Numbers are all around in our daily life: we need them to say the time, to arrange appointments, to exchange phone numbers. But also to talk about many different topics such as the temperature, someone’s age, measurements, dates, … and the list can go on!

So this lesson is all about Italian numbers.

You’ll learn how to count up to 100 in Italian and I’ll also give you some examples on how numbers are used in real-life conversations.

ITALIAN NUMBERS: LEARN HOW TO COUNT UP TO 100 

The Italian word for number is “il numero” and it’s masculine. Therefore the plural will be “i numeri”.

In Italian, cardinal numbers follow a pretty easy pattern, very similar to the English one.

Let’s break them down, so you can remember them easily.

We’ll begin with numbers from 0 to 19: unfortunately, they’re irregular and you’ll need to learn them by heart.

Numbers from 20 to 100, instead, are quite simple as their pattern is regular and easy to remember. 

So let’s dive into it.

ITALIAN NUMBERS FROM 0 TO 10

Let’s see first how to count up to 10. Here you go:

• 0 = ZERO
• 1 = UNO
• 2 = DUE 
• 3 = TRE
• 4 = QUATTRO
• 5 = CINQUE
• 6 = SEI 
• 7 = SETTE
• 8 = OTTO
• 9 = NOVE
• 10 = DIECI

Listen to the recording below to check the pronunciation.

ITALIAN NUMBERS: LET’S COUNT FROM 11 TO 20

Now let’s see what comes after the 10. Numbers from 10 to 20 are still irregular so you’ll need to learn them by heart. Here you are: 

• 11 = UNDICI
• 12 = DODICI
• 13 = TREDICI
• 14 = QUATTORDICI
• 15 = QUINDICI
• 16 = SEDICI
• 17 = DICIASSETTE
• 18 = DICIOTTO
• 19 = DICIANNOVE
• 20 = VENTI

Listen to the following recording, to learn how to pronounce these numbers. 

Before you move on, watch the below lesson for a recap on how to count up to 20 in Italian and an easy practice at the end of the video!

ITALIAN NUMBERS: LET’S COUNT FROM 20 TO 100

Good job! You’ve done the hard part 🙂 after 20, it becomes much easier: you only need to remember the tens and then add a number from 1 to 9.

So let’s see with the tens first. 

• 20 = VENTI
• 30 = TRENTA
• 40 = QUARANTA
• 50 = CINQUANTA
• 60 = SESSANTA
• 70 = SETTANTA
• 80 = OTTANTA
• 90 = NOVANTA
• 100 = CENTO

Now you simply need to take the tens and add a number from 1 to 9, like in the examples below:

• 29 = venti + nove = VENTINOVE
• 33 = trenta + tre = TRENTATRE
• 45 = quaranta + cinque = QUARANTACINQUE
• 58 = cinquanta + otto = CINQUANTOTTO
• 62 = sessanta + due = SESSANTADUE
• 71 = settanta + uno = SETTANTUNO
• 87 = ottanta + sette = OTTANTASETTE
• 94 = novanta + quattro = NOVANTAQUATTRO

Easy right? 

There’s only an exception for the numbers where the unit is either “uno” or “otto”. Since they start with a vowel, then the tens will loose their last letter (which is a vowel as well).

Look at the following examples:

• 21 > it’s not VENTIUNO, but VENTUNO
• 38 > it’s not TRENTAOTTO, but TRENTOTTO
• 51 > it’s not CINQUANTAUNO, but CINQUANTUNO

and so on … 

USE NUMBERS IN CONVERSATIONS

Okay, now you know all the numbers in Italian from 0 to 100.

But how many times you’ll actually start counting in a conversation? Not many, I suppose, as in real life you use the numbers in a different way. 

So let’s have a look at some simple examples of daily conversations.

1 – ASK THE AGE

Question: Quanti anni hai? – How old are you?
Answer: Ho 23 (ventitre) anni. – I’m 23 years old.

2 – TALK ABOUT YOUR FAMILY

Question: Quanti fratelli hai? – How many brothers you have?
Answer: Ho 2 (due) fratelli. – I’ve got 2 brothers

3 – EXCHANGE CONTACT DETAILS

Question: Qual e’ il tuo numero di telefono? – What’s your phone number?
Answer: Il mio numero e’ 286 1357 (due/otto/sei/uno/tre/cinque/sette). – My number is 286 1357.

4 – ASK THE TIME

Question: Che ora e’? – What time is it? 
Answer: Sono le 18:00 (diciotto). – it’s 6 pm

5 – TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER

Question: Quanti gradi ci sono oggi? – What’s the temperature today?
Answer: Ci sono 20 (venti) gradi. – It’s 20 degrees.

6 – TELL OF YOUR BIRTHDAY

Question: Quando e’ il tuo compleanno? – When is your birthday?
Answer: Il 10 (dieci) Aprile. – on the 10th of April.

7 – WHEN SHOPPING

Question: Quanto costa? – How much is it? 
Answer: Costa 35 (trentacinque) Euro. – It’s 35 Euro.

LET’S RECAP

Well done! You can now count up to 100 in Italian, and you also know how to use numbers in some real-life situations, but let’s recap to make sure you didn’t miss anything we’ve covered in this lesson.

1. Numbers from 0 to 19

You need to learn them by heart as they are pretty irregular. Make sure you watch my video lesson so can practice as well.

2. Numbers from 20 to 100

This is the easy part … basically, they all follow the same pattern. You simply need to take the tens and add a number from 1 to 9. For instance: 22 is ventidue, 35 is trentacinque, 46 is quarantasei, and so on.

3. Real-life Examples 

These are some situations where you need to know the numbers: 

1 – Ask the age: Quanti anni hai? Ho 23 (ventitre) anni. 

2 – Talk about your family: Quanti fratelli hai? Ho 2 (due) fratelli. 

3 – Exchange contact details: Qual e’ il tuo numero di telefono? Il mio numero e’ 286 1357 (due/otto/sei/uno/tre/cinque/sette). 

4 – Ask the time: Che ora e’? Sono le 18:00 (diciotto).

5 – Talk about the weather: Quanti gradi ci sono oggi? Ci sono 20 (venti) gradi.

6 – Tell of your birthday: Quando e’ il tuo compleanno? Il 10 (dieci) Aprile.

7 – When shopping: Quanto costa? Costa 35 (trentacinque) Euro. 

And now it’s your turn! 

Practice is the best way to learn! Click on the following link for some exercises: ITALIAN NUMBERS (FROM 0 TO 100): TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Good luck! 🙂 

What Next?

Check out the below lesson to see the ordinal numbers in Italian