Chapter 26: Numbers and Dates

📚 Introduction

Numbers and dates are important in all languages. There are many similarities in the formation and usage of numbers in English and German, but ordinal numbers in German ('first', 'second' etc.) need endings like any other adjective.

🔢 Numbers 0–20

Cardinal Numbers (Grundzahlen)

These are the cardinal numbers from 0 to 20 in German:

null

eins

zwei

drei

vier

fünf

sechs

sieben

acht

neun

zehn

elf

zwölf

dreizehn

vierzehn

fünfzehn

sechzehn

siebzehn

achtzehn

neunzehn

zwanzig

⚠️ Note: Similarly to English, in German zehn 'ten' is added to form the numbers 13 to 19. Note that the s is dropped in sechzehn and siebzehn drops the en.

📊 Numbers 20–100

The Tens (Die Zehner)

Number	German	Audio
20	zwanzig
30	dreißig
40	vierzig
50	fünfzig
60	sechzig
70	siebzig
80	achtzig
90	neunzig

⚠️ Important: Note that dreißig is spelled with ß instead of z. Again the s is dropped in sechzig and the en in siebzig.

Numbers Over 20

Numbers over 20 are formed by giving the unit number, then und and then the tens. This is different from English, where you first have the tens and then the single number: twenty-one.

💡 German Pattern: In German, it is (literally translated): one-and-twenty.

Number	German	Literal
21	einundzwanzig	one-and-twenty
32	zweiunddreißig	two-and-thirty
44	vierundvierzig	four-and-forty
56	sechsundfünfzig	six-and-fifty

⚠️ Note: Eins drops the s for numbers above 20 (einunddreißig, einundvierzig, etc.).

💯 Numbers 100 and Above

Hundreds and Thousands

Start with the number of hundreds and then add the tens and units as explained above:

Number	German	Audio
100	(ein)hundert
202	zweihundertzwei
310	dreihundertzehn
456	vierhundertsechsundfünfzig
889	achthundertneunundachtzig
1,020	(ein)tausendzwanzig
7,455	siebentausendvierhundertfünfundfünfzig

⚠️ Important: In modern German there is normally no und added after hundert. This also applies to numbers above 1000.

Long Words

You have probably noticed that all numbers in German are written as one word. Only numbers above a million are separated:

Number	German
1,100,000	eine Million einhunderttausend
10,800,000	zehn Millionen achthunderttausend

📅 Dates – Ordinal Numbers

Formation

To say the dates in German ('the first', 'the second' etc.), add:

-te for numbers up to 19 and
-ste for numbers from 20 upwards.

These numbers ('first', 'second' etc.) are called ordinal numbers. Because ordinal numbers usually provide more information about a noun ('the first of February', for instance), they take the appropriate adjective ending.

Ordinal Numbers 1–19

For numbers up to and including the nineteenth add -te:

1 (eins)

erste

2 (zwei)

zweite

3 (drei)

dritte

4 (vier)

vierte

5 (fünf)

fünfte

6 (sechs)

sechste

7 (sieben)

siebte

8 (acht)

achte

10 (zehn)

zehnte

12 (zwölf)

zwölfte

14 (vierzehn)

vierzehnte

⚠️ Irregular Forms: Note the slightly irregular forms: erste ('the first'), dritte ('the third') and siebte ('the seventh').

💡 Example: Heute ist der sechste Mai.
"Today is the sixth of May."

From 20th Upwards

For all numbers from the twentieth upwards add -ste:

Cardinal	Ordinal	Audio
21 (einundzwanzig)	einundzwanzigste
31 (einunddreißig)	einunddreißigste
25 (fünfundzwanzig)	fünfundzwanzigste

💡 Example: Heute ist der fünfundzwanzigste Mai.
"Today is the twenty-fifth of May."

🎯 Ordinal Numbers with Dative Endings

Using am with Dates

To indicate on which date something happens, use am in German.

⚠️ Grammar Point: As am (an + dem) is followed by the dative case, an extra -n needs to be added to the -te and -ste endings.

German	English	Audio
Ich fahre am ersten Juli nach Hamburg.	On the first of July, I'm going to Hamburg.
Am fünfzehnten Mai beginnt mein Urlaub.	My holidays start on the fifteenth of May.
Habt ihr am dreißigsten Zeit?	Are you free on the thirtieth (of this month)?

More Expressions with Dative

Other frequently used prepositions which require the dative case are seit 'since'/'from', von 'from' and zu 'until':

German	English	Audio
Er kennt sie seit dem ersten Juni.	He has known her since the first of June.
Vom dritten bis zum zweiundzwanzigsten ist das Geschäft geschlossen.	The shop is closed from the third to the twenty-second.

📆 Years in German

Referring to Years

When referring to years, German does NOT use the preposition 'in' as in English:

German	English	Audio
Die Berliner Mauer fiel 1989. (= neunzehnhundertneunundachtzig)	The Berlin Wall came down in 1989.
Goethe wurde 1749 geboren. (= siebzehnhundertneunundvierzig)	Goethe was born in 1749.

💡 Note: It is possible to say im Jahre, but this sounds rather pompous:
Goethe wurde im Jahre 1749 geboren.

Exercise 26.1

Write out the following numbers

0/15 correct

Example: 435 → vierhundertfünfunddreißig

Exercise 26.2

German Festivals and Dates

0/8 correct

Here are some important events and festivals in Germany. Write out the numbers using the structure der erste, der zweite etc. ('the first', 'the second' etc.).

Example: 1. Januar – Neujahr → Der erste Januar ist Neujahr.

Exercise 26.3

Famous Austrians and Germans

0/8 correct

Write down in full when and where these well-known Austrians and Germans were born.

Example: Dürer, Albrecht, *21. Mai 1471 Nürnberg → Albrecht Dürer wurde am einundzwanzigsten Mai 1471 (vierzehnhunderteinundsiebzig) in Nürnberg geboren.

Exercise 26.4

Translation Exercises

0/8 correct

Translate the following sentences into German:

✓ Checklist

✓ How do you form the numbers after twenty? What is different from English?

Numbers over 20 are formed by giving the unit number, then und and then the tens. This is the opposite of English! For example: 21 = einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty), not "twenty-one".

✓ How do you say what date it is?

Use ordinal numbers with -te (for 1-19) or -ste (for 20+). Example: Heute ist der sechste Mai. (Today is the sixth of May.) Note the irregular forms: erste, dritte, siebte.

✓ What changes about the date when you indicate on which day something happens?

When using am (an + dem, dative case), you must add an extra -n to the ordinal ending. Example: am ersten Juli, am fünfzehnten Mai, am dreißigsten.

✓ How is English different from German in referring to years?

German does NOT use "in" before a year! Example: Die Berliner Mauer fiel 1989. (The Berlin Wall came down in 1989.) You can say im Jahre but it sounds pompous.

← From Previous (e25)

Building on: Adjective Endings — Ordinal numbers in German need adjective endings just like any other adjective! Remember how adjectives change based on case, gender, and whether they follow a definite article, indefinite article, or no article.

→ Coming Next (e27)

Prepare for: Conjunctions and Clauses — Learn how to connect sentences and ideas using coordinating and subordinating conjunctions like und, aber, weil, dass, and understand word order rules in subordinate clauses.