#Ordinal numbers in spanish how to#

My aunt didn’t use to like animals, but she now has six cats! Mi tía no quería a los animales pero, ¡ahora tiene seis gatos!

I have an important appointment in five minutes, please don’t distract me. Tengo una cita importante en cinco minutos, por favor no me distraigas. We need four plates and four forks for the cake. Necesitamos cuatro platos y cuatro cuchillos para el pastel. To be number one, you have to train every day! Para ser el número uno, ¡hay que entrenar todos los días! Here are ten ways to use cardinal numbers in Spanish: Spanish A billion in English refers to “one thousand millions,” but un billón in Spanish refers to “ one million millions.” Don’t make this easily-avoidable mistake when closing those billion-dollar deals!Īs you already know, we’ve got some handy example sentences to help you see yourself using these numbers expertly in everyday conversations. Notice how one billion in English is one thousand million in Spanish, and un billón in Spanish is one trillion in English? That’s because these languages use different ways to refer to the same numbers. Although you might be tempted to simply translate billions into billones, let’s break down these big numbers to see what’s going on: Number One quirky little fun fact about Spanish that’s worth pointing out, is that one billion and un billón are NOT the same. Here are some of the most common numbers, up to a trillion! Number However, there are millions of cardinal numbers in Spanish, which makes learning them all a gargantuan task. Regardless of your Spanish level, you’re probably already familiar with the first few Spanish numbers ( uno, dos, tres, cuatro!). What are the cardinal numbers in Spanish? How do you write and pronounce them?

Let’s take a closer look at the cardinal numbers in Spanish. They’re the ones used in most mathematical equations and the ones you’ll see on your credit card bill. Now, let’s do a deep dive into each of the two forms of numbers in Spanish.Ĭardinal numbers are probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of numbers. So, although they’re the more basic of the two forms of numbers, that doesn’t make them any less exciting! Without cardinal numbers, we wouldn’t be able to specify quantities, do math, or even do business. On the other hand, using cardinal numbers is also incredibly helpful as they, quite bluntly, make the world go round. Knowing that it was your first car can let us into some of the feelings and emotions you may have experienced when first driving it or what the car could’ve looked like. Using an ordinal number to describe the car tells us so much more about the car than the cardinal number ever could. That means that you can use them to describe another noun, changing the meaning of the noun they are modifying. The main thing you should keep in mind is that ordinal numbers work as adjectives.

Ordinal vs cardinal numbers: the key differencesįirst things first, let’s review the key differences between ordinal and cardinal numbers in Spanish. The difference between ordinal numbers vs cardinal numbers.

#Ordinal numbers in spanish how to#

In this blog, we’ll cover all the important differences and go over how to say hundreds of cardinal and ordinal numbers in Spanish to help you ace when to use the right form of each number. The same is true in Spanish, where mixing up ordinal with cardinal numbers every now and then might not do anything more than raise a few eyebrows, but it’s still very important for intermediate Spanish speakers and above to dominate when and how to use ordinal vs. You probably understand what both sentences mean, but the first one sounds wrong.

For example, check out the following sentences: cardinal numbers in Spanish will help you sound much more natural. However, how do you know when to differentiate between cardinal (one, two, three) and ordinal (first, second, third) numbers? Although people will probably be able to understand what you mean even if you use the incorrect form, mastering the difference between ordinal vs. Indeed, using the numbers in Spanish is one of the first skills any language learner should sign up to master, especially since you’ll need them to tell the time, buy fruits and veggies at the market, and order a second (but who’s counting?) cup of coffee. Check out this simple guide to ordinal and cardinal numbers in Spanish without any math prerequisites.Įven if you don’t consider your left side of the brain to be the stronger half (guilty!), you still need to use numbers on a daily basis - even in Spanish.