Language/Italian/Vocabulary/Numbers-and-Dates

Italian Vocabulary - Daily Life Expressions > Numbers and Dates

Italian numbers and dates are very important for daily communication in Italy. In this lesson, you will learn how to count from zero to one billion and how to express dates in Italian.

Numbers

In Italian, numbers are divided into cardinal numbers (starting from zero and indicating quantity) and ordinal numbers (indicating position in a series).

Cardinal Numbers

Below is a table with the Italian cardinal numbers up to one billion:

Italian	Pronunciation	English
zero	['dzɛːro]	zero
uno	['uːno]	one
due	['duːe]	two
tre	['tre]	three
quattro	['kwattro]	four
cinque	['tʃiŋkwe]	five
sei	['sɛi]	six
sette	['sɛtte]	seven
otto	['ɔtto]	eight
nove	['nɔve]	nine
dieci	['djɛːtʃi]	ten
undici	[un'diːtʃi]	eleven
dodici	[do'diːtʃi]	twelve
tredici	[tre'diːtʃi]	thirteen
quattordici	[kwat'tɔrːdiːtʃi]	fourteen
quindici	[kwin'diːtʃi]	fifteen
sedici	[se'diːtʃi]	sixteen
diciassette	[di'tʃasːette]	seventeen
diciotto	[di'tʃɔtto]	eighteen
diciannove	[di'tʃanːove]	nineteen
venti	['vɛnti]	twenty
trenta	['trɛnta]	thirty
quaranta	[kwa'raːnta]	forty
cinquanta	[tʃiŋ'kwaːnta]	fifty
sessanta	[sɛs'santa]	sixty
settanta	[set'tanta]	seventy
ottanta	[o'ttanta]	eighty
novanta	[no'vanta]	ninety
cento	['tʃɛnto]	one hundred
mille	['milːe]	one thousand
milione	[mil'liːoːne]	one million
miliardo	[mi'liarːdo]	one billion

Some rules to remember:

• In Italian, "uno" becomes "un" before a masculine noun starting with a consonant, and "una" before a feminine noun starting with a consonant.

For example, "un libro" (a book) and "una sedia" (a chair).

• "Uno" is also used before words starting with a "z" or "s + consonant" sound, instead of "un". For example, "uno zaino" (a backpack) and "uno studente" (a student).
• For numbers from 21 to 99, use the structure "tens + ones". For example, 36 is "trentasei" (thirty-six).
• When there are two or more vowel sounds in sequence, they are pronounced separately.

Ordinal Numbers

Below is a table with the Italian ordinal numbers up to twentieth:

Italian	Pronunciation	English
primo	['priːmo]	first
secondo	[se'kondo]	second
terzo	['tɛrtso]	third
quarto	['kwarto]	fourth
quinto	['kwinto]	fifth
sesto	['sɛsto]	sixth
settimo	['settimo]	seventh
ottavo	['ɔtːavo]	eighth
nono	['nono]	ninth
decimo	['deːtʃimo]	tenth
undicesimo	[unditʃe'ziːmo]	eleventh
dodicesimo	[doditʃe'ziːmo]	twelfth
tredicesimo	[treditʃe'ziːmo]	thirteenth
quattordicesimo	[kwattorditʃe'ziːmo]	fourteenth
quindicesimo	[kwindi'tʃeziːmo]	fifteenth
sedicesimo	[sedditʃe'ziːmo]	sixteenth
diciassettesimo	[dittʃasa'ttesimo]	seventeenth
diciottesimo	[dittʃot'tɛtsimo]	eighteenth
diciannovesimo	[dittʃanːo'vezimo]	nineteenth
ventesimo	[ven'tɛzimo]	twentieth

To form the ordinal number, add the suffix "-esimo" to the cardinal number. For example, "due" (two) becomes "secondo" (second) and "venti" (twenty) becomes "ventesimo" (twentieth).

Dates

In Italian, dates are usually written in the format day/month/year. For example, "il 23 luglio 2022" means "on July 23, 2022".

Below is a table with the months of the year in Italian:

Italian	Pronunciation	English
gennaio	[dʒen'najo]	January
febbraio	[feb'brajo]	February
marzo	['martso]	March
aprile	[a'priːle]	April
maggio	['madʒːo]	May
giugno	['dʒuɲɲo]	June
luglio	['luʎʎo]	July
agosto	['aɡɡosto]	August
settembre	[set'tɛmbre]	September
ottobre	[ot'toːbre]	October
novembre	[no'vɛmbre]	November
dicembre	[di'tʃɛmbre]	December

Some useful phrases to express dates in Italian:

• Oggi è il <day> <month> <year>. (Today is <day> <month> <year>.)
• Domani è il <day> <month> <year>. (Tomorrow is <day> <month> <year>.)
• Ieri è stato il <day> <month> <year>. (Yesterday was <day> <month> <year>.)
• Che giorno è oggi? (What day is it today?)

In addition to the above phrases, you can express a range of dates as follows:

• Dal <starting date> al <ending date>. (From <starting date> to <ending date>.)
• Fare qualcosa entro il <deadline>. (To do something by <deadline>.)

Practice

Now, let's practice counting in Italian!

1. Count backwards from twenty to zero.
2. Say the ordinal numbers up to tenth.
3. Express the date today and tomorrow in Italian.
4. Give an example of a range of dates.

Sources

• Italian numerals
• Names of months in Italian

Table of Contents - Italian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

Introduction to Italian Language

• Italian Alphabet
• Nouns and Articles
• Present Tense of Regular Verbs
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Present Tense of Irregular Verbs

  ---

Daily Life Expressions

• Greetings and Introductions
• Foods and Drinks
• Transportation
• Numbers and Dates

  ---

Italian Culture and Tradition

• Italian Regions and Cities
• Italian Cuisine and Wine
• Italian Art and Music
• Italian Festivals and Celebrations

  ---

Past and Future Tenses

• Passato Prossimo
• Futuro Semplice
• Imperfect Tense
• Condizionale Presente

  ---

Social and Work Life

• Family and Relationships
• Work and Employment
• Shopping and Services
• Tourism and Hospitality

  ---

Italian Literature and Cinema

• Famous Italian Writers and Poets
• Italian Cinema Industry
• Italian Contemporary Art

  ---

Subjunctive and Imperative Moods

• Present Subjunctive
• Imperative Form
• Simple Past Subjunctive
• Conditional Subjunctive

  ---

Science and Technology

• Computer and Technology
• Science and Research
• Environment and Ecology

  ---

Italian Politics and Society

• Contemporary Italian Politics
• Italian Society and Customs
• Religion and Believes

  ---

Compound Tenses

• Trapassato Prossimo
• Trapassato Remoto
• Futuro Anteriore
• Congiuntivo Passato

  ---

Arts and Design

• Fashion and Design
• Music and Performing Arts
• Visual Arts

  ---

Italian Language and Dialects

• Italian Language Variations
• Italian Language in the World
• Italian Language as a Second Language

Related Lessons

• Jobs
• Imperative Case in Italian
• Idiomatic Expressions
• Travel
• Body
• Body parts
• Basic Phrases in İtalian
• Dinner Table
• Transportation
• Asking Directions