Learning German numbers (Zahlen) is one of the first steps when starting your German language journey. Numbers are everywhere — whether you want to tell your age, talk about time, buy something, or share your phone number, you’ll use them every day. In this guide, you will learn all German numbers from 0 to 1000, including pronunciation, spelling, patterns, and common mistakes to avoid.
This beginner-friendly German numbers guide will make it easier to speak, read, and write numbers in German.
1. What Are German Numbers? (Die deutschen Zahlen)
German numbers use the same Arabic numeral system as English, but they are spoken and written differently, especially after 20. Understanding the rules of German numbers helps improve fluency, comprehension, and writing skills.
2. Numbers 0–20 (Zahlen 0–20)
| Number | German | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | null | nool | 0 Uhr (0 o’clock) |
| 1 | eins | ayns | 1 Jahr (one year) |
| 2 | zwei | tsvai | 2 Häuser (two houses) |
| 3 | drei | dry | 3 Kinder (three children) |
| 4 | vier | fear | 4 Bücher (four books) |
| 5 | fünf | foonf | 5 Freunde (five friends) |
| 6 | sechs | zeks | 6 Tage (six days) |
| 7 | sieben | zee-ben | 7 Stunden (seven hours) |
| 8 | acht | ahkt | 8 Äpfel (eight apples) |
| 9 | neun | noin | 9 Monate (nine months) |
| 10 | zehn | tsayn | 10 Finger (ten fingers) |
| 11 | elf | elf | 11 Schüler (eleven students) |
| 12 | zwölf | tsvölf | 12 Monate (twelve months) |
| 13 | dreizehn | dry-tsayn | 13 Jahre (thirteen years) |
| 14 | vierzehn | fear-tsayn | 14 Tage (fourteen days) |
| 15 | fünfzehn | foonf-tsayn | 15 Minuten (fifteen minutes) |
| 16 | sechzehn | zekh-tsayn | 16 Uhr (16:00) |
| 17 | siebzehn | zeeb-tsayn | 17 Fragen (seventeen questions) |
| 18 | achtzehn | ahkt-tsayn | 18 Jahre (eighteen years) |
| 19 | neunzehn | noin-tsayn | 19 Schüler (nineteen students) |
| 20 | zwanzig | tsvan-tsig | 20 Euro (twenty euros) |
3. Numbers 21–100 (Zahlen 21–100)
German numbers 21–99 are formed using ones + und + tens, which is opposite to English. Can be also seen on website.
Example:
21 = ein + und + zwanzig → einundzwanzig (literally “one and twenty”)
| Number | German | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | einundzwanzig | 1 and 20 |
| 22 | zweiundzwanzig | 2 and 20 |
| 25 | fünfundzwanzig | 5 and 20 |
| 30 | dreißig | irregular ending |
| 40 | vierzig | remove “e” |
| 50 | fünfzig | -zig ending |
| 60 | sechzig | remove “s” |
| 70 | siebzig | remove “en” |
| 80 | achtzig | regular |
| 90 | neunzig | regular |
| 100 | hundert | simple form |
| 1000 | tausend | simple form |
Examples:
34 = vierunddreißig
48 = achtundvierzig
79 = neunundsiebzig
4. Pronunciation Tips for German Numbers
Z = “ts” sound
- zehn → tsayn
- zwanzig → tsvan-tsig
- The letter “ß” appears in numbers like 30
- dreißig (not dreisig)
- Numbers 21–99 are spoken backwards
- 57 → siebenundfünfzig (seven-and-fifty)
- No “and” between tens and hundreds
- 125 → hundertfünfundzwanzig
- Final “g” in -zig is usually soft /χ/
- Pronounced like a soft “h” from the throat
5. Special Rules & Patterns
| Ending | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -zehn | 13–19 | dreizehn, sechzehn |
| -zig | tens | vierzig, sechzig |
| “und” | numbers 21–99 | neununddreißig |
6. Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Saying numbers in English order
- Example: 25 → twenty-five (wrong)
✔ Correct: fünfundzwanzig
❌ Mispronouncing “Z”
- Example: zwei ≠ zvi
✔ Correct: tsvai
❌ Forgetting umlauts
- Example: zwoelf (wrong)
✔ Correct: zwölf
7. Practice Sentences Using German Numbers
- Ich bin fünfzehn Jahre alt.
(I am 15 years old.) - Das kostet neunundzwanzig Euro.
(That costs 29 euros.) - Meine Nummer ist vier-null-zwei-sieben.
(My number is 4-0-2-7.) - Wir haben dreiundachtzig Schüler.
(We have 83 students.)
Viel Erfolg beim Lernen!
(Good luck learning German numbers!)
Test Your Knowledge: German Numbers Quiz
Ready to test your skills? Try this quick quiz to see how well you’ve mastered German numbers!
Section 1: Multiple Choice – Basic Numbers
Choose the correct German word for each number:
1. What is “7” in German?
a) siebzehn
b) sieben
c) siebzig
d) sechs
2. How do you say “12” in German?
a) zwanzig
b) zwölf
c) zweif
d) zwei
3. Which one means “16”?
a) sechsen
b) sechzig
c) sechzehn
d) sechs
Section 2: Multiple Choice – Compound Numbers
4. How do you say “23” in German?
a) dreiunddreißig
b) dreiundzwanzig
c) zwanzig und drei
d) zwanzigdrei
5. Which one is the correct way to say “48”?
a) vierundachtzig
b) vierzig und acht
c) achtundvierzig
d) achtvierzig
6. What is “67” in German?
a) sechsundsiebzig
b) siebzig und sechs
c) siebenundsechzig
d) sechzig und sieben
Section 3: Pronunciation Recognition
7. How is “fünf” pronounced?
a) fyune
b) funf
c) foonf
d) fyoonf
8. Which pronunciation is correct for “zwanzig”?
a) tsvan-tsig
b) zvan-zig
c) swan-sig
d) tvan-tig
9. How do you pronounce “einunddreißig”?
a) een-und-dray-sig
b) ein-und-drei-ssig
c) eye-und-dry-sig
d) ayn-oond-dry-sig
Section 4: Error Detection
10. Which one is spelled correctly?
a) zweieundzwanzi
b) zwieundzwanzig
c) zwoundzwanzig
d) zweiundzwanzig
11. Identify the correct spelling:
a) dreissig
b) dreißig
c) dreisig
d) dreyßig
12. Which is the proper way to write “86”?
a) sechsundachtzig
b) sechundachtzig
c) sechsundachzig
d) sechsundachtzig
Section 5: Real-Life Situations
13. You’re 25 years old. How do you say this?
a) fünfundvierzig
b) fünfundzwanzig
c) fünfunddreißig
d) fünfundfünfzig
14. Something costs 39 euros. How do you say the price?
a) neunundneunzig
b) neununddreißig
c) neunzehn
d) neunundzwanzig
15. Your phone number has “0176” at the beginning. How do you say it?
a) null-eins-sieben-sechs
b) null-eins-sechs-sieben
c) null-sieben-sechs-eins
d) null-sieben-eins-sechs