Dreizehn | 63 | Dreiundsechzig |
| 14 | Vierzehn | 64 | Vierundsechzig |
| 15 | Fünfzehn | 65 | Fünfundsechzig |
| 16 | Sechszehn | 66 | Sechsundsechzig |
| 17 | Siebzehn | 67 | Siebenundsechzig |
| 18 | Achtzehn | 68 | Achtundsechzig |
| 19 | Neunzehn | 69 | Neunundsechzig |
| 20 | Zwanzig | 70 | Siebzig |
| 21 | Einundzwanzig | 71 | Einundsiebzig |
| 22 | Zweiundzwanzig | 72 | Zweiundsiebzig |
| 23 | Dreiundzwanzig | 73 | Dreiundsiebzig |
| 24 | Vierundzwanzig | 74 | Vierundsiebzig |
| 25 | Fünfundzwanzig | 75 | Fünfundsiebzig |
| 26 | Sechsundzwanzig | 76 | Sechsundsiebzig |
| 27 | Siebenundzwanzig | 77 | Siebenundsiebzig |
| 28 | Achtundzwanzig | 78 | Achtundsiebzig |
| 29 | Neunundzwanzig | 79 | Neunundsiebzig |
| 30 | Dreiβig | 80 | Achtzig |
| 31 | Einunddreiβig | 81 | Einundachtzig |
| 32 | Zweiunddreiβig | 82 | Zweiundachtzig |
| 33 | Dreiunddreiβig | 83 | Dreiundachtzig |
| 34 | Vierunddreiβig | 84 | Vierundachtzig |
| 35 | Fünfunddreiβig | 85 | Fünfundachtzig |
| 36 | Sechsunddreiβig | 86 | Sechsundachtzig |
| 37 | Siebenunddreiβig | 87 | Siebenundachtzig |
| 38 | Achtunddreiβig | 88 | Achtundachtzig |
| 39 | Neununddreiβig | 89 | Neunundachtzig |
| 40 | Vierzig | 90 | Neunzig |
| 41 | Einundvierzig | 91 | Einundneunzig |
| 42 | Zweiundvierzig | 92 | Zweiundneunzig |
| 43 | Dreiundvierzig | 93 | Dreiundneunzig |
| 44 | Vierundvierzig | 94 | Vierundneunzig |
| 45 | Fünfundvierzig | 95 | Fünfundneunzig |
| 46 | Sechsundvierzig | 96 | Sechsundneunzig |
| 47 | Siebenundvierzig | 97 | Siebenundneunzig |
| 48 | Achtundvierzig | 98 | Achtundneunzig |
| 49 | Neunundvierzig | 99 | Neunundneunzig |
| 50 | Fünfzig | 100 | Einhundert |
Having all the numbers in one big block can be a bit overwhelming and so below we are going to break them down section by section with handy hints on how to memorize them.
After some simple tips and some language hacks, you will easily be able to remember the information in the table above.
Learn the German Numbers 1-10
First of all, the numbers one to ten in German are as follows:
- Ein – “One”
- Zwei – “Two”
- Drei – “Three”
- Vier – “Four”
- Fünf – “Five”
- Sechs – “Six”
- Sieben – “Seven”
- Acht – “Eight”
- Neun – “Nine”
- Zehn – “Ten”
These first batch of numbers should, of course, be the first you try to remember and there are not any easy hacks to help remember these numbers other than just practicing over and over.
However, these numbers form the foundation of every other number in one way or another and so it is important to remember these to make life easier when learning any numbers higher than ten.
For example, just like “four” in English is found in the words “fourteen”, “twenty-four”, “forty” and “four hundred”, the German word for four “vier” is also in the equivalent words “vierzehn”, “vierundzwanzig”, “vierzig” and “vierhundert”.
Learn the German Numbers 11-20
Learning the numbers between thirteen and nineteen is very simple since they follow a nice pattern.
All you need to do is take the first four letters of the corresponding number from the list above (numbers between three and nine) and add the word “zehn” which means “ten”.
For example, to create the German number “thirteen” you would combine the word for “three”, which is “drei”, with the word for “ten”, which is “zehn”, and make “dreizehn”.
Eleven and twelve in German are “elf” and “zwölf” and these are slightly trickier because, much like in English, there is no memorable pattern like “oneten” or “twoten”.
Since there is no simple pattern to make sense of “elf” and “zwölf”, you will just have to practice them and commit them to memory.
However, “elf” and “zwölf” don’t unlock any future learning hacks like 1-10 in German does, you simply just need to learn them so you can say “eleven” and “twelve” in German.
Learn the German Multiples of 10
Learning the multiples of ten in German is quite easy since there is a regular pattern that can be followed for the numbers between forty and ninety.
Much like when creating the numbers thirteen to nineteen, to create these multiple of ten patterns you just take the first four letters of the corresponding number and add the German word “zig” to the end of it.
For example, to make the German number “forty” you take the German word for “four” which is “vier” and add “zig” on the end to make “vierzig”.
Fünfzig (“fifty”), sechzig (“sixty”), siebzig (“seventy”), achtzig (“eighty”), neunzig (“ninety”) all follow this same regular pattern so once you know your basic numbers it is very simple to learn these bigger ones.
Twenty and thirty do not follow any pattern and you will just have to practice these numbers.
Twenty in German is “zwanzig” and thirty is “dreiiβig”.
Filling in the Gaps up to 100
Now you know the basic numbers from one to ten and also their multiples of ten, it is easy to fill in the gaps and count all the way up to ninety-nine using a simple formula.
Luckily every number larger than twenty follows an easy-to-follow and consistent pattern. This pattern is that the second, or smaller number, is said at the start not at the end like it is in English.
In English, you would say the larger number followed by the smaller number, for example, “thirty-four”, whereas in German it is the opposite way round.
In German, you would effectively say “four and thirty” with the smaller number followed by the larger, in this case, “thirty-four” is “vierunddreiβig”.
Although this rule can take a while to wrap your head around, especially for English speakers, it is the same for all German numbers.
When writing the actual numbers in numerical form, you could get into the habit of writing the smaller second number first, like how you would say it in German, and then add the larger first number before it.
Using our example, you would write “4” and then “3” before it to make “34” which would indicate the “four and thirty” way that “vierunddreiβig” is said and written.
The final two numbers to complete the German number from one to one hundred are zero which in German is “null” and of course one hundred which is “Einhundert”.
Now you know which numbers you need to practice and which have regular patterns and rules you will be able to master your German numbers in no time!
German For “One”: Ein, Eins, Eine, Einen, Eines, Einer or Einem?
The number one is important to study in a bit more depth as it is the only number that can change depending on the situation it is used in.
You may not realize but in English, there are actually three words for “one”. There is the number one but also the words “a” or “an” which are both used to indicate there is only one of something.
The same is true in German since you don’t always use the word “eins” when you want to say “one”, you will use variations of “ein” and “eins”.
When counting something, for example, a quantity of something, you would always use the actual number for “one” which as we know is “eins”.
However, when you are doing anything other than counting you will use the “ein” form in all its different case-based variations.
See the table below for a full breakdown of this.
| Masculine (a brother) | Neutral (a car) | Feminine (a sister) | |
| Nominative | ein Bruder | ein Auto | eine Schwester |
| Accusative | einen Bruder | ein Auto | eine Schwester |
| Dative | einem Bruder | einem Auto | einer Schwester |
| Genitive | eines Bruders | eines Autos | einer Schwester |
Explaining the four different cases in German is not exactly what this guide is focused on, so for now all you need to know is that when you are counting you will use the number “eins” and when talking to other people you would use a version “ein” instead.
Luckily, all of the other numbers like “two” or “three” are not modified in any way no matter what context you use them in.
How To Count From 100 to 1,000 In German
Counting beyond one hundred is a relatively easy task once you know your basics.
To count your multiples of a hundred you would follow the same method that you would in English.
First, take a number between one and nine and then add the German word for hundred at the end which is “hundert”.
For example to make “four hundred” you would take the number for “four” which is “vier” and add “hundert” to make “vierhundert”.
All multiples of a hundred follow this rule as seen in the table below.
| 100 | Einhundert | 600 | Sechshundert |
| 200 | Zweihundert | 700 | Siebenhundert |
| 300 | Dreihundert | 800 | Achthundert |
| 400 | Vierhundert | 900 | Neunhundert |
| 500 | Fünfhundert | 1000 | Eintausend |
Filling in the gaps is also a simple task once you have learnt the number order rules for the numbers between one and one-hundred.
The first thing to remember is that you always say the hundred number first, just like in English.
Then it is just a case of adding in the other numbers after the hundred which follow the same rules as we already know.
The first numbers are said in the same way you would in English using “and” to connect the hundred with the number 101 is “einhundertundeins” literally “one-hundred and one”.
After 111 until 119, you don’t use the “and” or “und” and just say the hundred and then the number.
Once you get above twenty, the same number-swapping rule that we learnt before is used. For example, 176 (“one-hundred and seventy-six”) becomes einhundertsechsundsiebzig.
How To Count From 1,000 to 10,000 in German
The hardest part of learning the numbers in German is behind you and when you get higher and higher it actually gets easier and is similar to English.
The German word for thousand is the very similar word “tausend”.
Creating the thousand numbers is exactly the same as creating the hundred numbers, but with “tausend” at the end instead.
Luckily, all the rules mentioned above apply when you want to add hundreds into your thousands making it simple to fill in the gaps between the thousands.
| 1000 | Eintausend | 6000 | Sechstausend |
| 2000 | Zweitausend | 7000 | Siebentausend |
| 3000 | Dreitausend | 8000 | Achttausend |
| 4000 | Viertausend | 9000 | Neuntausend |
| 5000 | Fünftausend | 10000 | Zehntausend |
German Numbers: 10,000 And Beyond
For numbers beyond ten thousand, clear patterns are still followed but the numbers can become very long which is ultimately unavoidable the higher you go, much like in English.
When dealing with numbers in the tens of thousands you simply follow the two digit-number rules that we learnt earlier and add “tausend” at the end.
The multiples of ten thousand would be zehntausend, zwanzigtausend, dreiβigtausend and so on. The numbers with a second digit like sixty-two thousand will still follow the backwards number rule and so would be “two and sixty-thousand” or “zweiundsechzigtausend”.
Understandably as the number becomes more complex it can become a bit intense when writing or saying them. For example, the number 62,262 (sixty-two thousand two hundred and sixty-two) would be zweiundsechzigtausendzweihundertzweiundsechzig!
Once you get to the hundreds of thousands you apply the same rules as above, creating the hundreds and then adding the “tausend” at the end. So 100,000 would be hunderttausend and 200,000 would be zweihunderttausend and so on.
With all these rules you can pretty much count up to 999,999 and so all that’s left to learn is the key numbers higher than that which are:
- Million = Million
- Billion = Milliarde
- Trillion = Billion
Careful not to get confused with the German words for “billion” and “trillion”.
Remember the German Numbers with This Language Hack
Of course, when creating numbers in German there are patterns and rules that you can follow.
However, if you don’t remember the specific German words for certain numbers then you won’t even be able to make the most of the patterns.
Below are some ideas and tips to help you remember your German numbers
First, there are some number words that are so similar to English that you can almost just get away with saying the English in a German accent. For example:
- “Hundred” -> Hundert
- “Thousand” -> Tausend
- “Hundred Thousand” -> Hunderttausend
- “Million” -> Million
Some of the basic numbers are similar to their English translations and patterns can be seen to help remember. We cover this in the section below.
For the tricker, very German, number words that have no connection to English, it is a good idea to make use of mnemonics.
You can do this by attaching phrases or meanings to words to help you remember them, see the examples below to give you some inspiration.
- To help remember “drei” think of “three bottles of dry white wine”
- To remember “vier” you could change “fee-fi-fo-fum” to “Fear-fi-Four-fum”
- The phrase “eleven little Christmas elves” will help you remember “elf” means “eleven”
- For “zwanzig” you could think of “twenty swans moving in a zig-zag”
This can be a fun way to learn and you can make them as crazy as you like, there is no wrong way to make up a mnemonic since it is all for your own benefit, no one else’s!
The Etymology of German Numbers
It is interesting to look at where the German numbers come from and what other languages are derived from the same roots.
German numbers come from a branch of Germanic, which is a branch of the language tree.
The Germanic branch sprouts off into other languages like English and Dutch.
If you look at the major Germanic languages side by side, like in the table below, you will find many similarities in their spellings and pronunciations and might even spot patterns that could help you with your German numbers.
| German | Dutch | English | Norwegian | Danish | Swedish |
| Eins | Een | One | En | En | Ett |
| Zwei | Twee | Two | To | To | Två |
| Drei | Drie | Three | Tre | Tre | Tre |
| Vier | Vier | Four | Fire | Fire | Fyra |
| Funf | Vijf | Five | Fem | Fem | Fem |
| Sechs | Zes | Six | Seks | Seks | Sex |
| Sieben | Zeven | Seven | Sju | Syv | Sju |
| Acht | Acht | Eight | Åtte | Otte | Åtta |
| Neun | Negen | Nine | Ni | Ni | Nio |
| Zehn | Tien | Ten | Ti | Ti | Tio |
Conclusion
Learning the numbers in German can feel like a big task and since there are so many numbers to learn it can feel impossible.
However, once you know your basic one to ten and a couple of keywords in between the rest all fall into place with rules and patterns.
The only thing to be careful of is the switching number order for two-digit numbers above twenty and once you are confident in that it becomes a much easier process.
How hopefully you will be able to order however many pretzels you like all the way up to a million!
