Using French numbers accurately | TCF Vocabulary

French numbers look simple until the exam asks you to read a price, understand a year in a listening track, or choose the correctly written form in a vocabulary item. TCF questions test numbers in context: which form of a number is spelled correctly, how to read large or decimal numbers, how ordinal numbers are formed, and how fractions and percentages are expressed. A few specific rules cover most of the exam content.

What you’ll learn

Read and write cardinal numbers from 1 to one billion accurately in French
Form and use ordinal numbers (first, second, twentieth) correctly
Express fractions, percentages, and approximate quantities in natural French
Apply the agreement rules for "vingt" and "cent" in written numbers

Cardinal numbers: the building blocks

Most cardinal numbers are predictable once you know the pattern, but the sixties to ninety-nine zone catches many learners because French uses an arithmetic system in that range rather than individual words.

1 to 16: un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix, onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, seize
17 to 19: dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf
20 to 69: vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante (+ et un, deux, etc.)
70 to 79: soixante-dix (60+10), soixante et onze (60+11), soixante-douze (60+12)... soixante-dix-neuf
80 to 89: quatre-vingts (4×20), quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-deux...quatre-vingt-neuf
90 to 99: quatre-vingt-dix (80+10), quatre-vingt-onze, quatre-vingt-douze... quatre-vingt-dix-neuf
100: cent; 200: deux cents; 101: cent un (no "et"); 201: deux cent un

Reading a phone number aloud:

06 78 93 45 12 se dit: zéro six, soixante-dix-huit, quatre-vingt-treize, quarante-cinq, douze
French phone numbers are read in pairs. 78 = soixante-dix-huit, 93 = quatre-vingt-treize, the arithmetic pattern must be automatic.

The "et" rule in compound numbers

"Et" is used with 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71 (vingt et un, trente et un, etc.).
"Et" is NOT used with 81 or 91, "quatre-vingt-un" and "quatre-vingt-onze," never "quatre-vingt et un."
"Et" is also not used with 101, 201, etc., "cent un," not "cent et un."

Agreement rules for "vingt" and "cent"

Two numbers take a plural "s" in certain conditions, and this is a classic TCF written-form question. The rule seems arbitrary, but there is a logic to it: the "s" appears when the number ends a numeric expression without being followed by another number.

"Vingt" takes an "s" only in "quatre-vingts" (80), but NOT in quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-dix (because another number follows).
"Cent" takes an "s" in "deux cents," "trois cents," etc., but NOT in "deux cent cinq," "trois cent vingt" (because another number follows).
When "cent" and "vingt" are used as ordinal numbers (e.g. page deux cents vs page deux cent), the "s" disappears.

Spot the error:

A) quatre-vingts euros B) quatre-vingt euros C) quatre-vingts cinq euros D) quatre-vingt-cinq euros
A is wrong (no "s" before euros? Actually "quatre-vingts euros" is correct as a standalone 80). Let me clarify: "quatre-vingts" (80) takes an "s" when it stands alone. "Quatre-vingt-cinq" (85) has no "s." So D is the correct form for 85.

Written form of 280:

deux cent quatre-vingts
280 written: "cent" takes an "s" only when it is the final element and followed by nothing else in the expression. Here "quatre-vingts" follows, so "cent" has no "s", but "quatre-vingts" is the final number, so it gets an "s." Result: "deux cent quatre-vingts."

Ordinal use cancels the "s"

Page deux cents (the 200th page) loses the "s": page deux cent.
L'an deux mille (the year 2000), "mille" never takes an "s."

Ordinal numbers

Ordinal numbers are formed by adding "-ième" to the cardinal, with minor spelling adjustments. They are used for ranks, floors, centuries, and dates of the month (except the first).

premier / première (1st), irregular, used only for "le/la premier(e)"
deuxième or second(e) (2nd)
troisième (3rd), quatrième (4th), cinquième (5th), sixième (6th)
Note the spelling change: cinq + ième = cinquième (a "u" is added)
neuvième (9th), the "f" of "neuf" becomes a "v"
vingtième (20th), centième (100th), millième (1000th)

In a TCF reading text about a building:

Le bureau de la directrice se trouve au cinquième étage.
The director's office is on the fifth floor. "Cinquième" is the ordinal form of "cinq." Note the added "u" and the "-ième" ending.

"Premier" is not used above first

"Le premier étage" = the first floor. After that: deuxième, troisième, etc.
"Le second" is sometimes used in formal language to mean "the second of only two," but "deuxième" is always safe.
For dates: le premier janvier (1st January), but le deux février, le trois mars (no ordinal after the 1st).

Fractions, percentages, and approximate quantities

TCF texts about statistics, surveys, and reports frequently include fractions and percentages. Understanding how to read them is important for both reading and listening comprehension.

Percentages: 25 % = vingt-cinq pour cent; 100 % = cent pour cent
Half: la moitié (de), la moitié des étudiants
A quarter: un quart; three quarters: trois quarts
A third: un tiers; two thirds: deux tiers
Approximate: une dizaine (about 10), une vingtaine (about 20), une trentaine, une quarantaine, une centaine, un millier (about a thousand)

In a survey result:

Près des trois quarts des personnes interrogées (74 %) ont déclaré préférer le télétravail.
Nearly three quarters of those surveyed (74%) said they prefer remote work. "Trois quarts" is more natural than "soixante-quatorze pour cent" in flowing text.

Approximate quantities in a news report:

Une centaine de manifestants s'est rassemblée devant la mairie hier soir.
About a hundred demonstrators gathered outside the town hall last night. "Une centaine" is approximate; "cent" would claim an exact count.

Numbers in dates and large figures

Years, prices, populations, and distances all appear in TCF texts. Knowing how to parse and say large numbers quickly is useful in both reading and listening questions.

Years are read as full cardinal numbers: 1998 = mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-huit; 2024 = deux mille vingt-quatre
Thousands: 1 000 = mille; 2 000 = deux mille (no "s" on mille)
Millions: 1 000 000 = un million; 3 500 000 = trois millions cinq cent mille
Milliards (billions): la France compte environ 68 millions d'habitants
Prices: 14,50 € = quatorze euros cinquante (centimes usually dropped in speech)

"Mille" never takes an "s"

"Mille" is invariable: deux mille, cinq mille, cent mille, never "milles."
"Million" and "milliard" do take an "s" in the plural: deux millions, trois milliards.

How to practise this

Numbers need to become automatic, especially in the 70 to 99 range and in the agreement rules for "vingt" and "cent." Regular, short practice sessions work better than long cramming sessions.

Number practice ideas

Say numbers aloud every day: read prices, dates, and statistics from French news articles out loud.
Write out 5 to 10 numbers in full word form per session, including at least two in the 70-99 range and two in the hundreds.
Listen to French radio (France Info, RFI) and note any numbers you hear, check your notes against the transcript or subtitles.
Practice ordinals by naming floors in a building, positions in a race, or centuries in history.

Key takeaways

70 to 99 uses an arithmetic system: soixante-dix (60+10) through quatre-vingt-dix-neuf (80+19).
"Vingt" takes an "s" in "quatre-vingts" only when no other number follows; "cent" works the same way.
"Mille" is invariable; "million" and "milliard" take an "s" in the plural.
Ordinals add "-ième" to the cardinal, with adjustments for "cinq" (cinquième) and "neuf" (neuvième).
Approximate quantities use -aine words (une dizaine, une centaine) rather than exact numbers.