Counting by tens in German, including how to read, write, and use these numbers in everyday context.

Counting by tens is a simple pattern in German that helps you quickly reach higher numbers. You start with zehn (10) and add the suffix -zig for 20, 30, 40, and so on, up to 90. This is useful for telling time, shopping, and more.

Nouns

Here are some German nouns that often appear with numbers, especially when counting or describing quantities:

German Singular	German Plural	English Singular	English Plural	German Example	English Example
der Apfel	die Äpfel	apple	apples	Ich habe zehn Äpfel.	I have ten apples.
die Katze	die Katzen	cat	cats	Es sind zwanzig Katzen da.	There are twenty cats.
das Buch	die Bücher	book	books	Ich lese dreißig Bücher.	I read thirty books.
der Stuhl	die Stühle	chair	chairs	Wir brauchen vierzig Stühle.	We need forty chairs.
die Flasche	die Flaschen	bottle	bottles	Sie hat fünfzig Flaschen Wasser.	She has fifty bottles of water.

Verbs

These are some common verbs that involve numbers or quantities:

German Verb	English Verb	German Example	English Example
zählen	to count	Ich kann bis hundert zählen.	I can count up to one hundred.
haben	to have	Er hat sechzig Euro.	He has sixty euros.
kaufen	to buy	Wir kaufen siebzig Äpfel.	We are buying seventy apples.
brauchen	to need	Ich brauche achtzig Seiten.	I need eighty pages.
finden	to find	Sie findet neunzig Euro.	She finds ninety euros.

Adjectives

These adjectives help describe quantities or emphasize numbers:

German Adjective	English Adjective	German Example	English Example
viele	many	Viele Leute kommen.	Many people are coming.
wenige	few	Wenige haben gezählt.	Few have counted.
alle	all	Alle Kinder zählen mit.	All children count along.
mehrere	several	Mehrere haben gezählt.	Several have counted.
ganze	whole / entire	Das ganze Buch ist fertig.	The whole book is finished.

Time Expressions

These are common time-related phrases that use tens for minutes or hours:

German Phrase	English Phrase	German Example	English Example
zehn Minuten	ten minutes	Die Pause dauert zehn Minuten.	The break lasts ten minutes.
zwanzig Uhr	eight o'clock	Wir treffen uns um zwanzig Uhr.	We meet at eight o'clock.
dreißig Sekunden	thirty seconds	Die Übung dauert dreißig Sekunden.	The exercise lasts thirty seconds.
vierzig Minuten	forty minutes	Der Film dauert vierzig Minuten.	The movie lasts forty minutes.
fünfzig Stunden	fifty hours	Ich arbeite fünfzig Stunden diese Woche.	I’m working fifty hours this week.

Question Words

These question words help ask about quantities or time:

German Question Word	English Question Word	German Example	English Example
wie viel	how much / how many	Wie viel kostet das?	How much does that cost?
wie lange	how long	Wie lange dauert es?	How long does it take?
wie oft	how often	Wie oft zählst du?	How often do you count?
wann	when	Wann beginnt der Kurs?	When does the class start?
wer	who	Wer hat gezählt?	Who counted?

Now you have a set of useful German vocabulary and phrases for counting by tens—and beyond! Keep practicing to build your confidence.

Flashcards (1 of 25)

English Singular: apple
English Plural: apples
English Example: I have ten apples.

Next Up: Hundreds, Thousands

Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025