CEFR A1
What you will learn
- Recognise the pattern taught in “German numbers A1: building blocks, order and irregular forms” in a short example.
- Choose the appropriate form from “German numbers A1: building blocks, order and irregular forms” using explicit evidence.
- Apply and justify the rule from “German numbers A1: building blocks, order and irregular forms” in a new case.
Before you start
- Recognise the vocabulary and forms shown in this lesson’s key idea and paradigm.
The idea
Numbers are built from stable pieces: learn 0–12 first; from 21 to 99 say the unit before the ten and connect them with und.
The base is: null, eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn, elf, zwölf. Before a noun, one takes a determiner form: ein Buch, eine Lampe; when the number stands alone, use eins.
From 13 to 19: dreizehn, vierzehn, fünfzehn, sechzehn, siebzehn, achtzehn, neunzehn. Notice the shortened forms sechzehn and siebzehn. The tens are zwanzig, dreißig, vierzig, fünfzig, sechzig, siebzig, achtzig and neunzig; dreißig has ß and sechzig/siebzig also shorten the stem.
Between 21 and 99, the structure is unit + und + ten and is written as one word: einundzwanzig, vierunddreißig, achtundneunzig. Exact multiples do not add und: vierzig. The inversion affects the unit and ten; it does not make every long number completely “backwards”.
One hundred is hundert or einhundert; one thousand, tausend or eintausend. Combine larger blocks from high to low, while the final block keeps the unit-before-ten rule: dreihundertfünfundzwanzig. Telephone numbers, years and codes follow contextual conventions; do not claim that telephone numbers are always read in pairs. Decimals use Komma, after which digits may be read according to context.
Zero to twelve
| Item | Form |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0 null |
| 2 | 1 eins |
| 3 | 2 zwei |
| 4 | 3 drei |
| 5 | 4 vier |
| 6 | 5 fünf |
| 7 | 6 sechs |
| 8 | 7 sieben |
| 9 | 8 acht |
| 10 | 9 neun |
| 11 | 10 zehn |
| 12 | 11 elf |
| 13 | 12 zwölf |
Thirteen to nineteen
| Item | Form |
|---|---|
| 1 | 13 dreizehn |
| 2 | 14 vierzehn |
| 3 | 15 fünfzehn |
| 4 | 16 sechzehn |
| 5 | 17 siebzehn |
| 6 | 18 achtzehn |
| 7 | 19 neunzehn |
Tens
| Item | Form |
|---|---|
| 1 | 20 zwanzig |
| 2 | 30 dreißig |
| 3 | 40 vierzig |
| 4 | 50 fünfzig |
| 5 | 60 sechzig |
| 6 | 70 siebzig |
| 7 | 80 achtzig |
| 8 | 90 neunzig |
Compound numbers
| Item | Form |
|---|---|
| 21–99 | unit + und + ten |
| 100 | (ein)hundert |
| 1000 | (ein)tausend |
How it sounds
- 12 → zwölf · 14 → vierzehn · 70 → siebzigThe base number, teen and ten are learned as complete forms.
- 32 → zweiunddreißigFirst zwei, then und, and finally dreißig.
- 506 → fünfhundertsechsHundreds and units run from high to low; no und appears between them.
Check objective 1Another case
A proposed answer is “sechszehn” for this case: “Wie schreibt man 16?”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “siebzehn” for this case: “Wie schreibt man 16?”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: sechzehn — The number 16 shortens sechs to sech- before zehn: sechzehn.
16 shortens sechs to sech- before zehn: sechzehn.
Answer: sechzehn — The number 16 shortens sechs to sech- before zehn: sechzehn.
16 shortens sechs to sech- before zehn: sechzehn.
Check objective 2Another case
A proposed answer is “vierzigundsieben” for this case: “Wie schreibt man 47?”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “siebenvierzig” for this case: “Wie schreibt man 47?”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: siebenundvierzig — From 21 to 99 the order is unit + und + ten: sieben + und + vierzig.
From 21 to 99 the order is unit + und + ten: sieben + und + vierzig.
Answer: siebenundvierzig — From 21 to 99 the order is unit + und + ten: sieben + und + vierzig.
From 21 to 99 the order is unit + und + ten: sieben + und + vierzig.
Check objective 3Another case
A proposed answer is “eins” for this case: “Welche Form passt vor „Buch“? eins Buch”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “eine” for this case: “Welche Form passt vor „Buch“? eine Buch”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: ein — Before singular neuter Buch, one takes the form ein; eins is used when the number stands alone.
Before singular neuter Buch, one takes the form ein; eins is used when the number stands alone.
Answer: ein — Before singular neuter Buch, one takes the form ein; eins is used when the number stands alone.
Before singular neuter Buch, one takes the form ein; eins is used when the number stands alone.
When it doesn't hold
What breaks the rule, said out loud. Hiding it is what makes you feel cheated in the exam.
- One on its own is eins, but before a noun it drops the s and declines like the article.Es ist eins. – Ein Buch, bitte.
- Years are said without the hundreds word your language uses.neunzehnhundertneunzig
- The dot separates thousands and the comma marks decimals, the opposite of English.1.500 Euro und 3,50 Euro
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong 1,500 Euro
Right 1.500 Euro
English writes thousands with a comma and decimals with a dot, so a German price copied straight from English reads as one and a half euros instead of one thousand five hundred.
Challenge: apply every rule
Solve every case and justify each choice: 1) A proposed answer is “sechszehn” for this case: “Wie schreibt man 16?”. Choose the only valid form. 2) A proposed answer is “vierzigundsieben” for this case: “Wie schreibt man 47?”. Choose the only valid form. 3) A proposed answer is “eins” for this case: “Welche Form passt vor „Buch“? eins Buch”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
- Recognise the pattern taught in “German numbers A1: building blocks, order and irregular forms” in a short example.
- Choose the appropriate form from “German numbers A1: building blocks, order and irregular forms” using explicit evidence.
- Apply and justify the rule from “German numbers A1: building blocks, order and irregular forms” in a new case.
Answer: sechzehn · siebenundvierzig · ein
16 shortens sechs to sech- before zehn: sechzehn. From 21 to 99 the order is unit + und + ten: sieben + und + vierzig. Before singular neuter Buch, one takes the form ein; eins is used when the number stands alone.
Curriculum alignment and sources
- CEFR A1 · handle very basic numbers, quantities, times, prices and personal details; the sequence of forms is editorial · Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Companion Volume
- German number forms cross-checked against language-specific reference descriptions · Reference Level Descriptions developed so far
Continue along this corridor
Practise this: German numbers run backwards: einundzwanzig is 21German plurals: five patterns and vowel change