Counting By Tens
Counting by tens is a quick way to handle large numbers, measure time, or talk about groups at a market. This short guide goes over the key French numbers and useful phrases so you can count fast and sound natural.
Tens
The tens from 10 to 90 follow a mostly regular pattern in French, with each multiple having a distinct word you can memorize with a little practice. Each ten is used to build larger numbers by adding units.
| French Word | English Word |
|---|---|
| dix | ten |
| vingt | twenty |
| trente | thirty |
| quarante | forty |
| cinquante | fifty |
| soixante | sixty |
| soixante-dix | seventy |
| quatre-vingts | eighty |
| quatre-vingt-dix | ninety |
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🌟 Je compte : dix, vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante. | I count: ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty. |
| 🌈 Les ballons sont attachés en grappes de dix. | The balloons are tied in bunches of ten. |
| 🏫 Il y a vingt tables dans la salle, disposées par rangées de dix. | There are twenty tables in the room, arranged in rows of ten. |
| 🎟️ Ils ont vendu trente tickets, dix par each stand. | They sold thirty tickets, ten at each stand. |
| 🧩 Le puzzle a quarante pièces, rangées en quatre lignes de dix. | The puzzle has forty pieces, arranged in four rows of ten. |
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Usage
Counting by tens is useful when talking about prices, quantities, time, or when estimating amounts at a market or in everyday life. Practice saying the tens aloud to get the rhythm of French numbers.
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100 and Beyond
After 90, French uses expressions like cent for 100 and mille for 1,000 to form larger numbers. Remember that quatre-vingts (80) takes an "s" when exact, but loses it when followed by another number.
| French Word | English Word |
|---|---|
| cent | hundred |
| deux cents | two hundred |
| mille | thousand |
| dix mille | ten thousand |
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Examples
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🍎 Il y a dix pommes dans chaque panier. | There are ten apples in each basket. |
| 🥖 Le boulanger fait vingt baguettes tous les matins. | The baker makes twenty baguettes every morning. |
| 🧴 Les bouteilles d’eau sont emballées par paquets de trente. | The water bottles are packed in bundles of thirty. |
| 🧸 Quarante peluches sont alignées sur les étagères du magasin. | Forty stuffed animals are lined up on the store shelves. |
| 🛒 Le chariot est rempli de cinquante articles, organisés en piles de dix. | The cart is filled with fifty items, organized in stacks of ten. |
Summary
Counting by tens in French relies on memorizing the key words for each multiple and practicing how they link together in larger numbers. Use market situations or prices to drill these numbers aloud until they feel natural.
Last updated: Tue Sep 16, 2025