In any language, you need to know the numbers for many reasons. Italian is no different.
Here's Superprof's complete guide to numbers in Italian.
Why You Should Learn Numbers in Italian
Before we jump into the numbers themselves, you might think you have better things to learn in Italian. However, along with learning the alphabet, learning the numbers in any language is one of the first things you should do.
Mastering numbers in Italian is not just about language proficiency, it's about practicality. Imagine being able to effortlessly understand addresses, prices, and floor numbers in Italy. That's the power of learning numbers in Italian.
It can also help you when you learn to tell the time in Italy, which will help with trains, buses, and flights, all of which will likely be numbered.
You can also talk about people's ages (respectfully), understand distances, and even ask for quantities of things in shops. You'll need to understand numbers for telephone numbers.
Basic Italian Numbers from One to Ten
As you would have done in English, the first numbers you'll learn in Italian range from one to ten.
| Number | English | Italian |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | One | Uno |
| 2 | Two | Due |
| 3 | Three | Tre |
| 4 | Four | Quattro |
| 5 | Five | Cinque |
| 6 | Six | Sei |
| 7 | Seven | Sette |
| 8 | Eight | Otto |
| 9 | Nine | Nove |
| 10 | Ten | Dieci |
Let's tackle the pronunciation of Italian numbers together. Some numbers, like four (quattro), seven (sette), and eight (otto), have a unique double-t sound. It might seem tricky at first, but with a little practice, you'll master it in no time!
If it helps, we've heard people say it helps to imagine that you're bouncing on “t”.
With the numbers from one to ten, you can probably describe your family in Italian provided you don't come from a huge family.
Italian Numbers from Eleven to Twenty
Like in English and many other languages, the numbers between ten and twenty are tricky and follow different rules than the later tens (20s, 30s, 40s, etc.).
| Number | English | Italian |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Eleven | Undici |
| 12 | Twelve | Dodici |
| 13 | Thirteen | Tredici |
| 14 | Fourteen | Quattordici |
| 15 | Fifteen | Quindici |
| 16 | Sixteen | Sedici |
| 17 | Seventeen | Diciassette |
| 18 | Eighteen | Diciotto |
| 19 | Nineteen | Diciannove |
| 20 | Twenty | Venti |
Here's a rule: Consider the numbers between 11 and 19 as "ten-something" or "something-ten."
While "dieci" is ten, the ten component is "dici" in these numbers. Start by taking the unit and putting "dici" after it. However, once you get to seventeen (diciassette), the "ten" component of the word goes before the unit.
Eleven through sixteen are like "one + ten", "two + ten", etc. Seventeen through nineteen are more like "ten + seven", "ten + eight", and "ten + nine".
If you look closely, you can see that even the words for units are altered in this form and aren't exactly the same numbers as they were between one and nine.
Unfortunately, for these numbers, it's a case of learning them.
If you can learn twenty words for numbers, you can certainly remember the days of the week and months of the year in Italian.
Tens in Italian
Once you've mastered the numbers up to twenty in Italian, you can learn the subsequent tens or decades, as they'll form the foundation quite simply for all the numbers from twenty up to one hundred.
| Number | English | Italian |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Ten | Dieci |
| 20 | Twenty | Venti |
| 30 | Thirty | Trenta |
| 40 | Forty | Quaranta |
| 50 | Fifty | Cinquanta |
| 60 | Sixty | Sessanta |
| 70 | Seventy | Settanta |
| 80 | Eighty | Ottanta |
| 90 | Ninety | Novanta |
Much like the numbers between eleven and nineteen, you can see here that there's some rhyme and reason to the names of the tens.
Like in English, where the origins of these words are from the number of tens (thirty is etymologically related to three, forty to four, etc.), there are some minor changes and alterations to contend with.
After all, where would the fun in language be if everything was as it logically should be? You have to remember that languages evolve naturally over time, so even numerical systems, which should completely follow logic, can still be subject to these changes.
However, what can help you remember these words is that after ten, twenty, and thirty (dieci, venti, and trenta), every other word ends in "-anta". If you hear "-anta", you're into the tens.
Forming Numbers in Italian in the Tens
Now that you've conquered the basics, it's time to level up. We're going to show you how to form every number from one to one hundred in Italian. It's like unlocking a secret code!
Like the way the words change ever so slightly between eleven and nineteen from what you'd logically expect, there are a couple of rules you need to be familiar with.
You form the numbers with the ten going first and the unit coming second. This may seem obvious, but in languages like German, these numbers are formed with the unit first, making "twenty-one" more like "one and twenty".
In Italian, it's more like English in this respect. Twenty-one is the word for twenty (venti), plus the word for one (uno).
However, suppose the first letter of the word for the unit begins with a vowel (like "uno" does). In that case, you usually remove the last vowel from the word for the tens.
So, while you might think twenty-one would be "ventiuno", it's actually "ventuno".
This would give you, for example:
- 21: Ventuno (20 + 1)
- 22: Ventidue (20 + 2)
- 23: Ventitré (20 + 3)
- 24: Ventiquattro (20 + 4)
- 25: Venticinque (20 + 5)
Similarly, in the thirties, it would look like this:
- 31: Trentuno (30 + 1)
- 32: Trentadue (30 + 2)
- 33: Trentatré (30 + 3)
Adjectives like colours in Italian also have some interesting rules for you to learn.
Counting Beyond One Hundred in Italian
Once you have the units, the numbers between eleven and nineteen, and all the tens memorised in Italian, you need only learn the next orders of magnitude: 100s, 1000s, etc.
For each power of ten that you learn (100, 1000, etc.), you can count up to the next power.
Forming Numbers in the Hundreds in Italian
Let's start with one hundred. In Italian, this is "cento".
The logic is the same, with the more significant number going first.
This looks like:
- Hundreds + tens + units.
Unlike with tens, however, there are no rules about removing the final vowel on “cento”. Even if the following ten or unit begins with a vowel, you don't drop the “o” from “cento”.
For example:
- 101: Centouno (100 + 1)
- 102: Centodue (100 + 2)
- 110: Centodieci (100 + 10)
Multiples of Hundreds in Italian
Forming multiples of hundreds in Italian is very simple. Like in English, you place the multiple before the word "cento."
| Number | English | Italian |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | One hundred | Cento |
| 200 | Two hundred | Duecento |
| 300 | Three hundred | Trecento |
| 400 | Four hundred | Quattrocento |
| 500 | Five hundred | Cinquecento |
| 600 | Six hundred | Seicento |
| 700 | Seven hundred | Settecento |
| 800 | Eight hundred | Ottocento |
| 900 | Nine hundred | Novecento |
Forming Numbers in the Thousands in Italian
The Italian word for one thousand is "mille." However, for multiples of thousands, you take the number of thousands and add "mila" afterwards.
This is how it looks in Italian:
- 1000: Mille
- 2000: Duemila
- 3000: Tremila
- 4000: Quattromila
These numbers are combined exactly from largest to smallest: Thousand + hundred + ten + unit.
Massive Numbers in Italian
Now that you can effectively count up to one million, why stop there?
The following numbers you can learn are million and billion.
These are:
- 1,000,000: Un milione
- 1,000,000,000: Un miliardo
Ordinal Numbers in Italian
So far, all the numbers we've seen are known as "cardinal numbers". This means they refer to the number itself or how many of something there are.
However, ordinal numbers in Italian, like in English, refer to the order of things. These are like “first”, “second”, “third”, etc. and like in English, they don't always look exactly like the number they refer to.
You'll likely first see these numbers in Italian restaurants, where the courses in a meal are referred to using ordinal numbers.
You may also be surprised at just how many courses Italian meals can have. While we'll show you the ordinal numbers up to the tenth, an Italian meal can sometimes come close to this—not that they use ordinal numbers to describe every course!
Here are the ordinal numbers in Italian from first to tenth:
| Number | English | Italian |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | First | Primo |
| 2nd | Second | Secondo |
| 3rd | Third | Terzo |
| 4th | Fourth | Quarto |
| 5th | Fifth | Quinto |
| 6th | Sixth | Sesto |
| 7th | Seventh | Settimo |
| 8th | Eighth | Ottavo |
| 9th | Ninth | Nono |
| 10th | Tenth | Decimo |
You can always take your Italian further by mastering the most common Italian verbs.
Get More Help with Your Italian from a Private Tutor
While the numbers in isolation are quite easy to learn, and you can teach yourself them, many aspects of the Italian language can be challenging.
While immersion and daily use of a language are the best ways to learn a language, a private tutor is the second best option for those who can't necessarily live and work in Italy.
Private Italian tutors can tailor every lesson and session to you, what you want to learn, and what you need to work on.
Not everybody learns Italian for the same reason. Those who want to learn Italian to watch Italian TV shows, listen to Italian music and experience Italian culture will have different learning objectives than somebody learning the language for work.
Your tutor will consider this and ensure that each session focuses on something in Italian that you'll need to know while also adapting the activities to you and how you like to learn.
Search for "Italian" on the Superprof site today to browse the profiles of experienced and qualified Italian tutors.
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