Heading to one of the many Portuguese speaking countries and want to know some numbers in portuguese? In this guide, I’m going to explain everything you need to know for you to be a pro at counting in Portuguese!
If you’re learning Portuguese on your own for your friends or if you’re just doing it as a hobby, then let’s get started!
How To Say Numbers In Portuguese: From 1 to 10
Let’s start with the basics and the numbers that you’ll most frequently use. In the following list are Portuguese numbers written from 1 to 10 for you to learn and practice.
- 1 – um
- 2 – dois [Speechword voice=”Portuguese Female” isinline]dois[/Speechword]
- 3 – três
- 4 – quatro
- 5 – cinco
- 6 – seis
- 7 – sete
- 8 – oito
- 9 – nove
- 10 – dez
Number In Portuguese: From 11 To 15
From the number 11, things start to get interesting in Portuguese. From 11 to 15, the numbers are told with very specific words where the beginning of the word somewhat relates to the number that is added to ten, having the suffix –ze in the end.
For example, let’s look at the number fourteen 14: this number is written quatorze where quat– comes from the number 4 quatro with the suffix –orze. The same logic applies to the other numbers from 11 to 15.
Portuguese Numbers 16 To 19
After 15, the rule changes, and Portuguese numbers are formed by a prefix deza– related to the number ten dez, with the number that is added to this number in the end. As an example, let’s look at the number 16 dezasseis, which is formed by the prefix deza– and then the number 6 seis at the end. This logic remains for the remaining numbers until 19 dezanove.
How To Count In Portuguese: Basic Rules
Portuguese numbers are very straightforward and easy to learn. Basically, you can memorize the numbers until 20, add a few numbers like 20, 30, 40, 50, etc., to your vocabulary list, and then understand the pattern that is used for the remaining numbers. Knowing the rule, you can write any number as high as you want!
You’ll also have to memorize some other rules:
- To form hundreds: Portuguese numbers use the word centos (or hundreds). So, for example, the number 700 is a conjunction of the number 7 sete with the words centos, being 700 setecentos.
- The word for 1,000 is mil. Every thousand above that is just the amount with the word mil, such as 5,000 cinco-mil.
- Every other number higher than this one is made the same way: for millions, you use milhões, bilhões for billions, and so forth.
Counting In Portuguese: Add The Highest Number To The Lowest Number
Counting in Portuguese is made by addition from the highest number to the lowest: basically, if you have to say the number 27 you would say “20 and 7” or vinte e sete where 20 is vinte and 7 is sete. The little word, e means “and” and joins the two words.
Even in the hundreds, you keep using this rule, so for example, the number 582 is said “500 and 80 and 2” or quinhentos-e-oitenta-e-dois, where 500 is quinhentos, 80 is oitenta, and 2 is dois. Pretty simple, right?
Counting In Portuguese: How To Count Thousands, Millions, And Billions
Now, when you hit the thousands, things get just a little different. At this point, the “addition” gets so many parcels that it would be weird if you kept using the word “and” over and over again. Thus, in this case, you only say this word when you reach the hundreds step of the addition.
Let’s use an example: in Portuguese, the number 4,924 is said, like “4000, 900, and then 20 and 4” or quatro mil novecentos e vinte e quatro. Got it?
Every number higher than this uses the same rule. Just keep saying the numbers from higher to lower, and when getting to the hundreds, use the word “and”, or e. Let’s finish with a harder example: 1,709,221,456. Don’t give up just yet!
Let’s break this down. This number would be siad like “1 Billion, 700 and 9 million, 200 and 20 and 1 thousand and 400 and 50 and 6”, so in Portuguese, it would be:
If this seems a little hard at this point, read the article until the end and then come back to this number, you’ll see that it is easier than it looks!
Numbers In Portuguese From 21 To 99
From this point on, numbers are told by addition. First, let’s learn how to say the words for the different dezenas (dozens) in Portuguese:
- 20 – vinte
- 30 – trinta
- 40 – quarenta
- 50 – cinquenta
- 60 – sessenta
- 70 – setenta
- 80 – oitenta
- 90 – noventa
Using these words, you can easily make any number between 21 and 99. Just add the correspondent suffix to your dozen, and voila!
Memorizing tons of numbers, especially when you’re halfway a hundred, can be exhausting. We recommend checking out the Ling app on the App Store and Play Store to make the most out of your language learning journey!
How To Count In Portuguese For Dozens
For example, if you want to say the number 28, you would say the dozen vinte with the correspondent +8 suffix so that you’d get vinte e oito.
Dozens | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +7 | +8 | +9 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | Onze | Doze | Treze | Quatorze | Quinze | Dezasseis | Dezassete | Dezoito | Dezanove |
20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 | [dozen]-e-um | [dozen]-e-dois | [dozen]-e-três | [dozen]-e-quatro | [dozen]-e-cinco | [dozen]-e-seis | [dozen]-e-sete | [dozen]-e-oito | [dozen]-e-nove |
Numbers Over 100 In Portuguese
For numbers over 100, the rule remains, and numbers are written from highest to lowest, adding up to the final number. The only exception is the number 100, which alone is cem, but when you add any number, it is spelled as cento. As an example, the number 101 is spelled as cento e um.
For the remaining numbers, the table presented before is applicable. However, instead of just saying the dozen, you have to add the correct hundred before. In this case, the number 467 would be quatrocentos e sessenta e sete, or “400 and 60 and 7”. In the list below are the several hundred that you can use to build your number:
- 100 – cem
- 200 – duzentos
- 300 – trezentos
- 400 – quatrocentos
- 500 – quinhentos
- 600 – seiscentos
- 700 – setecentos
- 800 – oitocentos
- 900 – novecentos
Other Portuguese Words Related With Numbers And Counting
Here is a table with more vocabulary that you may find useful when saying numbers and counting in Portuguese.
Ordinal Numbers In Portuguese
Here is a list of the ordinal Portuguese numbers for you to practice:
- 1º – Primeiro
- 2º – Segundo
- 3º – Terceiro
- 4º – Quarto
- 5º – Quinto
- 6º – Sexto
- 7º – Sétimo
- 8º – Oitavo
- 9º – Nono
- 10º – Décimo
- 20º – Vigésimo
- 25º – Vigésimo-Quinto
- 30º – Tregésimo
- 40º – Quadragésimo
- 50º – Quinquagésimo
- 60º – Sexagésimo
- 70 – Septuagésimo
- 80º – Octogésimo
- 90 – Nonagésimo
- 100º – Centésimo
- 136º – Centésimo-Tregésimo-Sexto
Why Is It Important To Learn Numbers In Portuguese?
If you’re heading to Portugal, you’ll definitely want to know how to say a few important numbers in Portuguese and know how to count them. You don’t want to head to Belém in Lisbon and ask for does (two) of their famous egg tarts (pastel de nata) and instead be presented with dez (ten)! Don’t get me wrong, there are worst things to happen to you as these sweet egg custards are heavenly, but even for a Portuguese like me, 10 is a bit too much! You definitely don’t want to mess these two numbers up!
To avoid this happening to you, why don’t you prepare yourself and learn a few numbers in Portuguese to get your order right? Read this article until the very end. I can guarantee you that you’ll be counting in Portuguese like a local!
Furthermore, everything you’ll learn in this article is applicable to every Portuguese-speaking country, so counting and telling European Portuguese numbers is exactly the same as in Brazilian Portuguese.
Learn Portuguese With The Ling App
Now that you’ve learned how to count and tell the numbers in Portuguese, you may get the desire to learn a bit more of Portuguese! In that case, you should really check out the Ling app.
Ling is a language learning app that guarantees to help you learn a new language in a very engaging and fun way. With this app, you’ll learn grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation through games, puzzles, quizzes, and real-life examples. To top this all off, all the information in the application has been analyzed and proven by native speakers, assuring the accuracy and relevancy of what is being taught!
Learning Portuguese was never easier. With only 15 minutes per day, you can become fluent in this language faster than you can book a ticket to Portugal!