Language/Danish/Vocabulary/Numbers-1-100
Numbers are essential to everyday communication, whether we're talking about money, telling the time, or discussing dates. In this lesson, you will learn how to count from 1 to 100 in Danish. We will cover cardinal and ordinal numbers that will allow you to express quantities and positions successfully.
Cardinal numbers
Cardinal numbers are the numbers that express quantity, such as "one," "two," "three," etc. In this section, you will learn how to count from 1 to 100 in Danish.
1 to 20
Let's start with the numbers from one to twenty:
| Danish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| én | æn | One |
| to | toh | Two |
| tre | tʁɛ | Three |
| fire | fiːʁə | Four |
| fem | fem | Five |
| seks | seks | Six |
| syv | syv | Seven |
| otte | ɔdə | Eight |
| ni | niː | Nine |
| ti | tiː | Ten |
| elleve | ɛlːəvə | Eleven |
| tolv | tolv | Twelve |
| tretten | tʁɛdˀən | Thirteen |
| fjorten | fjɒɐtən | Fourteen |
| femten | femtən | Fifteen |
| seksten | sehʰstən | Sixteen |
| sytten | s ytən | Seventeen |
| atten | ådən | Eighteen |
| nitten | nɪdˀən | Nineteen |
| tyve | tyːvə | Twenty |
It may seem like a challenge, but reading the numbers out loud multiple times and repeating them can help you remember them better.
21 to 100
Once you have learned the numbers from 1 to 20, counting from 21 to 100 becomes easier. You only need to know a few words, which are the multiples of ten:
- tyve (20)
- tredive (30)
- fyrre (40)
- halvtreds (50)
- tres (60)
- halvfjerds (70)
- firs (80)
- halvfems (90)
- hundrede (100)
To count these numbers, first, say the multiple of ten, then the remaining number. For example, 35 is "femogtredive," which translates directly to "five and thirty."
Here are some examples:
| Danish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| énogtyve | ænɔtʏːvə | Twenty-one |
| halvtredstolv | hælftʁɛdˈstɒlv | Thirty-twelve |
| femogfirs | ˈfeːmoːɡfɪʁs | Fifty-four |
| halvfemtreds | halvˈfemtʁɐtet | Sixty-five |
| halvfjerdsyv | halvˈfjɛɐ̯tsˌsyv | Seventy-seven |
| halvfemsninetten | halvˈfemˀsninˀəd̥n | Ninety-five |
| hundrede | hjønˀəð̞ə | One hundred |
Ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers are numbers that express position or order, like "first," "second," "third," etc. In Danish, most ordinal numbers are formed by taking the cardinal number and appending "-te", such as første (first) and anden (second). When the cardinal ends in a vowel, the ordinal may add an extra -'e', such as tiende (tenth).
Here are some examples:
| Danish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| første | ˈføɐ̯stə | First |
| anden | ˈanən | Second |
| tredje | ˈtʁajə | Third |
| fjerde | ˈfjeʁˀə | Fourth |
| femte | ˈfɛmˀtə | Fifth |
| sjette | ˈsjɛdə | Sixth |
| syvende | ˈsyːvə | Seventh |
| ottende | ˈɒdən | Eighth |
| niende | ˈniːə | Ninth |
| tiende | ˈtiːən | Tenth |
| elfte | ˈelˀftə | Eleventh |
| tolvte | tolvəð | Twelfth |
| trettende | tʁɛdˀən | Thirteenth |
| fjortende | fjɒɐtən | Fourteenth |
| femtende | femtən | Fifteenth |
| sekstende | sekstən | Sixteenth |
| syttende | sytən | Seventeenth |
| attende | ådə | Eighteenth |
| nittende | nɪdˀənə | Nineteenth |
| tyvende | tyːvə | Twentieth |
| tjuende | tjyenə | Twentieth (alternative) |
It's important to note that in Danish, the ordinal number often comes before the noun it describes, unlike in English, where it tends to come after. For example, "femte bog" (fifth book).
Conclusion
Congratulations! By learning the numbers from 1 to 100 in Danish, you have taken an important step toward unlocking the language. Keep practicing counting, and try to use it in conversation with native speakers whenever possible. In the next lesson, we will learn how to talk about dates and how to tell time in Danish.