Ordinal and Cardinal Spanish Numbers: Beginner’s Guide

Uno means “one,” while primero means first. What is the relationship between them? Uno is the cardinal number, and primero is the ordinal number for the number “one.” When you are on your journey to learning to speak Spanish, you must learn to say Spanish numbers.

Since you are mastering Spanish words and phrases, it is high time to learn both ordinal and cardinal Spanish numbers to count.

You can import the video into Jolli, the language learning app, to practice learning Spanish counting. In this article, you will learn how to learn cardinal Spanish numbers in a beginner’s way. You will also learn about Spanish ordinal numbers.

What Are Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers

Cardinal numbers are the “counting numbers” that tell you “how many” or about the quantity of any item. 

Ordinal Numbers tell you about the “order.” It tells if it is first or second place.

Example: The man wearing the shirt with number six is standing at the fifth place.

El hombre que lleva la camiseta con el número seis se encuentra en el quinto lugar.

Cardinal Numbers in Spanish

In Spanish, we use cardinal numbers “Números cardinales” to count any object. The cardinal numbers in Spanish do not have any plural or gender attached to them.

Cardinal Numbers In Spanish From 1 to 10

Let’s start with the first ten numbers. When learning any language, it is important to start with small, realistic goals and cheer for any success. Your first achievable goal is to learn to count until 10. Numbers up to ten are frequently used, especially when shopping or asking for the time.

Let’s listen to the audio and write cardinal numbers in Spanish.

Number	Spanish
1	uno
2	dos
3	tres
4	cuatro
5	cinco
6	seis
7	siete
8	ocho
9	nueve
10	diez

Is It ‘Uno’ Or ‘Un’

A question Spanish learners often ask is whether to use uno or un. 

• Uno is a number or a pronoun.

Example as a number:

Tengo uno. (I have one.)

Example as a pronoun:

Uno no debe hacer eso. (One shouldn’t do that.)

• Un is an indefinite article.

Example:

Tengo un libro. (I have a book.)

But why do I often hear “un, dos, tres” instead of “uno, dos, tres”? For stylistic reasons. To improve rhythm and flow in speech or songs, like “Un, dos, tres.. Vamos!” (one, two, three.. go!), or in the song “Un, dos, tres” by Ricky Martin, “un” is often used.

Cardinal Numbers From 11 to 20: Learn the Teens in Spanish 

Numbers from 11 to 20 are considered the most difficult to learn, as they are irregular and the first 5 differ significantly from other numbers. Notice how the numbers from 16 to 19 are composed of dieci (10) + seis, siete, ocho, and nueve. 

Number	Spanish
11	once
12	doce
13	trece
14	catorce
15	quince
16	dieciséis
17	diecisiete
18	dieciocho
19	diecinueve
20	veinte

Spanish Cardinal Numbers From 21 to 30: The Veinti in Spanish 

Now that you have mastered the numbers until 20, the rest becomes much simpler. Numbers from 21 to 30 are simply formed by combining veinti (20) with the units, forming a single word.

Number	Spanish
21	veintiuno
22	veintidós
23	veintitrés
24	veinticuatro
25	veinticinco
26	veintiséis
27	veintisiete
28	veintiocho
29	veintinueve
30	treinta

Cardinal Numbers In Spanish From 31 to 40: Tens and Units

Once you master numbers until 30, numbers are combined by combining tens and units and using y (and) in between. Once you understand the patterns, numbers become easier to build.

Number	Spanish
31	treinta y uno
32	treinta y dos
33	treinta y tres
34	treinta y cuatro
35	treinta y cinco
36	treinta y seis
37	treinta y siete
38	treinta y ocho
39	treinta y nueve
40	cuarenta

Spanish Cardinal Numbers From 40 to 100: Counting by tens

All tens numbers from 40 to 100 share a common ending: -enta. 

Number	Spanish
50	cincuenta
60	sesenta
70	setenta
80	ochenta
90	noventa
100	cien

Practice Numbers Singing In Spanish

Now that we have seen all numbers from 1 to 100, it is time to listen to them in the context of a song! In Spanish-speaking countries, children often learn counting through playful rhymes. Why not try a Spanish number song for practice? ​​ 

Percentage in Spanish

In Spanish, percentage is expressed as por ciento (literally “per hundred”). 

Percentage	Spanish	Example in Spanish	Translation
20%	Veinte por ciento	El descuento es del veinte por ciento.	The discount is 20%.
50%	Cincuenta por ciento	Cincuenta por ciento es suficiente.	Fifty percent is enough.
100%	Cien por ciento	Estoy cien por ciento seguro.	I’m 100% sure.

Ordinal Numbers In Spanish

Once you have mastered the basics of counting, learning ordinal numbers is the logical next step. These numbers are useful when comparing, ranking, and even when choosing a dish in a restaurant (primer plato, segundo plato).

Ordinal Number	Spanish
1st	primero
2nd	segundo
3rd	tercero
4th	cuarto
5th	quinto
6th	sexto
7th	séptimo
8th	octavo
9th	noveno
10th	décimo

5 Expressions with Spanish Numbers from Zero to Five

Expressions are phrases that are words/sentences that have a separate literal meaning. Actually, their literal meanings have nothing to do with them because each language has its idiomatic phrases called expressions, which help you say more using fewer words.

Mostly, idioms and expressions in any language have a contextual meaning, which does not change when you use them explicitly. You can learn Spanish numbers and also learn a few commonly used Spanish expressions here.

Expression	Translation (Literal)	Meaning	Example in Spanish	Example in English
Ser un cero a la izquierda	To be a zero on the left	To be useless or irrelevant	Siempre se siente como un cero a la izquierda en el trabajo.	He always feels useless at work.
Ser el/la número uno	To be the number one	To be the best	Messi es el número uno en el fútbol.	Messi is the best in football.
Cada dos por tres	Every two by three	Frequently or constantly	Cada dos por tres se le olvidan las llaves.	He forgets his keys all the time.
Ser cuatro gatos	To be four cats	To be very few people	En la fiesta éramos cuatro gatos.	There were very few people at the party.
Chocar esos cinco	To crash those five	To give a high five	¡Buen trabajo! ¡Choca esos cinco!	Great job! High five!

Tips for Learning Ordinal and Cardinal Numbers In Spanish

• Practice your ordinal and cardinal numbers daily. You can even get a textbook to learn them.
• Make a habit of learning numbers aloud; when you learn aloud, it becomes part of your permanent memory.
• Use the Jolii language learning app to explore videos that show counting. You can import the videos you like in the app and learn the way you want.

Conclusion

Learning cardinal and ordinal numbers will make you learn the quantities of any object in Spanish. The Spanish numbers will improve your Spanish word vocabulary and will help you know the date and the year in Spanish as well. You can get help while shopping to know the prices of any item. You can get more help from Spanish Ordinal numbers while waiting for your turn. It is always a better idea to learn Spanish numbers from the Jolii app, which is an immersive platform for all your language learning needs. Your watched videos become your language lessons. You can get your hands on selected videos plus any video you want to upload to become a language lesson. Download Jolii and learn the Spanish Ordinal and Cardinal numbers today.