Unlocking the Secret to Counting from 1 to 100 in Spanish: A Beginner’s Guide

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Introduction:

Learning Spanish can feel like an exciting adventure, and numbers are one of the most fundamental aspects of any language. Whether you’re talking about time, age, money, or quantities, numbers are used constantly in daily life. As a learner fluent in Hindi and English, you might notice that counting in Spanish shares similarities with both languages while having its own unique structure.

In this blog, we will explore how to count from 1 to 100 in Spanish, understand its grammatical structure, compare it to Hindi and English, and dive into any irregularities that might trip you up. By the end of this guide, you’ll be confident using Spanish numbers in any context.

Breaking Down the Basics: Spanish Numbers from 1 to 100

The first thing to know about counting in Spanish is that the numbers have a pattern, but with some exceptions, especially for numbers between 11 and 29. Spanish numbers can be divided into smaller groups that follow a regular pattern after the initial irregular forms.

Counting from 1 to 10:

• Spanish: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez
• English translation: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
• Hindi translation: एक, दो, तीन, चार, पाँच, छह, सात, आठ, नौ, दस

Here, “uno” (one) is the base form and is used in various contexts when counting. Notice how the word “uno” changes slightly in gender-based contexts, such as “un libro” (a book, masculine) and “una manzana” (an apple, feminine).

Counting from 11 to 20:

• Spanish: once, doce, trece, catorce, quince, dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve, veinte
• English translation: eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty
• Hindi translation: ग्यारह, बारह, तेरह, चौदह, पंद्रह, सोलह, सत्रह, अठारह, उन्नीस, बीस

The numbers from 11 to 15 (once to quince) are irregular and don’t follow a clear pattern. However, from 16 onwards, you start seeing a pattern with “dieci-” (ten) followed by the corresponding single digit number (seis, siete, etc.).

Counting from 21 to 29:

• Spanish: veintiuno, veintidós, veintitrés, veinticuatro, veinticinco, veintiséis, veintisiete, veintiocho, veintinueve
• English translation: twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine
• Hindi translation: इक्कीस, बाईस, तेईस, चौबीस, पच्चीस, छब्बीस, सत्ताईस, अट्ठाईस, उनतीस

From 21 to 29, the numbers begin with “veinti-” (a contraction of “veinte y” or “twenty and”), followed by the single digit. This is similar to Hindi, where “इक्कीस” (ik-kis) and “बाईस” (ba-is) represent the number 21 and 22, respectively.

Counting from 30 to 100:

After 30, Spanish numbers follow a clear pattern where the tens are separated by the word “y” (and).

• 30 to 39: treinta, treinta y uno, treinta y dos, treinta y tres, treinta y cuatro… treinta y nueve
• 40 to 49: cuarenta, cuarenta y uno, cuarenta y dos, cuarenta y tres, cuarenta y cuatro… cuarenta y nueve
• 50 to 59: cincuenta, cincuenta y uno, cincuenta y dos, cincuenta y tres, cincuenta y cuatro… cincuenta y nueve
• 60 to 69: sesenta, sesenta y uno, sesenta y dos, sesenta y tres, sesenta y cuatro… sesenta y nueve
• 70 to 79: setenta, setenta y uno, setenta y dos, setenta y tres, setenta y cuatro… setenta y nueve
• 80 to 89: ochenta, ochenta y uno, ochenta y dos, ochenta y tres, ochenta y cuatro… ochenta y nueve
• 90 to 99: noventa, noventa y uno, noventa y dos, noventa y tres, noventa y cuatro… noventa y nueve
• 100: cien (when counting exactly), ciento (when describing numbers 101 and beyond)

In Hindi, numbers 30 and beyond follow a similar structure. For example, “तीस” (tees) means thirty, “इकतीस” (ikteees) means thirty-one, and so on.

Spanish Grammar Pattern Breakdown:

Spanish numbers are used as adjectives and follow some basic rules:

1. Agreement with Nouns: Unlike English, Spanish numbers sometimes need to agree in gender with the noun they are describing. For example, “uno” changes to “un” before masculine nouns, but remains “una” before feminine nouns.
   • Example: Un libro (One book) vs. Una manzana (One apple).
2. “Cien” vs. “Ciento”: When saying the number 100 exactly, you use “cien.” However, for numbers above 100, such as 101 or 120, you use “ciento.”
   • Example: Cien libros (100 books), Ciento veinte libros (120 books).
3. Contraction in Numbers 16-29: For numbers from 16 to 29, the “y” is contracted into a single word.
   • Example: Instead of “veinte y uno” (twenty-one), Spanish uses “veintiuno.”

• Japanese
• Learning Numbers in spanish
• How to say ‘yesterday’ in Spanish just like native speakers
• Why Numbers? Language-Specific Counting
• el contraste entre el pretérito indefinido y el imperfecto

List of Exceptions:

1. Uno, Un, and Una: As mentioned, the number “one” (uno) has different forms depending on the gender of the noun.
   • Example: Un chico (A boy), Una chica (A girl).
2. Ciento/Cien: The number 100 takes different forms depending on the number it is followed by.
   • Example: Ciento uno (101), but cien dólares (100 dollars).
3. Numbers 11-15: These are irregular and don’t follow the predictable patterns of the rest of the Spanish counting system.
   • Example: Once (eleven), Doce (twelve).

Example Sentences:

1. Tengo tres libros.
   • English: I have three books.
   • Hindi: मेरे पास तीन किताबें हैं।
2. Vivo en el cuarto piso.
   • English: I live on the fourth floor.
   • Hindi: मैं चौथी मंजिल पर रहता हूँ।
3. Hay veinte estudiantes en la clase.
   • English: There are twenty students in the class.
   • Hindi: कक्षा में बीस छात्र हैं।
4. Ella tiene setenta años.
   • English: She is seventy years old.
   • Hindi: वह सत्तर साल की है।
5. Compré cien manzanas.
   • English: I bought one hundred apples.
   • Hindi: मैंने सौ सेब खरीदे।
6. El coche cuesta noventa y cinco mil euros.
   • English: The car costs ninety-five thousand euros.
   • Hindi: गाड़ी की कीमत पच्यानवे हज़ार यूरो है।

FAQs:

Conclusion:

Learning to count in Spanish is a fundamental step in mastering the language, and as you’ve seen, it’s a relatively straightforward process with only a few exceptions. The key is practice. Compare it with how you count in Hindi or English, and you’ll quickly see patterns emerge that make learning these numbers easier. Numbers are everywhere, and once you’re comfortable counting in Spanish, you’ll find that this skill opens many doors for you as you move forward in your language-learning journey. Keep practicing, and soon enough, you’ll be using these numbers naturally in everyday conversation. ¡Buena suerte!

Enhance Your Spanish Skills!

To improve your Spanish further, consider enrolling in our Spanish Course at Learn Languages Store for just Rs. 16,300. Our courses are designed to help you build a strong foundation in the Spanish language in a fun and engaging way.

Contact Us to Learn More!

For more information about our courses, feel free to reach out to us at:

Address:
330, 3rd Floor, Big Splash (Near Vashi Bus Depot),
Sector 17, Vashi,
Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra 400703

Phone: +91-9594113111
Email: services@learnlanguages.store

Don’t miss the opportunity to enhance your language skills! Sign up today and start your journey to fluency in Spanish!