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Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to count and use large Spanish cardinal numbers including hundreds, thousands, and millions. Understand special number terms like "ciento", "mil", and "millón" with practical examples and tips on Spanish numeric punctuation and differences from English.
  1. For the hundreds, you use "ciento", space, and add the next number. Example: Ciento diez (110)
  2. For the thousands, you use "mil", space, and add the next number. Example: Mil veinte (1.020)
  3. Mil (1,000), millón (1,000,000), mil millones (1,000,000,000), billón (1,000,000,000,000).
  4. A dot (.) is used to separate thousands. Example: 1.000
  5. A comma (,) is used to separate the whole number from the decimal part. Example: 3,14

Centenas 

Número (Number)Ejemplo (Example)
100: Cien (One hundred)101: Ciento uno (One hundred one)
200: Doscientos (Two hundred)245: Doscientos cuarenta y cinco (Two hundred forty-five)
300: Trescientos (Three hundred)379: Trescientos setenta y nueve (Three hundred seventy-nine)
400: Cuatrocientos (Four hundred)456: Cuatrocientos cincuenta y seis (Four hundred and fifty-six)
500: Quinientos (Five hundred)582: Quinientos ochenta y dos (Five hundred eighty-two)
600: Seiscientos (Six hundred)625: Seiscientos veinticinco (Six hundred twenty-five)
700: Setecientos (Seven hundred)749: Setecientos cuarenta y nueve (Seven hundred forty-nine)
800: Ochocientos (Eight hundred)873: Ochocientos setenta y tres (Eight hundred seventy-three)
900: Novecientos (Nine hundred)918: Novecientos dieciocho (nine hundred eighteen)

Exceptions!

  1. "Una centena" or "Un centenar" means 100. Example: "Un centenar de personas" (About one hundred people).
  2. "Un millar" is 1000. Example: "Un millar de personas" (Around one thousand people).
  3. The Spanish billion (1,000,000,000,000) - called billón - is not the same as the English billion (1,000,000,000).

Exercise 1: Números cardinales: centenas, miles, millones

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

cuatrocientos setenta y seis, ochocientos sesenta y cuatro, novecientos veintiuno, cientoveinticuatro, setecientos cincuenta y tres, doscientos treinta y ocho, seiscientos cuarenta y dos, quinientos ochenta y nueve

1. 589:
...
(Five hundred and eighty-nine)
2. 238:
...
(Two hundred and thirty-eight)
3. 476:
...
(Four hundred and seventy-six)
4. 753:
...
(Seven hundred and fifty-three)
5. 921:
...
(Nine hundred and twenty-one)
6. 642:
...
(Six hundred and forty-two)
7. 124:
...
(One hundred and twenty-four)
8. 864:
...
(Eight hundred and sixty-four)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Yo __________ hasta cincuenta cuando hago ejercicio.

(I __________ to fifty when I exercise.)

2. Ella tiene __________ manzanas en su cesta.

(She has __________ apples in her basket.)

3. Nosotros __________ diez y veinte para obtener treinta.

(We __________ ten and twenty to get thirty.)

4. ¿Cuántos años tienes? Tengo __________.

(How old are you? I am __________.)

5. Ellos __________ cuarenta menos diez en clase.

(They __________ forty minus ten in class.)

6. __________ es igual a cien más diez.

(__________ is equal to one hundred plus ten.)

Cardinal Numbers: Hundreds, Thousands, Millions

This lesson covers how to understand and use large cardinal numbers in Spanish, focusing on hundreds (centenas), thousands (miles), and millions (millones). You will learn specific words for numbers like 100 (cien), 200 (doscientos), up to 900 (novecientos), and how to combine them with smaller numbers, for example, "ciento diez" (110) or "doscientos cuarenta y cinco" (245).

Understanding Hundreds

In Spanish, numbers from 101 to 199 start with "ciento" followed by the smaller number. Examples include "ciento uno" (101) or "ciento veinte" (120). Hundreds from 200 to 900 have unique names: "doscientos" (200), "trescientos" (300), "cuatrocientos" (400), up to "novecientos" (900). These can be combined with other numbers, like "quinientos ochenta y dos" (582).

Thousands and Larger Numbers

The word "mil" is used for thousands. You can say "mil veinte" (1020) or "dos mil" (2000). Millions are referred to as "millón". Spanish uses a dot (.) to separate thousands, for example, "1.000" (1,000), and a comma (,) to separate decimals, as in "3,14" (3.14). Note that "billón" in Spanish means one trillion (1,000,000,000,000), which differs from English "billion" (one thousand million).

Cultural and Language Notes

Spanish has expressions like "un centenar" meaning about one hundred, and "un millar" meaning approximately one thousand. These are useful for everyday conversation. Remember these differences from English to avoid confusion when dealing with large numbers.

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