Numbers come in two forms in almost every language. The most common form is called cardinal numbers. You use cardinal numbers when you look at a price tag or do your taxes. In other words, you use these types of numbers for any type of counting. The second type of number is called ordinal numbers, which allows you to rank something. For example, you may want to tell a friend that you live on the fourth floor.

Cardinal numbers are used more often in everyday speech and, thus, need to be learned first. When you have mastered the cardinal numbers it’s time to focus on the ordinal numbers. Below you find a list of the German ordinal numbers.

 

 

1. erstens – 1^st first

2. zweitens – 2^nd second

3. drittens – 3^rd  third

4. viertens – 4^th fourth

5. fünftens – 5^th fifth

6. sechstens – 6^th sixth

7. siebtens / siebentens – 7^th seventh

8. achtens – 8^th eighth

9. neuntens – 9^th ninth

10. zehntens – 10^th tenth

11. elftens – 11^th eleventh

12. zwölftens – 12^th twelfth

13. dreizehntens – 13^th thirteenth

14. vierzehntens – 14^th fourteenth

15. fünfzehntens – 15^th fifteenth

16. sechzehntens – 16^th sixteenth

17. siebzehntens – 17^th seventeenth

18. achtzehntens – 18^th eighteenth

19. neunzehntens – 19^th nineteenth

20. zwanzigstens – 20^th twentieth

21. einundzwanzigstens – 21^st twenty-first

22. zweiundzwanzigstens – 22^nd twenty-second

23. dreiundzwanzigstens – 23^rd twenty-third

24. vierundzwanzigstens – 24^th twenty-fourth

25. fünfundzwanzigstens – 25^th twenty-fifth

26. sechstundzwanzigstens – 26^th twenty-sixth

27. siebenundzwanzigstens – 27^th twenty-seventh

28. achtundzwanzigstens – 28^th twenty-eighth

29. neunundzwanzigstens – 29^th twenty-ninth

30. dreizigstens – 30^th thirtieth

31. einunddreizigstens – 31^st thirty-first

40. vierzigstens – 40^th fourtieth

42. zweiundvierzigstens – 42^nd forty-second

50. fünfzigstens – 50^th fiftieth

53. dreiundfünfzigstens – 53^rd fifty-third

60. sechzigstens – 60^th sixtieth

64. vierundsechzistens – 64^th sixty-fourth

70. siebzigstens – 70^th seventieth

75. fünfundsiebzigstens – 75^th seventy-fifth

80. achtzigstens – 80^th eightieth

86. sechsundachzigstens – 86^th eighty-sixth

90. neunzigstens – 90^th ninetieth

97. siebenundneunzigstens – 97^th ninety-seventh

100. hundertstens – 100^th hundredth

 

As you can see, in German, ordinal numbers are abbreviated with a dot after the number, whereas English uses the auxiliaries X^st, X^nd, X^rd, and X^th.

 

To be continued…