Fractional numbers in German. Cardinal numbers in German. What are they

Learning German numerals is very important because they are often used in everyday communication. The more practice, the closer the mastery of the German language. What is the role of numerals in the structure of grammar?

Cardinal numbers

These are the numbers used for counting (one, two, three). German numbers from 1 to 19 are unique and therefore must be memorized individually.

The suffix -zehn in German numbers means "ten". Numerals ending in zero (except 0 and 10) have the -zig suffix (or -ßig on 30). In subsequent counting, the suffix -zehn is replaced by -zig (sechzehn, sechzig and siebzehn, siebzig).

German numbers from 21 to 99, except for tens, are read backwards: one and twenty (einundzwanzig), two and twenty (zweiundzwanzig), three and twenty (dreiundzwanzig) and so on. The connecting union -und- is obligatory for pronunciation. This also applies to numbers after hundreds, thousands, millions, and every set of three digits. But first the first number is pronounced: a hundred, a thousand, a million, etc.

For example:

101 = (Ein) HUNDERT (UND) Eins ("in Hundertundains)
2002 = zweitausend (UND) Zwei ("zweitausendundzwei").

Separating hundreds from thousands, thousands from millions in German is customary with a space or a period (for example, 10.000 or 10,000): 2.500 - zweitausendfünfhundert (“zweitausendfünfhundert”).

If it is a decimal digit, a comma is used:

3.3 Millionen - drei Komma drei Millionen ("drei Komma drei Millionen"),
24.8% - vierundzwanzig Komma acht Prozent ("vierundzwanzig Komma acht Percent").

When designating a currency, the name of the currency is written and pronounced in the place where the comma is:

€ 12.75 - zwölf Euro fünfsiebzig ("zwölf Euro fünfsiebzig").

All German numerals less than a million are written as one word. Million, billion and trillion are written separately:

100 650 - zweiundachtzig Millionen einhunderttausendsechshundertfünfzig

As can be seen from the above, the structure of numbers in German has a logical pattern.

Ordinals

They express the relative position in a row or order (first, second, third) and answer the question of the adjective: which one? which? They are not used as often as quantitative ones, but they are indispensable if you need to talk about some things that have a certain order. To use ordinal numbers correctly, you need to consider that they are declined according to the rules of the adjective. That is, you need to choose the form that corresponds to the gender, case of the noun.

Before using an ordinal number, you need to know its root. It's not hard. All that needs to be done is to apply the main number, for example, zwei ("zwei") - two, vier ("fir") - four, fünf ("funf") - five. Ordinal numbers are created by adding the suffix -t to numbers up to 20 and -st above 20. For German numbers above 100, the suffix depends on the last two digits - whether they are above or below 20:

5. - funft- (fünf-)
13. - dreizehnt- (drycent-)
116. - hundertsechzehnt- (hundertsechzent-)
20. - zwanzigst- (zwanzigst-)
67. - siebenundsechzigst- (siebenundsechzigst-)
138. - hundertachtunddreißigst- (hundertachtunddreißigst-)

The four ordinal numbers 1 (erst-), 3 (dritt), 7 (siebt-), and 8 (acht-) are the only ones that deviate from this rule.

Since ordinal numbers are used before the noun they describe, they also require the appropriate adjectival ending:

zum dritten Mal ("Tzum dritten Mal") - "for the third time",
der einundzwanzigste April ("der einundzwanzigste April") - "the twenty-first of April").

But by adding the ending of adjectives, it is not always possible to get an exact expression with a numeral in German. That is, it depends on whether a noun with a definite article or a pronoun is used. Indefinite articles and pronouns require the same adjectival endings.

Ordinal numbers can be expressed in writing by adding a dot after the digit. When reading these figures aloud, however, one must match the suffix of the numeral and the ending of the adjective.

The numbers below are read exactly as in the example above:

zum 3. Mal, ("Tsum dritten Mal")
der 21. April ("der Einundzwanzigste April")

At first glance, it may seem very difficult to remember the numerals in German. But you don't really need to learn them all. Knowing the basic numbers, that is, from 0 to 20, multiples of 10 to 100, the name of each subsequent value, and following some rules, it will be very easy to guess how to write and pronounce any number in German correctly.

The numeral (das Numerale oder das Zahlwort) is a part of speech that expresses the concept of a number. In German, there are two main groups of numerals: quantitative (Grundzahlwörter) and ordinal numbers (Ordnungszahlwörter).

Cardinal numbers name a certain number:

eins - one,
funfzehn - fifteen
einundzwanzig - twenty-one
zweitausendvierhundertfünfundvierzig - two thousand four hundred and forty five;

or number of things:

drei Äpfel - three apples
fünfunddreißig Studenten - thirty-five students,
hundert Jahre - one hundred years.

Cardinal numbers act in a sentence as the closest definition of a noun (most often without an article) or independently and answer the question wieviel(e).

Sie gebar ihm drei Kinder, zwei Töchter und einen Sohn… (Th. Bernhard)
She bore him three children, two girls and a boy...
Sechzig mal sechzig ist dreitausendsechshundert. Also hat eine Stunde dreitausendsechshundert Sekunden…(M. Ende)
Sixty multiplied by sixty is three thousand six hundred. Thus, one hour consists of three thousand six hundred seconds ...

Cardinal numbers do not decline. The exceptions are eins/ein, zwei and drei

Use of eins/ein

For calculations and transfers, the eins form is used, for example:

Ein mal eins ist eins. - Once one equals one.
Eins, zwei, drei! - One two Three!
Die Uhr schlägt eins. - The clock has struck one.

In independent use, ein is used, which coincides in form with the indefinite pronouns einer, eine, eines, for example:

“Ich gehe allein… Was zu sagen ist, kann einer am besten sagen…” (J. Wassermann)
I'm walking alone... What needs to be said can best be said by only one person.
Eines der drei Gemälde… war nach Dänemark verkauft worden. (B. Kellermann)
One of the three paintings... was sold to Denmark.

With a noun, ein is declined as an indefinite article and conveys the gender and case of the noun to which it refers. Unlike the article, the numeral ein can be stressed, for example:

Der Zug bestand aus einem Personenwagen und fünf Viehwagen. (B. Kellermann)
The train consisted of one passenger car and five cattle cars.
Wie lange hatte Wolfgang Pagel am Telefon gestanden? Eine Stund? Zwei Stunden? Er wusste es nothing. (H. Fallada)
How long was Wolfgang Pagel at the telephone? One hour? Two hours? He didn't know that.
Nach einer Woche etwa, viel früher, als wir gerechnet hatten, erreichten wir unser Ziel. (W. G. Sebald)
About one week later, much earlier than expected, we reached our goal.

Note: The numeral ein enhances the meaning of demonstrative pronouns in the following constructions:

Ein und derselbe, mit ein(em) und demselben, für ein und dasselbe, ein und dieselbe Rose, aus ein und demselben Stoff, mit ein und denselben Worten.

Using zwei and drei

When used independently in a sentence, the numerals zwei and drei in the genitive case receive the ending -er, in the dative case - the ending -en. For example:

“… aber Frau Anna kann doch nur mit einem verheiratet sein und nicht mit zweien”, vollendete ein im Toreingang stehender junger Arbeiter… (L. Frank)
"... but Mrs. Anna can only be married to one, not two," finished a young worker at the gate.
Das folgende kleine Kabinett war sogar beinahe von oben bis unten an dreien seiner Wände mit solchen Objekten angefüllt. (G. Hauptmann)
The next small office was almost from top to bottom of its three walls filled with such objects.

Instead of zwei, zwo is often used, especially in telephone conversations, to avoid confusion with drei. For example:

Tel. 8532679 = acht-fünf-drei-zwo-sechs-sieben-neun

When used with a noun, zwei and drei can be inflected, in most cases when the accompanying word is without an article, pronoun, or preposition. For example:

Plötzlich hörte ich die Schritte zweier Menschen; sie näherten sich… (H. Boll)
Suddenly I heard the steps of two people; they were approaching.

Es ist gut, daß er damals nach zwei Jahren mit Anna Schluß gemacht hat. (L. Feuchtwanger)
It's good that he ended his relationship with Anna after two years.

Ordinals(die Ordinalzahlen) designate the place of an object or living being among others and answer the question der, die, das wievielte?

Der erste Tag - the first day,
Die zweite Woche - the second week,
Das hundertste Kapitel is the hundredth chapter.

An ordinal number is formed from the root of the corresponding cardinal number using the suffix -t, or -st (after 20), for example:

(der) zwei-te - second
(die) einundzwanzig-ste - twenty-first

Note: In complex numbers, only the last part is an ordinal number, for example:

Der zweiundsiebzigste Geburtstag - seventy-second birthday,
Das fünfundachtzigste Jubiläum is the eighty-fifth anniversary.

Ordinal numbers most often play the role of a close definition of a noun in a sentence, which, as a rule, stands with a definite article, then the numeral is declined as an adjective. For example:

Ich blieb einen Augenblick am offenen Fenster im zweiten Stock stehen und sah auf den Hof. (W. Schnurre)
For a moment I stopped at an open window on the second floor and looked out into the courtyard.

A noun with an ordinal number is used without an article in the following cases:

When the phrase denotes the class of train cars, orders, etc.:

erster (zweiter) Klasse fahren

das EK (Eiserne Kreuz) erster Klasse (Erster)

der Verdienstorden erster Klasse

In the phrase Erster werden (d.h.Sieger)
In constructions with a preposition:

aus erster (zweiter) Hand

in erster (zweiter) Line.

If ordinal numbers are written in digits, a dot is placed after the number to distinguish them from cardinal numbers:

Why study numerals in German? They are very often used in communication every day. The more you practice using them, the faster you will master this topic: you will know numbers well, you will be able to name dates, use serial numbers in phrases, talk about your age, birthday, and so on.

The range of application of numerals is very wide. By learning the basics, you will greatly enrich your speech and move further in the study of a new subject.

What are they and when are they used?

Cardinal numbers are used for counting and denote a specific amount - one, five, thirty, etc. This part of speech answers the question how much? – wieviel? For example: wieviel Glaser? - zwei Gläser - How many glasses? - two glasses.

All numbers in German starting with one and ending with 12 are unique - you just need to learn them:

0 - null;
1 – eins;
2 - zwei;
3 - drei;
4 - vier;
5 - funf;
6 - sechs;
7-sieben
8 – acht;
9 – neun;
10 – zehn;
11 – elf;
12 - zwolf.

How are numbers formed after 12?

After the number 12, words begin that are formed simply - first comes the ordinal number, and then the name of the ten. Starting from 21, a connecting conjunction -und- is inserted between them:

13 - dreizehn (3.10);
14 - vierzehn (4.10);
15 - fünfzehn (5.10);
16 – sechzehn;
17 - siebzehn;
18 – achzehn;
19 – neunzehn;
20 - zwanzig;
21 – einundzwanzig (1 and 20);
22 - zweiundzwanzig (2 and 20);
23 – dreiundzwanzig (3 and 20);
24 - vierundzwanzig;
25 – funfundzwanzig;
26 – sechsundzwanzig;
27 – siebenundzwanzig;
28 – achundzwanzig;
29-neunundzwanzig.

The name of each subsequent ten after the number 19 is made up of the number indicating the number of tens and the suffix -zig:

20 - zwanzig;
30 – dreißig;
40 - vierzig;
50 - funfzig;
60 - sechzig;
70 - siebzig;
80 – achtzig;
90-neunzig.

The numeral one hundred is hundert. All further numbers are formed similarly. First, the number of hundreds will be pronounced, then thousands, millions, etc. Example:

101 = (Ein) HUNDERT (UND) Eins ("Ain Hundertundains);
2002 = zweitausend (UND) Zwei ("zweitausendundzwei").

Notation of complex numbers

In order to make it easier to read long numbers, thousands are separated from hundreds by a dot or a space (for example, 10,000 or 10,000 - this is often found in Russian as well). For example: 2.500 - zweitausendfünfhundert ("zweitausendfünfhundert").

Cardinal numbers can be decimal. In this case, a comma is used to separate integers from tenths:

3.3 Millionen - drei Komma drei Millionen (“drei Komma drei Millionen”);
24.8% - vierundzwanzig Komma acht Prozent ("vierundzwanzig Komma acht Percent").

You will sometimes need to designate a currency. Its name will need to be used in the place where a comma is placed that separates the integer from the fraction: € 12.75 - zwölf Euro fünfsiebzig (“zwölf Euro fünfsiebzig”).

Up to a million, all numerals in German are written as one word, even if it is very long. Then - a million, a billion, a trillion - will be written separately: 100 650 - zweiundachtzig Millionen einhunderttausendsechshundertfünfzig (“zweiundahtzig Millionen einhunderttausendzehshundertfünfzig”).

A few more rules

Quantitative numbers do not affect the case of nouns and do not take case endings: drei Wochen (Nominativ) - three weeks, nach drei Wochen (Dativ) - after three weeks.

As an independent word, the numeral eins will have an ending belonging to the definite article: Einer hat gefehlt. - One was missing.

The numerals zwei (2) and drei (3) have the ending -er in Genitiv, and -en in Dativ if they are used independently, i.e. without a noun, or if there is no preposition or pronoun before the noun they refer to.

The presence of the quantitative numeral itself excludes the presence of the article: zwei Bücher "two books". If the definite article is placed before a numeral, then it will be a demonstrative pronoun: die vier Bücher, die is not an article, but a demonstrative pronoun - These four books.

If a cardinal number acts as a noun, then it is capitalized: Der Schüler bekam eine Eins für seine Arbeit. - The student received a unit for his work. Numerals acquire a new meaning, which acquire a gender or indicate a number in order, as well as a mark at school: Ich fahre heute mit der Elf. - I'm going on the eleventh today. Or: Der Schüler bekam eine Eins für seine Arbeit. - The student received a unit for his work.

Years in German are denoted by cardinal numbers. It will look like this: im Jahre neunzehnhundertneunundsechzig - in 1969.

There are many rules that determine the formation and use of numerals, but if you deal with them in order, it turns out in practice that everything is quite simple. The main thing is not to be afraid of a large amount of information and move forward step by step.

Hey! I think this topic will be interesting and useful to everyone who continues to learn German!>)))

German ordinal numbers, i.e. counting in order>> first, second, tenth, hundredth, etc. And how it will all be in German, we will find out now! 😉

German ordinal numbers usually come with an article der/die/das depending on the noun to which this numeral refers. In this case, the numbers 1 to 19 will end in -te, and num. 20 onwards will end in -ste .

Examples:

Usual quantitative number 5 (five) >> ordinal number The 5th in German would be: funf —>> der (die, das) funf te

The number 20 (twenty) >> ordinal number. The 20th in German would be: zwanzig —>> der (die, das) zwanzig ste

But of course there are exceptions that just need to be learned!

EXCEPTIONS:

quantitative number. / ordinal number

eins-erste(one/first)

drei-dritte(three/third)

sieben-siebte(seven/seventh)

Not right siebente

acht- achte (eight/eighth with one t !)

Not right achte

Important* All German ordinal numbers will be written together, even if they consist of many parts/words! So not it is worth drawing parallels with the Russian language in writing. 😉

For example:

Correctly >> 999.=neunhundertneunundneunzigste(nine hundred ninety-ninth)

Not right >> 999. = neun hundert neun und neunzigste

Important** Ordinal numbers are followed in German by dot! This is how the Germans make the difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers when they write exactly the number itself: 4 (four) / 4 . (fourth)

Important*** To indicate genus and say fifth, fifth , fifth, as well as plural fifth, Germans will use the article before the ordinal itself. ! The article will change, of course, depending on the number (singularity or plurality) and the gender of the noun.

for example:

singular>>

der funf te Zeuge (either der 5. Zeuge) - the fifth witness

die funf te Frau (either die 5. Frau - the fifth woman

das funf te Tier (either das 5. Tier) - the fifth animal

plural>>

die funf te Blumen (die 5. Blumen) - fifth flowers

Of course you can dispense with the definite article, BUT you will still need to specify the genus! How? And Simply adding to the end of the ordinal number the end of the article; =).

See examples:

singular>>

funf ter Zeuge - the fifth witness

funf te Frau - the fifth woman

funf tes Tier - the fifth animal

plural>>

funf te Blumen - fifth flowers

German ordinal numbers: list

So, we have now come up with a list of German ordinal numbers (if needed document in pdf with numbers, then look for the download link at the bottom of the article):

der, die, das...

1. = erste
2. = zwei te
3. = dritte
4.=vier te
5.=fünf te
6.=sechs te
7. = siebte
8. = achte
9.=neun te
10. = zehn te

11. = elf te
12.=zwolf te
13.=dreizehn te
14. = vierzehn te
15. = funfzehn te
16.=sechzehn te
17. = siebzehn te
18. = achtzehn te
19.=neunzehn te

20.=zwanzig ste
21. =einundzwanzig ste
22.= zweiundzwanzig ste

30.=dreissig ste
31.=einunddreißig ste
32. = zweiunddreissig ste

40.= vierzig ste
50.=fünfzig ste
60.=sechzig ste
70.=siebzig ste
80.=achtzig ste
90.=neunzig ste

100.=(ein)hundert ste
101.=(ein)hundert erste
102.=(ein)hundertzwei te
999.=neunhundertneunundneunzig ste

1000. = (ein)tausend ste
1001. = (ein)tausend erste
1002.=(ein)tausendzwei te

10000. = zehntausend ste

100000. = (ein)hunderttausend ste

1000000 = (ein)million ste
1500000. = eine millionfünfhunderttausend ste
2000000. = zweimillion ste
2500000. = zweimillionenfünfhunderttausend ste

1000000000 = (ein)milliard ste

1000000000000.=(ein)billion ste