Numbers (Junior Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
📚Revision Notes
Numbers (Los números)
Numbers are essential for everyday communication in Spanish. This guide covers cardinal numbers, telling time, dates, and ordinal numbers with key grammar rules you need to know.
Cardinal numbers 1-1000
Understanding Spanish numbers requires learning the basic forms and important agreement rules.
Basic numbers table
| Number | Spanish | Number | Spanish | Number | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uno | 11 | once | 21 | veintiuno |
| 2 | dos | 12 | doce | 22 | veintidós |
| 3 | tres | 13 | trece | 30 | treinta |
| 4 | cuatro | 14 | catorce | 31 | treinta y uno |
| 5 | cinco | 15 | quince | 32 | treinta y dos |
| 6 | seis | 16 | dieciséis | 40 | cuarenta |
| 7 | siete | 17 | diecisiete | 50 | cincuenta |
| 8 | ocho | 18 | dieciocho | 60 | sesenta |
| 9 | nueve | 19 | diecinueve | 70 | setenta |
| 10 | diez | 20 | veinte | 80 | ochenta |
Hundreds and larger numbers
| Number | Spanish | Number | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | cien | 500 | quinientos |
| 101 | ciento uno | 700 | setecientos |
| 200 | doscientos/as | 900 | novecientos |
| 333 | trescientos/as treinta y tres | 1000 | mil |
Example
Worked Example: Using Numbers in Context
- Tengo veintiún años. (I am twenty-one years old.)
- Necesito doscientas páginas. (I need two hundred pages.)
- Hay quinientos estudiantes en la escuela. (There are five hundred students in the school.)
- Mi hermana tiene treinta y dos años. (My sister is thirty-two years old.)
Important
Critical Grammar Rules for Cardinal Numbers:
Numbers ending in uno drop the -o before masculine nouns (veintiún años), and hundreds change their ending to agree with feminine nouns (doscientas páginas). The irregular hundreds are 500 (quinientos), 700 (setecientos), and 900 (novecientos).
Dates (Las fechas)
Spanish dates follow a specific pattern that differs from English. The structure is crucial for proper communication.
Date structure
Spanish dates are written: day + de + month + de + year
Example
Worked Example: Writing Dates in Spanish
- 13 December 1978 = el trece de diciembre de mil novecientos setenta y ocho
- 21 July 2016 = el veintiuno de julio del dos mil dieciséis
Note
First of the Month:
The first day can be written as:
- el primero de abril (the first of April)
- el uno de abril (the one of April)
Important
Important Date Rules:
Month names are not capitalised in Spanish. For dates, only use ordinal numbers (primero) for the first day of the month - all other dates use cardinal numbers.
Telling the time (La hora)
Time expressions in Spanish have specific patterns you need to remember. The verb forms and articles change depending on the hour.
Basic time expressions
| Time | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | Es la una | It's one o'clock |
| 5:00 | Son las cinco | It's five o'clock |
| 10:00 | A las diez | At ten o'clock |
Example
Worked Example: Specific Time Expressions
- 3:05 → las tres y cinco
- 3:15 → las tres y cuarto
- 3:30 → las tres y media
- 3:45 → las cuatro menos cuarto
- 3:55 → las cuatro menos cinco
Important
Critical Time Grammar Rule:
One o'clock is different - use Es la una (singular) while all other times use Son las (plural). This is because una (one) is feminine singular, while other numbers are treated as plural.
Ordinal numbers (Los números ordinales)
Ordinal numbers show position or order and must agree with the nouns they describe.
Common ordinal numbers
| Ordinal | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | primero/a | first |
| 2nd | segundo/a | second |
| 3rd | tercero/a | third |
Example
Worked Example: Ordinal Numbers in Sentences
- La segunda calle a la derecha. (The second street on the right.)
- El primer día de clase. (The first day of class.)
- El tercer piso del edificio. (The third floor of the building.)
Important
Ordinal Number Agreement Rules:
Primero and tercero shorten to primer and tercer before masculine singular nouns. Ordinal numbers are not used for dates except for the first of the month.
Translation practice
Example
Practice Exercise: Test Your Understanding
Spanish to English:
- Vivo en el segundo piso.
- Son las cuatro y media.
English to Spanish: 3. I have thirty-one books. 4. It's the fifteenth of March.
Common errors and fixes
Important
Critical Mistakes to Avoid:
-
Error: Es las dos ❌
Fix: Son las dos ✅ (Use plural son for all times except one o'clock) -
Error: Veintiun años ❌
Fix: Veintiún años ✅ (Add accent when veintiuno shortens before masculine nouns) -
Error: El dos de Enero ❌
Fix: El dos de enero ✅ (Month names are not capitalised) -
Error: Quinientos páginas ❌
Fix: Quinientas páginas ✅ (Hundreds must agree with feminine nouns)
Answers to translation practice
Note
Practice Exercise Solutions:
- I live on the second floor.
- It's half past four.
- Tengo treinta y un libros.
- Es el quince de marzo.
Summary
Key Points to Remember:
- Numbers ending in uno drop the -o before masculine nouns and add an accent (veintiún)
- Hundreds (200-900) must agree with feminine nouns (doscientas chicas)
- One o'clock uses Es la una but all other times use Son las
- Month names are never capitalised in Spanish
- Only use primero for the first day of the month in dates