1. EXPLAINING THE TWO TYPES OF NUMBERS

The two types of numbers are: 

• The cardinal numbers: un (1/one); deux (2/two); dix (10/ten), etc. Cardinal numbers are mainly used to count things.
• The ordinal numbers: le premier (1st/one); le deuxième (2nd/second); le dixième (10th/tenth), etc. Ordinal numbers, as the name "order" itself suggests, are mainly used to order things in a sequence. 

Read This First: In 1990, the French language underwent an important orthographic reform. The numbers category was affected by this reform and the use of hyphens for compound numbers (involving more than 1 digit) has become the default rule, while it wasn't prior to 1990. There's much, much more to say on that subject, and, as always, I will be available for your questions and comments if you have any relating to that topic.

1.1 Cardinal numbers explained

Les nombres cardinaux (cardinal numbers) are used under 4 main situations:

• 
  
  1. Counting Things: --> "André a deux voitures". [Andrew has two cars] 
  2. Giving Years: --> "Je suis venu en Amérique en 2001". [I came to America in 2001]. 
  3. Giving Your Age: --> "J'ai trente-huit ans". .
  4. Giving Your Telephone Numbers: --> "Mon numéro de téléphone est le 22-33-44". [My phone number is 22-33-44]
  5. Placing a king/queen in a sequence of fellow kings/queens. "Henri II (deux)" [Henri the 2nd]

Note: Rule #5: I know, rule #5 is different from current English usage. In Englist, you use an ordinal number to position a king/queen in a sequence or dynasty, but in French you must use a cardinal number  (Richard 3rd (III)), is "Richard trois" in French.

1.2 Ordinal numbers explained

• Les nombres ordinaux (ordinal numbers) are used under 4 main situations:
  1. Placing things in a sequence: --> "André est le premier à la soirée". [Andrew is the first at the party] 
  2. Having Birthdays: --> "C'est mon seizième anniversaire". [It's my sixteenth birthday]. 
  3. Referring to Centuries: --> "Darwin est né au dixième siècle". [Darwin was born in the nineteenth century].
  4. Giving the Floor of a building: --> "J'habite au troisième étage". I live on the third floor.

2. CARDINAL NUMBERS

2.1 French cardinal numbers from 1 to 70

Note: It gets much easier between 30 and 70 as you will see below. To read the numbers in-between (31, 32,... 46, 47... 55, 56, etc) simply base your reading on the same format used for 21, 22, 23... It's that simple.

2.2 from 71 to 80: obstacle No1

Note: The number 70 in French is in fact read 60(+)10. And the number 71 is thus read 60(+)11. This may be a little tricky to many new learners. So let's drill down the numbers from 71-79. 

Note: The French reading for number 80 involves doing some math ( I know, crazy right?) -->  4*20 [quatre-vingts] (in other words, 4 times 20). Notice the S at the end of quatre-vingts. Drop the S for 81, 82...89. 

Note: Just as 70 is read 60(+)10 [soixante-dix], the number 90 is read 80(+)10 [quatre-vingt-dix]. For 91, 92, 93..., just replace the "dix" [10] in that number with onze [11], douze [12], treize [13], etc. Check how it's done below.

Note: 100 [cent] takes an in the plural when it is multiplied AND has no numeral placed after it, e.g. 200--> deux cents, 300--> trois cents. [Exception with dates: e.g 1900 --> mille neuf cent (no to "cent"]
But if "cent" is followed by another numeral, the is dropped: e.g. 201--> deux-cent-un.

Important: French numbers in the thousands and above are usually separated with a dot or more, but never a comma like in English. So 1,000 (one thousand) is written 1.000 in French and 1,000,000 (one million) is 1.000.000. In French, this dot placed in the middle of the number will never turn that number into a decimal. Instead it makes it a number in the thousands or more.

4. FRACTIONS & DECIMALS

4.1 Reading fractions in French

I've decided to list some of the most common fractions used in daily French usage. For those of you French learners doing routine arithmetical calculations whether at the cash register or gas station, or shopping even for common countable food items, you will find these to be particularly relevant  

4.2 Reading decimals in French

To write French decimals, you must use commas instead of dots [point]. A typical example of that would be the fraction 5/2 = 2,5 (not 2.5). Check below for examples of pronunciation.  

4.3 Reading prices with decimals in French

An exception to the rule above (on decimal reading) is apparent when reading prices in French. If the prices involve a whole number (in dollar, euro, etc) followed by pennies, cents, etc (e.g. 2.15 US dollars [2,15$ in French]  or 49.46 French euros [49,46€ in French],) then this decimal number is read differently. The most important thing to remember about this change is that the comma [virgule] must no longer be used in the reading. (See next example).

French idioms including the number 2

French idioms including both the numbers 2 and 3

French idioms including the number 3

French idioms including the number 4

French idioms including the number 5

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