Olá! Today, we’re going to be counting in Portuguese. Knowing how to count and pronounce numbers is one of the fundamental skills you’ll need. One of the ways to learn them is to drill them and then make sentences incorporating them. Let’s get started!
Basic Numbers (1-20)
Let’s begin with the basics. Here are the numbers from one to ten. Please note that only the numbers 1 and 2 have masculine and feminine forms:
- 0 – zero
- 1 – um (for masculine nouns) / uma (for feminine nouns)
- 2 – dois (masc.) / duas (fem.)
- 3 – três
- 4 – quatro
- 5 – cinco
- 6 – seis
- 7 – sete
- 8 – oito
- 9 – nove
- 10 – dez
- 11 – onze
- 12 – doze
- 13 – treze
- 14 – catorze
- 15 – quinze
- 16 – dezasseis
- 17 – dezassete
- 18 – dezoito
- 19 – dezanove
- 20 – vinte
Watch the video to get a feel for what they sound like. I repeat them slowly and then quickly.
Solidify what you have learned
Translate the following sentences into Portuguese:
- Five children are playing.
- I bought twelve apples.
- There are eight chairs in the room.
- She has ten euros.
- We will arrive at six o’clock.
Numbers (21-40)
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s continue counting in Portuguese with numbers from twenty-one to forty. Combining numbers involves using “e” (and) between the tens and units. Here’s a detailed look:
- 21 – vinte e um
- 22 – vinte e dois
- 23 – vinte e três
- 24 – vinte e quatro
- 25 – vinte e cinco
- 26 – vinte e seis
- 27 – vinte e sete
- 28 – vinte e oito
- 29 – vinte e nove
- 30 – trinta
Once we get to thirty, the pattern continues similarly:
- 31 – trinta e um
- 32 – trinta e dois
- 33 – trinta e três
- 34 – trinta e quatro
- 35 – trinta e cinco
- 36 – trinta e seis
- 37 – trinta e sete
- 38 – trinta e oito
- 39 – trinta e nove
- 40 – quarenta
Watch the video below to get the audio of slow pronunciation and the tricky conversational speed.
Real-World Application
Practice these numbers by applying them to real-world situations. For example, you can:
- Count items when shopping (e.g., “trinta e duas maçãs” – thirty-two apples).
Numbers (41-60)
As we continue, remember that combining numbers follows the same pattern using “e” (and) between the tens and units. Here’s a look at numbers 41 to 60:
- 41 – quarenta e um
- 42 – quarenta e dois
- 43 – quarenta e três
- 44 – quarenta e quatro
- 45 – quarenta e cinco
- 46 – quarenta e seis
- 47 – quarenta e sete
- 48 – quarenta e oito
- 49 – quarenta e nove
- 50 – cinquenta
Moving on to fifty and beyond:
- 51 – cinquenta e um
- 52 – cinquenta e dois
- 53 – cinquenta e três
- 54 – cinquenta e quatro
- 55 – cinquenta e cinco
- 56 – cinquenta e seis
- 57 – cinquenta e sete
- 58 – cinquenta e oito
- 59 – cinquenta e nove
- 60 – sessenta
Watch the video below to get the audio of slow pronunciation and the tricky conversational speed.
Real-World Application
To help cement these numbers in your mind, try using them in everyday situations. Here are a few suggestions:
- Telling time in Portuguese (e.g., “São quarenta e cinco minutos” – It’s forty-five minutes past the hour).
Numbers (61-80)
As we continue counting in Portuguese, remember to use “e” (and) between the tens and units. Here’s a look at numbers 61 to 80:
- 61 – sessenta e um
- 62 – sessenta e dois
- 63 – sessenta e três
- 64 – sessenta e quatro
- 65 – sessenta e cinco
- 66 – sessenta e seis
- 67 – sessenta e sete
- 68 – sessenta e oito
- 69 – sessenta e nove
- 70 – setenta
Next, let’s move on to seventy and beyond:
- 71 – setenta e um
- 72 – setenta e dois
- 73 – setenta e três
- 74 – setenta e quatro
- 75 – setenta e cinco
- 76 – setenta e seis
- 77 – setenta e sete
- 78 – setenta e oito
- 79 – setenta e nove
- 80 – oitenta
Watch the video below to get the audio of slow pronunciation and the tricky conversational speed.
Numbers (81-100)
Continuing counting in Portuguese with our numbers, here are 81 to 100. As always, remember to use “e” (and) between the tens and units:
- 81 – oitenta e um
- 82 – oitenta e dois
- 83 – oitenta e três
- 84 – oitenta e quatro
- 85 – oitenta e cinco
- 86 – oitenta e seis
- 87 – oitenta e sete
- 88 – oitenta e oito
- 89 – oitenta e nove
- 90 – noventa
And now, let’s proceed with ninety and beyond:
- 91 – noventa e um
- 92 – noventa e dois
- 93 – noventa e três
- 94 – noventa e quatro
- 95 – noventa e cinco
- 96 – noventa e seis
- 97 – noventa e sete
- 98 – noventa e oito
- 99 – noventa e nove
- 100 – cem*
*100 is cem only when it’s exactly one hundred. This means the word changes to “cento” between 101 and 199:
- 100 – cem
- 101 – cento e um
- 102 – cento e dois
- …
- 199 – cento e noventa e nove
- …
- 1100 – mil e cem
- 1101 – mil cento e um
- etc
Practice Exercise
To reinforce your learning, let’s do another exercise. Translate the following English numbers into Portuguese:
- 86
- 93
- 99
- 82
- 100
Tens (10-100)
Now, let’s look at the multiples of ten up to one hundred, which are called “dezenas“:
- 10 – dez
- 20 – vinte
- 30 – trinta
- 40 – quarenta
- 50 – cinquenta
- 60 – sessenta
- 70 – setenta
- 80 – oitenta
- 90 – noventa
- 100 – cem
Hundreds and Beyond
The hundreds are called centenas, and they can have masculine and feminine as well, except 100:
- 100 – cem
- 200 – duzentos / duzentas
- 300 – trezentos / trezentas
- 400 – quatrocentos / quatrocentas
- 500 – quinhentos / quinhentas
- 600 – seiscentos / seiscentas
- 700 – setecentos / setecentas
- 800 – oitocentos / oitocentas
- 900 – novecentos / novecentas
- 1000 – *mil
*we don’t say “um” mil in Portuguese. We also don’t say “Twenty two hundred”, we say “two thousand and two hundred (dois mil e duzentos). I go into more detail on this in my post Dates in European Portuguese.
Practice Makes Perfect
Try incorporating counting in Portuguese into your daily activities to get comfortable with it. Count objects around you, do simple math in Portuguese, or even say the numbers out loud as you go about your day.
Next, I’m reading a shopping flyer out loud for you to practice prices and totals. Very useful for transactions:
Fun Cultural Fact
In Portugal, you might hear people use certain phrases when talking about money, such as “uma nota de vinte” (a twenty-euro note) or “uma moeda de um euro” (a one-euro coin). Familiarising yourself with these terms can be both fun and useful!
When Telling Time in Portuguese, you’ll also hear people referring to the hours in the plural. Que horas são? (What hours are they for “what time is it?”)
Wrap-Up
That’s all for this lesson! Remember, practice is key when it comes to learning numbers. Keep counting, and soon it will become second nature. Até à próxima!
Related Portuguese Lessons for Further Learning
- Telling Time in Portuguese
- Money in Portuguese
- Dates in European Portuguese
- Days of the Week in Portuguese
- How to Say Things in Portuguese
- Small Talk in Portuguese
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