Numbers and telling time
Counting from 0 to 100, and how to tell the time and the date in Spanish.
Numbers 0–15
The first fifteen numbers simply need to be memorized — there's no fixed pattern yet.
| # | es |
|---|---|
| 0 | cero |
| 1 | uno |
| 2 | dos |
| 3 | tres |
| 4 | cuatro |
| 5 | cinco |
| 6 | seis |
| 7 | siete |
| 8 | ocho |
| 9 | nueve |
| 10 | diez |
| 11 | once |
| 12 | doce |
| 13 | trece |
| 14 | catorce |
| 15 | quince |
Examples
Numbers 16–100
From 16 to 29, numbers are written as one word: dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve, veinte, veintiuno, veintidós… (note the accent on dieciséis and veintidós/veintitrés/veintiséis).
From 31 onward, numbers are written as separate words, with y ('and') between the tens and units: treinta y uno, cuarenta y dos, cincuenta y tres…
Cien means exactly 100; in compounds it becomes ciento: ciento uno (101), ciento veinte (120).
| # | es |
|---|---|
| 16 | dieciséis |
| 20 | veinte |
| 21 | veintiuno |
| 30 | treinta |
| 40 | cuarenta |
| 50 | cincuenta |
| 60 | sesenta |
| 70 | setenta |
| 80 | ochenta |
| 90 | noventa |
| 100 | cien |
Examples
Uno, un, una
Uno drops its final letter (apocope) before a masculine noun: un libro (not uno libro). Before a feminine noun it becomes una: una mesa. The same happens in compound numbers ending in 1: veintiún chicos, treinta y un años, veintiuna chicas.
When uno stands alone (counting, or at the end of a sentence), it stays uno: uno, dos, tres…
Examples
What time is it?
To ask what time it is, you say ¿Qué hora es? The answer starts with Es la… (for 1 o'clock) or Son las… (for every other hour), followed by the hour.
- y cuarto = a quarter past
- y media = half past
- menos cuarto = a quarter to
- en punto = exactly, o'clock
To specify morning, afternoon or night, add de la mañana, de la tarde or de la noche.
| es | nl |
|---|---|
| Es la una | Het is één uur |
| Son las dos | Het is twee uur |
| Son las tres y cuarto | Het is kwart over drie |
| Son las cuatro y media | Het is half vijf |
| Son las cinco menos cuarto | Het is kwart voor vijf |
| Son las seis en punto | Het is precies zes uur |
Examples
Days, months and the date
The days of the week (lunes, martes, miércoles, jueves, viernes, sábado, domingo) and the months (enero, febrero, marzo…) are written with a lowercase letter in Spanish.
To say the date: el + number + de + month: el quince de marzo (March 15th). For the first of the month you can use el primero (mainly Latin America), but usually just el uno.
¿Qué día es hoy? — Hoy es lunes, quince de marzo.
Examples
💡 Tips
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Related grammar
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