what is it?
German numbers fall into two main groups. Cardinals (eins, zwei, drei …) count quantities. Ordinals (erste, zweite, dritte …) express position in a sequence and are used for dates. Compound cardinals from 21 upward are written as a single word with the units digit placed before the tens (einundzwanzig, not *zwanzigundeins). Years are read in hundreds (1998 = neunzehnhundertachtundneunzig). Dates use the ordinal with the preposition am, and in writing a dot after the numeral signals an ordinal (der 8. Mai).
when to use it
Counting and prices — use cardinals: einundzwanzig Euro. Before a noun, use ein/eine (not eins); eins stands alone (Ich habe eins).
Frequency — add -mal to a cardinal to form an adverb: einmal (once), zweimal (twice), dreimal (three times).
Dates — use the ordinal with am for a specific day (am achten Mai) and with der when stating today's date (Heute ist der dritte Oktober).
Years — read as two two-digit groups in hundreds: 1998 → neunzehnhundert + achtundneunzig.
Decimals — German uses a comma, not a point: 2,5 is read as zwei Komma fünf.
formation
Cardinal compounds (21–99) — units digit + und + tens digit, all one word:
| numeral | written form | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | einundzwanzig | twenty-one |
| 32 | zweiunddreißig | thirty-two |
| 45 | fünfundvierzig | forty-five |
| 98 | achtundneunzig | ninety-eight |
Ordinal suffixes — add -te to cardinals 2–19, and -ste from 20 onward. Three ordinals are irregular and must be memorised:
| cardinal | ordinal stem | example (nominative, masc.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | erst- | der erste |
| 2 | zweit- | der zweite |
| 3 | dritt- | der dritte |
| 7 | siebt- | der siebte |
| 8 | acht- | der achte |
| 19 | neunzehnt- | der neunzehnte |
| 20 | zwanzigst- | der zwanzigste |
| 21 | einundzwanzigst- | der einundzwanzigste |
In writing, a dot after a numeral marks it as an ordinal: der 8. Mai = der achte Mai. The dot is not a full stop — do not add a space before the month name.
Ordinals take adjective endings like any other adjective. After a definite article in the dative (used with am), the ending is -en: am achten Mai.
examples in context
common pitfalls
Irregular ordinals regularized — the ordinals for 1, 3 and 7 are irregular. Write der erste, der dritte, der siebte — not *der dreite or *der siebente.
English word order in compounds — in English, tens come first (twenty-one). In German, units come first: einundzwanzig, never *zwanzigundeins.
Cardinal instead of ordinal in dates — dates always require the ordinal form. Say am achten Mai, not *am acht Mai.
Reading years with tausend — English says «one thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight», but German splits the year into two hundreds groups: 1998 = neunzehnhundertachtundneunzig. Using tausend here sounds unnatural.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Das Team hat ___ Tor geschossen. (1)
Fill in the blank with the correct written form of the number in parentheses. Pay attention to the gender of the noun.