French numbers

 

It is fair to say that the French numbering system is rather bizarre and can be challenging!

I do sympathise with students learning French as getting to grips with numbers is tricky!

For example, “quatre-vingt-dix-neuf” (99) translates as “four twenty ten nine” – rather than ninety-nine! Another example, “soixante-dix-sept” (77) translates as “sixty ten seven” and rather than the more logical seventy-seven!

Starting at zero, it is fairly smooth sailing until you get to “soixante-neuf” (69). Then funny phrases start to creep in, as there is not a separate word in French for seventy, or eighty, or even ninety for that matter.

Even a proficient French speaker will remember that all-too-familiar moment where you freeze as you are jotting down a phone number: what you thought was sixty something turns out to be 75!

In order to get to grips with these higher numbers it seems that you need to be good at mental maths…

 “Soixante-dix-sept” (77) for example, equates to sixty + ten + seven” 

 “quatre-vingt-dix-huit” (98) equates to “four multiplied by twenty + ten + eight”

A sale ticket of €99.98 would read “quatre-vingt-dix-neuf Euro quatre-vingt-dix-huit!

Are you confused yet? 

To add insult to injury

•  Large numbers in French are generally spoken as a whole numbers rather than broken down into digits. For instance a Peugeot 307 is une “trois-cent-sept” (three hundred and seven) and not “trois, zero, sept”(three, o, seven)
• Phone numbers are listed in pairs, for instance, « zéro quatre, trente-et-un, quatre-vingt-dix, soixante-dix-huit, trente-neuf » is written as 04 31 90 78 39.
• Dates also follow the same pattern: 1977 reads as”mille-neuf-cent soixante-dix-sept or dix-neuf-cent- soixante-dix-sept” ie  “ one thousand- nine- hundred- ten-seven or ten-nine-hundred-sixty-ten-seven !

Certainly, a challenge but perseverance will win the day! Keep counting!

 

 

It is fair to say that French numbering system is rather bizarre and sadly it is here to stay!

I do sympathise with students learning French as getting to grips with French numbers is tricky!

For example “quatre vingt dix neuf” (99) translates as “four twenty ten nine”. Equally, “soixante-dix-sept” (77) translates as “sixty ten seven”

It is quite smooth sailing until you get to “soixante-neuf” (69), but then funny things start to happen, as there is not a separate word for seventy, or eighty, or even ninety for that matter.

Even proficient French speaker will relate to that all-too-familiar moment where you freeze as you are jotting down a phone number: what you thought was sixty something turns out to be 75!

In order to get to grips with these higher numbers it seems that you need to be good at mental maths… “Soixante-dix-sept” (77) for example, equates to sixty + ten + seven” or “quatre-vingt-dix-huit” (98) equates to “four X twenty + ten + eight”

A discounted TV at €99.98 will read “quatre-vingt-dix-neuf Euro quatre-vingt-dix-huit!

Are you confused yet ? 

To add salt to the wound:

• Large numbers in French are generally spoken as a whole rather than broken down into digits. For instance a Peugeot 307 is une “trois-cent-sept” (three hundred and seven) and not “trois, zero, sept”(two, zero, seven)
• Phone numbers in France come in pairs, for instance, « zéro quatre, trente-et-un, quatre-vingt-dix, soixante-dix-huit,trente-neuf » equates to 04 31 90 78 39.
• Dates also follow the same pattern: 1977 reads as ”mille-neuf-cent soixante-dix-sept or dix-neuf-cent- soixante-dix-sept” ie ”thousand- nine- hundred- ten-seven or ten-nine-hundred-sixty-ten-seven !

Certainly, a challenge but perseverance will win the day! Keep counting!