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Learn to count from 20 to 99 in French, mastering numbers like vingt, trente-quatre, soixante-et-un, and quatre-vingt-dix-neuf, including special rules for "et un" and plural forms.
  1. From 21 to 69, the units are added to the tens with a "-". For numbers ending with 1, "et" is used without a hyphen. Examples: "21": "vingt et un"; "32": "trente-deux".
  2. 71, 81 and 91 follow special rules: 71: "soixante et onze"; 81: "quatre-vingt-un"; 91: "quatre-vingt-onze".
Nombre (Number)Exemple (Example)
20 : (20 : Twenty)Vingt (Twenty)25 : (25 : Twenty-five)Vingt-cinq (Twenty-five)
30 : (30 : Thirty)Trente (Thirty)34 : (Thirty-four)Trente-quatre (thirty-four)
40 : (40 : Forty)Quarante (Forty)46 : (Forty-six)Quarante-six (Forty-six)
50 : (50 : Fifty)Cinquante (Fifty)53 : (Fifty-three)Cinquante-trois (Fifty-three)
60 : (60 : Sixty)Soixante (Sixty)  ( )61 : (61 : Sixty-one)Soixante-et-un (Sixty-one)
70 : (70 : Seventy)Soixante-dix (Seventy)73 : (Seventy-three)Soixante-treize (Seventy-three)
80 : (80 : Eighty)Quatre-vingts (Eighty)87 : (Eighty-seven)Quatre-vingt-sept (Eighty-seven)
90 : (Ninety : Quatre-vingt-dix)Quatre-vingt-dix (Ninety)99 : (Ninety-nine : Ninety-nine)Quatre-vingt-dix-neuf (Ninety-nine)

Exceptions!

  1. The number 80 quatre-vingts only takes a final "s" when it is not followed by another digit. Examples: "80": quatre-vingts; "81": quatre-vingt-un.

Exercise 1: Les nombres de 20 à 99

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

quatre-vingt-seize, soixante-quinze, trente-neuf, soixante-cinq, quarante-et-un, vingt-sept, cinquante-cinq, quatre-vingt-onze

1. 96:
: ...
(: quatre-vingt-seize)
2. 41:
: ...
(: quarante-et-un)
3. 27:
: ...
(: vingt-sept)
4. 91:
: ...
(: quatre-vingt-onze)
5. 65:
: ...
(: soixante-cinq)
6. 75:
: ...
(: soixante-quinze)
7. 55:
: ...
(: cinquante-cinq)
8. 39:
: ...
(: trente-neuf)

Exercise 2: Dialogue completion

Instruction: Complete the dialogue with the correct solution

1. Je compte jusqu'à _______ sans problème.

( I can count to _______ without any problem.)

2. Tu comprends comment former les nombres de vingt à _______ ?

( Do you understand how to form numbers from twenty to _______?)

3. Nous comptons jusqu'à _______ en français.

( We count up to _______ in French.)

4. Il comprend que pour vingt-et-un on ajoute « _______ » sans trait d’union.

( He understands that for twenty-one you add "_______" without a hyphen.)

5. Vous comptez correctement de trente-neuf à _______.

( You count correctly from thirty-nine to _______.)

6. J’apprends à compter de quatre-vingts à _______ aujourd’hui.

( I am learning to count from eighty to _______ today.)

Understanding French Numbers from 20 to 99

This lesson focuses on how to count and form numbers between 20 and 99 in French. You will learn the basic tens (vingt, trente, quarante, etc.) as well as how to combine them properly with unit numbers to create all two-digit numbers in this range.

Tens and Units Formation

French numbers between 21 and 69 are generally formed by joining the tens and units with a hyphen. For example, 25 is vingt-cinq and 34 is trente-quatre.

When a number ends with 1 (except for 81 and 91), the word et (and) is inserted without a hyphen. For example, 21 is vingt et un and 61 is soixante et un.

Special Cases: 70, 80, and 90

  • 70 is formed as soixante-dix, literally “sixty-ten.” For example, 73 is soixante-treize.
  • 80 is quatre-vingts (four twenties) and takes an 's' only when it stands alone, like 80 (quatre-vingts). However, when followed by another number, the 's' is dropped, such as 81 (quatre-vingt-un).
  • 90 is quatre-vingt-dix (four twenties ten), and 99 is quatre-vingt-dix-neuf.

Examples of Numbers

NumberExample
20: Vingt25: Vingt-cinq
30: Trente34: Trente-quatre
40: Quarante46: Quarante-six
50: Cinquante53: Cinquante-trois
60: Soixante61: Soixante-et-un
70: Soixante-dix73: Soixante-treize
80: Quatre-vingts87: Quatre-vingt-sept
90: Quatre-vingt-dix99: Quatre-vingt-dix-neuf

Important Differences Compared to English

Unlike English, French has unique patterns for numbers 70 to 99, which are based on multiples of 20 rather than 10. For example, 70 is literally "sixty-ten" (soixante-dix) and 90 is "four-twenties-ten" (quatre-vingt-dix). This base-20 structure can be challenging but is essential to master.

Another key difference is the use of the word et (meaning "and") for numbers ending in 1 (like vingt et un) instead of a simple hyphenated form.

Useful Vocabulary and Expressions

  • vingt – twenty
  • trente – thirty
  • quarante – forty
  • cinquante – fifty
  • soixante – sixty
  • soixante-dix – seventy (60 + 10)
  • quatre-vingts – eighty (4 × 20)
  • quatre-vingt-dix – ninety (4 × 20 + 10)
  • et – and (used only in numbers ending with 1, except 81 and 91)

Mastering these rules will strengthen your ability to understand and use French numbers confidently in daily conversation.

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Alessia Calcagni

Languages for communication in international enterprises and organizations

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 14:34