Large numbers in French follow a logical pattern. Thousands are straightforward, but French uses mille for thousand (no plural -s), million and milliard (billion) are treated like nouns and take plural -s. The word et ("and") is used in some numbers (like 21: vingt et un). Numbers from 1 to 16 have unique forms, and from 17 to 99 follow consistent rules by combining smaller numbers.
Thousands
Thousands in French use mille for one thousand. Unlike million or milliard, mille is invariable (never takes -s). You simply say the number before mille. For example: 2,000 is deux mille.
| French Number | English Number | Usage Example (French) | Usage Example (English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| mille | one thousand | J’ai mille euros. | I have one thousand euros. |
| deux mille | two thousand | Elle habite à deux mille kilomètres. | She lives two thousand kilometers away. |
| cinq mille | five thousand | Le prix est cinq mille francs. | The price is five thousand francs. |
| dix mille | ten thousand | Nous avons dix mille invités. | We have ten thousand guests. |
| vingt mille | twenty thousand | Il a gagné vingt mille dollars. | He won twenty thousand dollars. |
Millions
Million behaves like a regular noun: it is capitalized and pluralized with -s when more than one. Unlike mille*, you must use the plural form and include the article.
| French Number | English Number | Usage Example (French) | Usage Example (English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| un million | one million | J’ai un million d’euros. | I have one million euros. |
| deux millions | two million | Elle a deux millions de followers. | She has two million followers. |
| cinq millions | five million | Cinq millions de personnes vivent ici. | Five million people live here. |
| dix millions | ten million | Le film a coûté dix millions. | The movie cost ten million. |
| vingt millions | twenty million | Vingt millions de votes ont été comptés. | Twenty million votes were counted. |
How do you say 'I have two million followers' in French, using the correct form of 'avoir'?
J’ai deux millions de followers.
'J’ai' is the correct form of avoir here; 'millions' is plural, and 'de' precedes 'followers'.
Billions (Milliards)
In French, a billion is un milliard (not un billion). Like million, milliard is a noun and takes -s in plural form. The numbering continues logically: million, milliard, billion (which is a trillion in English).
| French Number | English Number | Usage Example (French) | Usage Example (English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| un milliard | one billion | La population mondiale approche un milliard. | The world population approaches one billion. |
| deux milliards | two billion | Deux milliards de personnes ont accès à Internet. | Two billion people have internet access. |
| cinq milliards | five billion | Cinq milliards de dollars ont été investis. | Five billion dollars have been invested. |
| dix milliards | ten billion | Le rapport mentionne dix milliards d’euros. | The report mentions ten billion euros. |
| vingt milliards | twenty billion | Vingt milliards de tonnes de CO2 sont émises. | Twenty billion tons of CO2 are emitted. |
Beyond Billions
French continues with billion (trillion in English), billiard, trillion, etc., following the long scale. These are rarely used in everyday speech but appear in scientific and financial contexts.
| French Number | English Number | Usage Example (French) | Usage Example (English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| un billion | one trillion | Un billion d’étoiles dans la galaxie. | One trillion stars in the galaxy. |
| un billiard | one quadrillion | Un billiard est un nombre extrêmement grand. | A billiard is an extremely large number. |
| un trillion | one quintillion | Les mathématiques étudient des nombres comme un trillion. | Mathematics study numbers like one quintillion. |
In which contexts are the words 'billion', 'billiard', and 'trillion' typically used in French?
They appear mainly in scientific, mathematical, and financial contexts, not everyday speech.
These very large numbers are rare in daily life and mostly appear in specialized fields.
Summary
- mille = thousand (invariable, no -s*)
- million = million (noun, take -s* in plural)
- milliard = billion (noun, take -s* in plural)
- Use de before the noun when a number modifies a quantity (e.g., deux millions de personnes)
- For large numbers, combine these rules logically (e.g., trois millions deux cent mille = 3,200,000)
Flashcards (1 of 18)
- English Number: one thousand
- Usage Example (English): I have one thousand euros.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
