French Counting: An Essential Guide to French Numbers & Pronunciation

If you’re looking for the lesson about “un écureuil” (= “a squirrel”), click here:
How to pronounce the “euil” sound in French – Comme une Française

Bonjour!

This lesson is all you need to learn how to count in French & how to pronounce the numbers like a real French! You’ll discover the strange rules, unusual exceptions, special liaisons, surprising choices… And rules that seem like they’re there just to make it complicated. You see, French counting is a special flavour of crazy!

Learn how to count in french from 1 to 10. And then 10 to 20. 30 to 60. In addition, we’ll cover how to count the hundreds, thousands, millions and billions in French.

So, let’s take a trip from zero to a thousand billion in French!


Check out this related episode: Regional French with Français de Nos Régions

Et toi ?

What is the biggest number you have ever had to use?

Bonne journée,

Géraldine

Join the conversation!

  • what do you suggest for a person like me who was born and raise in Canada but move to US at 18 and pretty much talk and thinks in English now at 60years old , i can read and understand french but when it comes to talking in french or even teach children i care for i find i can barely remember a fluent sentence without having to figure out english to french transelation in my mind! help!

    • Hi Sylvie!

      That’s an important, but very difficult, question.

      Short answer: Practice, with a few sentences that you like first. Then expand.

      Longer answer: You can talk regularly in French with a partner on iTalki for instance. Or you might join or 1-on-1 practice sessions with a French teacher, for instance 🙂
      Listen to French media / shows / podcasts / songs, write down and learn a few sentences they use. Even just “Je vois la vie en rose !” gives you a foothold into thinking in French.
      If you’re confident with your pronunciation, you can also find inspiration with written French language – books, French comics, French Twitter users, stand up comedy…

      Check out this old lesson, it can help as well:
      https://www.commeunefrancaise.com/blog/tips-to-learn-more-french

      Have a great day,

      – Arthur, writer for Comme une Française

  • Thanks. How do we say postcodes. For instance mine is 87300, we say it in English as eighty seven three hundred. Is it quatre vingt-sept, trois cents or quatre vingt-sept mille….or do the French say it differently?

  • Bonjour Géraldine! Mon premier commentaire a disparu, alors je vais essayer de nouveau. Je remarquais que tu as dit “cinq-cents” en prononçant le q. On m’a enseigné que le q était silencieux ici et est prononcé comme “sain” cents. C’est une chose régionale peut-être ? Peut-tu expliquer s’il te plaît.

  • merci bien Géraldine … je pense que nous pourrions faire cela dans notre classe /cours de «adhoc français» lundi prochain … à bientôt …

  • Géraldine, une question à propos de la prononciation du mot vingt: D’accord, la prononciation du t final dépend de la région. Mais quand vingt est suivi d’un autre nombre, c’est-à-dire de 21 à 29, est-ce qu’on doit le prononcer ou pas?

  • Bonjour Géraldine! Je remarquais que tu as dit “cinq-cents millions”, en prononçant le q. On m’a enseigné que le q était silencieux ici et est prononcé comme “sain” cents. C’est une chose régionale peut-être ? Peux-tu expliquer s’il te plaît ?

    • Bonjour Maurice,

      Excellente question. En effet, je pense que c’est régional (ou une habitude). Parfois je le dis, parfois pas.
      Franchement, tu peux le garder silencieux si c’est ce que tu as appris. Ou le prononcer par accident, ce n’est pas grave. 🙂

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