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0z\"\u002F>",true,{"id":36,"title":37,"author":38,"authorsTake":39,"body":40,"category":1140,"cefrLevel":1141,"date":1142,"description":1143,"extension":1144,"faqs":1145,"heroImage":1141,"intro":1141,"language":1141,"lastUpdated":1141,"meta":1158,"navigation":34,"path":1159,"seo":1160,"socialDescription":1141,"stem":1161,"tags":1162,"tldr":1167,"verbSlugs":1141,"__hash__":1168},"resources\u002Fresources\u002Ffrench\u002Fnumbers-in-french.md","Numbers in French: 1 to 100 and the 70\u002F80\u002F90 Problem That Throws Every Learner","Michael McGettrick","My Le Havre year was the year I learned that French numbers are not difficult on paper and brutal in the wild. The textbook version is fine. You learn soixante-dix-sept, you write it down, you say it back, the teacher nods. The wild version is the cashier at the Casino supermarket on rue de Paris reading off \"trente-six soixante-quinze\" at the speed of a tobacco auctioneer, and you standing there trying to parse whether she has just said 36.75 or 36.95 or something else entirely, while the queue behind you stares. The numbers do not behave like a count any more once a French speaker is moving at full speed; they behave like a single compressed sound that you have to decompose in real time. The only fix is hours of listening, and the second fix is admitting that the Belgian system is unambiguously better and that the official French resistance to septante and nonante is cultural, not linguistic.\n\nThe Saturday market on cours de la République taught me the second hard lesson, which is that prices in France are shouted in a particular rhythm that maps onto the number structure. \"Deux euros cinquante\" lands as a single phrase, and the cinquante is the bit you actually need. The euros number tells you the order of magnitude; the centimes number tells you whether you have the right coin. Once I learned to listen for the centimes-half rather than the full price I stopped overpaying and stopped looking confused. The other half of the lesson was that French market-traders, like French shopkeepers, do not slow down for foreigners. They speed up. Asking them to repeat (vous pouvez répéter?) is fine and expected; standing there silently is not.\n\nMy honest position on the 70\u002F80\u002F90 system: it is a historical accident the French have decided to be proud of. Soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix are vestiges of a base-twenty (vigesimal) counting system that Old French inherited from Celtic Gaulish and never fully abandoned. The Belgians and the Swiss completed the move to base-ten centuries ago and ended up with septante, octante \u002F huitante and nonante, which are regular, fast to say, and obviously consistent with soixante, trente, quarante. Metropolitan France could have done the same. It chose not to, mostly because the Académie française treats the vigesimal forms as a marker of national identity. As a language-learning matter the Belgian system is better; as a cultural matter the French system is fixed and you have to learn it. Both things are true at once.\n",{"type":41,"value":42,"toc":1126},"minimark",[43,48,52,57,201,211,233,236,240,332,339,343,394,397,414,425,431,435,438,444,536,542,548,640,647,653,745,748,752,804,821,824,828,834,851,854,860,877,880,884,891,970,988,992,995,1020,1024,1038,1048,1058,1084,1088],[44,45,47],"h1",{"id":46},"numbers-in-french","Numbers in French",[49,50,51],"p",{},"The default count is un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix. The hard part starts at 70. This article covers 0 to 1000, the notorious 70\u002F80\u002F90 system, the Belgian and Swiss alternatives that fix it, the plural-S rules on cent and quatre-vingt, the pronunciation traps on six, dix and vingt, and the practical contexts (prices, phone numbers, times) where French numbers actually live.",[53,54,56],"h2",{"id":55},"_0-to-10-the-foundation","0 to 10: the foundation",[58,59,60,76],"table",{},[61,62,63],"thead",{},[64,65,66,70,73],"tr",{},[67,68,69],"th",{},"Number",[67,71,72],{},"French",[67,74,75],{},"Pronunciation note",[77,78,79,91,102,113,124,135,146,157,168,179,190],"tbody",{},[64,80,81,85,88],{},[82,83,84],"td",{},"0",[82,86,87],{},"zéro",[82,89,90],{},"zay-ro",[64,92,93,96,99],{},[82,94,95],{},"1",[82,97,98],{},"un",[82,100,101],{},"nasal \"un\"",[64,103,104,107,110],{},[82,105,106],{},"2",[82,108,109],{},"deux",[82,111,112],{},"duh, with rounded lips",[64,114,115,118,121],{},[82,116,117],{},"3",[82,119,120],{},"trois",[82,122,123],{},"trwah",[64,125,126,129,132],{},[82,127,128],{},"4",[82,130,131],{},"quatre",[82,133,134],{},"katr",[64,136,137,140,143],{},[82,138,139],{},"5",[82,141,142],{},"cinq",[82,144,145],{},"sank, nasal",[64,147,148,151,154],{},[82,149,150],{},"6",[82,152,153],{},"six",[82,155,156],{},"see, siss, or seez (see below)",[64,158,159,162,165],{},[82,160,161],{},"7",[82,163,164],{},"sept",[82,166,167],{},"set, with silent P",[64,169,170,173,176],{},[82,171,172],{},"8",[82,174,175],{},"huit",[82,177,178],{},"weet",[64,180,181,184,187],{},[82,182,183],{},"9",[82,185,186],{},"neuf",[82,188,189],{},"nuhf",[64,191,192,195,198],{},[82,193,194],{},"10",[82,196,197],{},"dix",[82,199,200],{},"dee, diss, or deez (see below)",[49,202,203,204,207,208,210],{},"The pronunciation traps live on ",[205,206,153],"strong",{}," and ",[205,209,197],{},". Both change depending on what follows.",[212,213,214,221,227],"ul",{},[215,216,217,220],"li",{},[205,218,219],{},"Standalone or at the end of a phrase",": six is \"siss\", dix is \"diss\". \"J'en veux six\" = zhahn vuh siss.",[215,222,223,226],{},[205,224,225],{},"Before a consonant",": the final consonant goes silent. \"Six chats\" = see sha. \"Dix livres\" = dee leevr.",[215,228,229,232],{},[205,230,231],{},"Before a vowel (liaison)",": the final consonant turns into a Z sound. \"Six enfants\" = see-zahn-fahn. \"Dix euros\" = dee-zuh-ro.",[49,234,235],{},"This is not optional; getting it wrong is the single clearest beginner tell on numbers.",[53,237,239],{"id":238},"_11-to-20-the-irregular-teens","11 to 20: the irregular teens",[58,241,242,250],{},[61,243,244],{},[64,245,246,248],{},[67,247,69],{},[67,249,72],{},[77,251,252,260,268,276,284,292,300,308,316,324],{},[64,253,254,257],{},[82,255,256],{},"11",[82,258,259],{},"onze",[64,261,262,265],{},[82,263,264],{},"12",[82,266,267],{},"douze",[64,269,270,273],{},[82,271,272],{},"13",[82,274,275],{},"treize",[64,277,278,281],{},[82,279,280],{},"14",[82,282,283],{},"quatorze",[64,285,286,289],{},[82,287,288],{},"15",[82,290,291],{},"quinze",[64,293,294,297],{},[82,295,296],{},"16",[82,298,299],{},"seize",[64,301,302,305],{},[82,303,304],{},"17",[82,306,307],{},"dix-sept",[64,309,310,313],{},[82,311,312],{},"18",[82,314,315],{},"dix-huit",[64,317,318,321],{},[82,319,320],{},"19",[82,322,323],{},"dix-neuf",[64,325,326,329],{},[82,327,328],{},"20",[82,330,331],{},"vingt",[49,333,334,335,338],{},"The irregulars run from 11 to 16. From 17 to 19 French gives up and goes compound: dix-sept (10+7), dix-huit (10+8), dix-neuf (10+9), with a hyphen. ",[205,336,337],{},"Vingt"," is pronounced \"van\" with a nasal vowel and a silent T in most contexts; the T comes back in compound forms (vingt-deux is \"van-tuh-duh\"), which is the kind of internal-liaison rule French speakers do without thinking.",[53,340,342],{"id":341},"_20-to-69-regular-territory","20 to 69: regular territory",[58,344,345,354],{},[61,346,347],{},[64,348,349,352],{},[67,350,351],{},"Tens",[67,353,72],{},[77,355,356,362,370,378,386],{},[64,357,358,360],{},[82,359,328],{},[82,361,331],{},[64,363,364,367],{},[82,365,366],{},"30",[82,368,369],{},"trente",[64,371,372,375],{},[82,373,374],{},"40",[82,376,377],{},"quarante",[64,379,380,383],{},[82,381,382],{},"50",[82,384,385],{},"cinquante",[64,387,388,391],{},[82,389,390],{},"60",[82,392,393],{},"soixante",[49,395,396],{},"The pattern is clean: vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante. Each tens word combines with a unit using a hyphen for 2 through 9.",[212,398,399,402,405,408,411],{},[215,400,401],{},"22 = vingt-deux",[215,403,404],{},"35 = trente-cinq",[215,406,407],{},"48 = quarante-huit",[215,409,410],{},"57 = cinquante-sept",[215,412,413],{},"63 = soixante-trois",[49,415,416,417,420,421,424],{},"The exception is ",[205,418,419],{},"et un",". For 21, 31, 41, 51 and 61, French inserts ",[205,422,423],{},"et"," before un and historically dropped the hyphens: vingt et un, trente et un, quarante et un, cinquante et un, soixante et un. The 1990 spelling reform allows hyphens throughout (vingt-et-un), but the older spaced version still dominates in print. Both are correct.",[49,426,427,428,430],{},"Note that this ",[205,429,423],{}," appears only with un. Vingt-deux gets a hyphen and no et; vingt et un gets et and (traditionally) no hyphen.",[53,432,434],{"id":433},"the-708090-problem","The 70\u002F80\u002F90 problem",[49,436,437],{},"This is the section that throws every English-speaking learner of French, and the section that the Belgians and the Swiss have quietly fixed.",[49,439,440,443],{},[205,441,442],{},"70 is soixante-dix",", literally sixty-ten. The count continues by adding to the soixante base, but using the teen forms rather than restarting at un:",[58,445,446,454],{},[61,447,448],{},[64,449,450,452],{},[67,451,69],{},[67,453,72],{},[77,455,456,464,472,480,488,496,504,512,520,528],{},[64,457,458,461],{},[82,459,460],{},"70",[82,462,463],{},"soixante-dix",[64,465,466,469],{},[82,467,468],{},"71",[82,470,471],{},"soixante et onze",[64,473,474,477],{},[82,475,476],{},"72",[82,478,479],{},"soixante-douze",[64,481,482,485],{},[82,483,484],{},"73",[82,486,487],{},"soixante-treize",[64,489,490,493],{},[82,491,492],{},"74",[82,494,495],{},"soixante-quatorze",[64,497,498,501],{},[82,499,500],{},"75",[82,502,503],{},"soixante-quinze",[64,505,506,509],{},[82,507,508],{},"76",[82,510,511],{},"soixante-seize",[64,513,514,517],{},[82,515,516],{},"77",[82,518,519],{},"soixante-dix-sept",[64,521,522,525],{},[82,523,524],{},"78",[82,526,527],{},"soixante-dix-huit",[64,529,530,533],{},[82,531,532],{},"79",[82,534,535],{},"soixante-dix-neuf",[49,537,538,539,541],{},"71 keeps the ",[205,540,423],{}," convention (soixante et onze), patterning with vingt et un. 77, 78 and 79 stack two compound numbers (soixante + dix-sept), which is where the cashier-speed parsing problem really begins.",[49,543,544,547],{},[205,545,546],{},"80 is quatre-vingts",", literally four-twenties. Note the S: quatre-vingts takes a plural S because it is \"four twenties\" and the twenties are plural. The S vanishes the moment another number follows.",[58,549,550,558],{},[61,551,552],{},[64,553,554,556],{},[67,555,69],{},[67,557,72],{},[77,559,560,568,576,584,592,600,608,616,624,632],{},[64,561,562,565],{},[82,563,564],{},"80",[82,566,567],{},"quatre-vingts",[64,569,570,573],{},[82,571,572],{},"81",[82,574,575],{},"quatre-vingt-un",[64,577,578,581],{},[82,579,580],{},"82",[82,582,583],{},"quatre-vingt-deux",[64,585,586,589],{},[82,587,588],{},"83",[82,590,591],{},"quatre-vingt-trois",[64,593,594,597],{},[82,595,596],{},"84",[82,598,599],{},"quatre-vingt-quatre",[64,601,602,605],{},[82,603,604],{},"85",[82,606,607],{},"quatre-vingt-cinq",[64,609,610,613],{},[82,611,612],{},"86",[82,614,615],{},"quatre-vingt-six",[64,617,618,621],{},[82,619,620],{},"87",[82,622,623],{},"quatre-vingt-sept",[64,625,626,629],{},[82,627,628],{},"88",[82,630,631],{},"quatre-vingt-huit",[64,633,634,637],{},[82,635,636],{},"89",[82,638,639],{},"quatre-vingt-neuf",[49,641,642,643,646],{},"Two things to notice. First, ",[205,644,645],{},"no et un",". It is quatre-vingt-un, not quatre-vingt et un. The et-un convention only applies inside the vingt \u002F trente \u002F quarante \u002F cinquante \u002F soixante decades, not in the quatre-vingt or quatre-vingt-dix decades. Second, the S on vingts is gone the instant anything follows.",[49,648,649,652],{},[205,650,651],{},"90 is quatre-vingt-dix",", literally four-twenty-ten. Same logic as 70, but stacked on the quatre-vingt base:",[58,654,655,663],{},[61,656,657],{},[64,658,659,661],{},[67,660,69],{},[67,662,72],{},[77,664,665,673,681,689,697,705,713,721,729,737],{},[64,666,667,670],{},[82,668,669],{},"90",[82,671,672],{},"quatre-vingt-dix",[64,674,675,678],{},[82,676,677],{},"91",[82,679,680],{},"quatre-vingt-onze",[64,682,683,686],{},[82,684,685],{},"92",[82,687,688],{},"quatre-vingt-douze",[64,690,691,694],{},[82,692,693],{},"93",[82,695,696],{},"quatre-vingt-treize",[64,698,699,702],{},[82,700,701],{},"94",[82,703,704],{},"quatre-vingt-quatorze",[64,706,707,710],{},[82,708,709],{},"95",[82,711,712],{},"quatre-vingt-quinze",[64,714,715,718],{},[82,716,717],{},"96",[82,719,720],{},"quatre-vingt-seize",[64,722,723,726],{},[82,724,725],{},"97",[82,727,728],{},"quatre-vingt-dix-sept",[64,730,731,734],{},[82,732,733],{},"98",[82,735,736],{},"quatre-vingt-dix-huit",[64,738,739,742],{},[82,740,741],{},"99",[82,743,744],{},"quatre-vingt-dix-neuf",[49,746,747],{},"99 is quatre-vingt-dix-neuf, four-twenty-ten-nine. It is the most syllable-dense number in the standard French count, and a fair example of why Belgian French opted out.",[53,749,751],{"id":750},"belgium-and-switzerland-the-sane-alternatives","Belgium and Switzerland: the sane alternatives",[58,753,754,769],{},[61,755,756],{},[64,757,758,760,763,766],{},[67,759,69],{},[67,761,762],{},"Belgium",[67,764,765],{},"Switzerland",[67,767,768],{},"Metropolitan France",[77,770,771,782,793],{},[64,772,773,775,778,780],{},[82,774,460],{},[82,776,777],{},"septante",[82,779,777],{},[82,781,463],{},[64,783,784,786,788,791],{},[82,785,564],{},[82,787,567],{},[82,789,790],{},"huitante \u002F octante",[82,792,567],{},[64,794,795,797,800,802],{},[82,796,669],{},[82,798,799],{},"nonante",[82,801,799],{},[82,803,672],{},[49,805,806,809,810,812,813,816,817,820],{},[205,807,808],{},"Septante"," (70) and ",[205,811,799],{}," (90) are used in Belgium, French-speaking Switzerland and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both pattern regularly with trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante. ",[205,814,815],{},"Huitante"," (or ",[205,818,819],{},"octante",") is the regular form for 80 in parts of French-speaking Switzerland (Vaud, Valais, Fribourg). Belgium kept quatre-vingts for 80, which is the slightly unusual middle position.",[49,822,823],{},"These forms are not slang. A Belgian schoolchild learns septante and nonante from primary school. The Académie française treats them as foreign, which is a position about national identity rather than linguistic merit. If your target country is France or Quebec, learn soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix. If your target is Belgium or Switzerland, learn the regular forms. Travelling across the Francophone world, learn both.",[53,825,827],{"id":826},"_100-and-beyond","100 and beyond",[49,829,830,833],{},[205,831,832],{},"100 is cent",". Like quatre-vingt, cent takes a plural S when it stands alone as a multiple, and loses it the moment another number follows.",[212,835,836,839,842,845,848],{},[215,837,838],{},"100 = cent (no S, because it is exactly one hundred, not \"hundreds\")",[215,840,841],{},"200 = deux cents (S, because two hundreds)",[215,843,844],{},"250 = deux cent cinquante (no S, because another number follows)",[215,846,847],{},"300 = trois cents",[215,849,850],{},"380 = trois cent quatre-vingts (no S on cent, S on vingts because nothing follows the vingts)",[49,852,853],{},"Cent does not take an article: cent personnes, not \"un cent personnes\". Same goes for mille.",[49,855,856,859],{},[205,857,858],{},"1,000 is mille",". Mille never takes an S in any context. Deux mille, trois mille, dix mille, cent mille: the form is invariant.",[212,861,862,865,868,871,874],{},[215,863,864],{},"1,000 = mille",[215,866,867],{},"2,000 = deux mille",[215,869,870],{},"10,000 = dix mille",[215,872,873],{},"100,000 = cent mille",[215,875,876],{},"1,000,000 = un million (this one IS a noun and DOES take an S: deux millions, with de before what is being counted: deux millions de personnes)",[49,878,879],{},"The Académie française distinguishes mille (1,000) from the historical mille (a measure of distance, archaic). For practical purposes, mille = 1,000, always, invariant, no S.",[53,881,883],{"id":882},"ordinals-first-second-third","Ordinals: first, second, third",[49,885,886,887,890],{},"The ordinal pattern is mostly regular. Take the cardinal, add ",[205,888,889],{},"-ième",", and you have the ordinal.",[58,892,893,903],{},[61,894,895],{},[64,896,897,900],{},[67,898,899],{},"Cardinal",[67,901,902],{},"Ordinal",[77,904,905,912,919,926,933,940,947,954,962],{},[64,906,907,909],{},[82,908,98],{},[82,910,911],{},"premier (m) \u002F première (f)",[64,913,914,916],{},[82,915,109],{},[82,917,918],{},"deuxième (or second \u002F seconde)",[64,920,921,923],{},[82,922,120],{},[82,924,925],{},"troisième",[64,927,928,930],{},[82,929,131],{},[82,931,932],{},"quatrième",[64,934,935,937],{},[82,936,142],{},[82,938,939],{},"cinquième",[64,941,942,944],{},[82,943,186],{},[82,945,946],{},"neuvième",[64,948,949,951],{},[82,950,331],{},[82,952,953],{},"vingtième",[64,955,956,959],{},[82,957,958],{},"cent",[82,960,961],{},"centième",[64,963,964,967],{},[82,965,966],{},"mille",[82,968,969],{},"millième",[49,971,972,975,976,979,980,983,984,987],{},[205,973,974],{},"Premier"," is the only ordinal with a separate feminine form (première); the rest are invariant for gender. ",[205,977,978],{},"Second \u002F seconde"," is traditionally used when there are only two items in the series (la seconde guerre mondiale) and deuxième when more could follow, but the distinction is loosely observed. ",[205,981,982],{},"Cinquième"," adds a U to preserve the K sound. ",[205,985,986],{},"Neuvième"," changes the F of neuf to a V.",[53,989,991],{"id":990},"pronunciation-traps","Pronunciation traps",[49,993,994],{},"A few mid-count traps worth memorising.",[212,996,997,1002,1008,1014],{},[215,998,999,1001],{},[205,1000,337],{},": silent T standalone (van), pronounced T inside compounds (vingt-deux = vahn-tuh-duh). The 80s and 90s (quatre-vingt-deux etc.) follow the same pattern.",[215,1003,1004,1007],{},[205,1005,1006],{},"Cinq, six, huit, dix",": final consonant pronounced when standalone or before a vowel (liaison), silent before a consonant. \"Cinq amis\" = sank-amee. \"Cinq personnes\" = sank pair-sonn, with the K still audible. Five is more stable than six and dix in this respect.",[215,1009,1010,1013],{},[205,1011,1012],{},"Sept",": the P is silent (set), but the T is always pronounced.",[215,1015,1016,1019],{},[205,1017,1018],{},"Neuf"," before heures and ans: the F becomes a V. Neuf heures = nuh-vur. Neuf ans = nuh-vahn. Everywhere else, neuf keeps the F.",[53,1021,1023],{"id":1022},"common-contexts","Common contexts",[49,1025,1026,1029,1030,1033,1034,1037],{},[205,1027,1028],{},"Prices."," Prices are read with the centimes spoken in full. €2.50 is ",[205,1031,1032],{},"deux euros cinquante",". €36.75 is ",[205,1035,1036],{},"trente-six euros soixante-quinze",". The decimal mark is a comma (virgule), not a point: 36,75 €.",[49,1039,1040,1043,1044,1047],{},[205,1041,1042],{},"Phone numbers."," French phone numbers are read in pairs. 02 35 22 17 84 reads as ",[205,1045,1046],{},"zéro deux, trente-cinq, vingt-deux, dix-sept, quatre-vingt-quatre",". Each pair is a two-digit number, not individual digits. This is where the 70\u002F80\u002F90 system bites hardest, because almost every phone number contains at least one compound decade parsed at speaking speed.",[49,1049,1050,1053,1054,1057],{},[205,1051,1052],{},"Addresses."," Building numbers are ordinary cardinals: \"j'habite au quarante-sept, rue de Paris\". The article ",[205,1055,1056],{},"au"," before the number is standard.",[49,1059,1060,1063,1064,1067,1068,1071,1072,1075,1076,1079,1080,1083],{},[205,1061,1062],{},"Times."," France defaults to the 24-hour clock in writing and most spoken contexts. 14:00 is ",[205,1065,1066],{},"quatorze heures",". 18:30 is ",[205,1069,1070],{},"dix-huit heures trente",". The 12-hour clock survives in casual speech when context fixes the half of the day: \"on se voit à huit heures\" at the end of a workday means 20:00 without anyone saying vingt heures. ",[205,1073,1074],{},"Et demie"," (half past), ",[205,1077,1078],{},"et quart"," (quarter past) and ",[205,1081,1082],{},"moins le quart"," (quarter to) still appear alongside the numerals.",[53,1085,1087],{"id":1086},"cross-references","Cross-references",[212,1089,1090,1098,1105,1112,1119],{},[215,1091,1092,1097],{},[1093,1094,1096],"a",{"href":1095},"\u002Ffrench","The French pillar"," covers the wider adult-learner approach for French.",[215,1099,1100,1104],{},[1093,1101,1103],{"href":1102},"\u002Ffrench\u002Falphabet","The French alphabet"," covers the letter names and the accent system that pair with the number system.",[215,1106,1107,1111],{},[1093,1108,1110],{"href":1109},"\u002Ffrench\u002Fvocabulary-by-cefr","French vocabulary by CEFR"," covers the frequency-ordered word list these numbers sit inside.",[215,1113,1114,1118],{},[1093,1115,1117],{"href":1116},"\u002Fresources\u002Ffrench\u002Fhow-to-say-good-morning-in-french","How to say good morning in French"," covers the greeting cluster that opens any transaction where numbers actually get used.",[215,1120,1121,1125],{},[1093,1122,1124],{"href":1123},"\u002Ffrench\u002Fphrases\u002Frestaurant","Restaurant phrases in French"," covers the bill-and-tip context where French numbers are most reliably encountered in the wild.",{"title":1127,"searchDepth":1128,"depth":1128,"links":1129},"",2,[1130,1131,1132,1133,1134,1135,1136,1137,1138,1139],{"id":55,"depth":1128,"text":56},{"id":238,"depth":1128,"text":239},{"id":341,"depth":1128,"text":342},{"id":433,"depth":1128,"text":434},{"id":750,"depth":1128,"text":751},{"id":826,"depth":1128,"text":827},{"id":882,"depth":1128,"text":883},{"id":990,"depth":1128,"text":991},{"id":1022,"depth":1128,"text":1023},{"id":1086,"depth":1128,"text":1087},"Methodology",null,"2026-06-11T00:00:00+00:00","Numbers in French from 0 to 1000. The standard count, the notorious 70\u002F80\u002F90 system (soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix), the Belgian and Swiss alternatives (septante, huitante, nonante), plural agreement on cent and quatre-vingts, and the pronunciation traps on six, dix and vingt.","md",[1146,1149,1152,1155],{"q":1147,"a":1148},"Why are 70, 80 and 90 so weird in French?","Because Old French was partly vigesimal (base-twenty), inherited from the Celtic Gaulish substrate that preceded Latin in what is now France. Soixante-dix is literally sixty-ten, quatre-vingts is four-twenties, quatre-vingt-dix is four-twenty-ten. The base-ten forms septante, octante and nonante existed in medieval French and were standard for centuries, but the Paris-centred standard that became modern metropolitan French preserved the vigesimal forms. The Académie française treats them as part of the language's identity, which is why no reform has ever stuck.",{"q":1150,"a":1151},"What is the difference between septante and soixante-dix?","They mean the same thing (70). Septante is used in Belgium, Switzerland and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo; soixante-dix is the metropolitan French and Quebec form. Septante is regular (it patterns with trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante) and faster to say. Soixante-dix is the form the Académie française recognises as standard for metropolitan French. Both are correct French; they belong to different national standards.",{"q":1153,"a":1154},"When do hyphens go between number words in French?","The 1990 spelling reform recommended hyphens between every word in a compound number: vingt-et-un, soixante-et-onze, deux-cent-cinquante-trois. The older convention used hyphens only between tens and units (vingt-deux, soixante-dix) and a bare 'et' for the et-un forms (vingt et un). Both are accepted; the 1990 reform is increasingly standard in schools and modern publishing. Either system is correct as long as it is internally consistent.",{"q":1156,"a":1157},"When does quatre-vingts take a plural S?","Only when it stands alone as exactly 80 at the end of a number. Quatre-vingts personnes (80 people) keeps the S. Quatre-vingt-deux (82) loses it, because another number follows. Quatre-vingt mille (80,000) also loses it, because mille follows. The same rule applies to cent: deux cents (200) takes the S, but deux cent cinquante (250) does not. Mille never takes an S in any context.",{},"\u002Fresources\u002Ffrench\u002Fnumbers-in-french",{"title":37,"description":1143},"resources\u002Ffrench\u002Fnumbers-in-french",[1163,1164,1165,1166],"french vocabulary","french for beginners","french numbers","language learning","French numbers run un, deux, trois up to seize, then switch to compound forms (dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf). The notorious bit starts at 70: soixante-dix is literally sixty-ten, quatre-vingts is four-twenties (80), and quatre-vingt-dix is four-twenty-ten (90). Belgium and Switzerland fix this with septante, nonante and (in Switzerland) huitante, which are unambiguously better and which the Académie française quietly refuses to adopt. Add the plural-S that vanishes on quatre-vingt and cent the moment another number follows, the silent T on vingt that comes back in vingt-deux, and the comma-not-point decimal, and you have the full picture.","x0nWV1NwTbhtz6oa7L2SR1Zxw13YUI2Vot2oJghUkvQ",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":1170},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M10 18v-7m1.119-8.795a2 2 0 0 1 1.762 0l7.84 3.846A.5.5 0 0 1 20.5 7h-17a.5.5 0 0 1-.22-.949zM14 18v-7m4 7v-7M3 22h18M6 18v-7\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":1172},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M12 15V3m9 12v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m7 10l5 5l5-5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":1174},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M13 21h8M15 5l4 4m2.174-2.188a1 1 0 0 0-3.986-3.987L3.842 16.174a2 2 0 0 0-.5.83l-1.321 4.352a.5.5 0 0 0 .623.622l4.353-1.32a2 2 0 0 0 .83-.497z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":1176},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Crect width=\"18\" height=\"18\" x=\"3\" y=\"3\" rx=\"2\" ry=\"2\"\u002F>\u003Ccircle cx=\"9\" cy=\"9\" r=\"2\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m21 15l-3.086-3.086a2 2 0 0 0-2.828 0L6 21\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":1178},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M6 22a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V4a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h8a2.4 2.4 0 0 1 1.704.706l3.588 3.588A2.4 2.4 0 0 1 20 8v12a2 2 0 0 1-2 2z\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"M14 2v5a1 1 0 0 0 1 1h5M10 9H8m8 4H8m8 4H8\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",1781519465763]