The French tens are the multiples of ten from 20 to 90. They are:
20 - vingt
30 - trente
40 - quarante
50 - cinquante
60 - soixante
After 60, French uses a different system:
70 - soixante-dix (literally “sixty-ten”)
80 - quatre-vingts (“four twenties”)
90 - quatre-vingt-dix (“four twenty ten”)
40 in French is quarante.
80 and 90 are expressed with a base-20 system.
The Basic Tens: 20 to 60
From 20 to 60, French tens are regular and end in -ante (except 20):
| Number | French | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | vingt | |
| 30 | trente | |
| 40 | quarante | |
| 50 | cinquante | |
| 60 | soixante |
- They are all multiples of “ten” (dix) concept but only from 30 to 60 do they get a new suffix.
- This pattern is used for counting beyond 60 as well (except for the special cases).
From 30 to 60, French uses a regular pattern with the -ante suffix.
The tens from 20 to 60 are vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante.
The “Unique” Tens: 70, 80, 90
French uses a countdown and base-20 system for 70, 80, and 90:
| Number | French | Literal Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | soixante-dix | Sixty + Ten | |
| 80 | quatre-vingts | Four × Twenty | “s” at end if alone |
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix | Four × Twenty + Ten | No “s” if followed by number |
- 70 = 60 + 10
- 80 = 4 × 20
- 90 = 4 × 20 + 10
70 is 'soixante-dix', 80 is 'quatre-vingts', and 90 is 'quatre-vingt-dix'.
80 and 90 use a base-20 (vigesimal) system.
Conclusion
French tens combine regular patterns with unique constructions:
- 20 to 60 are straightforward: vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante.
- 70, 80, and 90 use special forms based on 60 and 20: soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix.
The tens from 20 to 60 are vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante.
70 is 'soixante-dix', formed as 'sixty-ten'.
80 is 'quatre-vingts' and 90 is 'quatre-vingt-dix'.