Counting 1 to 100 in French: Why It Gets So Weird After 60

If you’ve ever tried learning French, you probably sailed through the first few numbers feeling like a total pro. Un, deux, trois. Easy, right? You get to twenty, and it’s still fine. Then you hit seventy. Suddenly, your brain has to do mental math just to say the year someone was born or tell a shopkeeper how many euros you owe. Learning 1 to 100 in French isn't just about memorizing words; it’s basically a history lesson disguised as an arithmetic test.

Let's be real. Most languages just stack blocks. In English, you take "seven" and "ten" and get "seventy." In French, once you cross the threshold of sixty, the language decides to revert to a base-60 system that hasn't been the European standard for centuries.

The Basics: Getting to Twenty

The first ten are the foundation. You need these to be muscle memory.

1. Un
2. Deux
3. Trois
4. Quatre
5. Cinq
6. Six
7. Sept
8. Huit
9. Neuf
10. Dix

Once you hit eleven, things get "special" until sixteen. Onze, douze, treize, quatorze, quinze, seize. These don't follow the "ten-one, ten-two" pattern you see in some other Romance languages. They have their own identity. Then, at seventeen, the logic kicks in: dix-sept (ten-seven), dix-huit, dix-neuf.

Then you land on twenty: Vingt. Pronounced like "van," but with a nasal twist that feels like you're about to sneeze but decide not to at the last second.

The Simple Decades (20 to 60)

For the middle stretch of 1 to 100 in French, the language is actually very kind. It follows a predictable pattern. You learn the "anchor" word for the decade, and then you just tack on the single digit.

• 20s (Vingt): 21 is vingt-et-un (twenty and one). Notice the "et" there. It only shows up for the "one" of every decade until 80. Then it's just vingt-deux, vingt-trois, and so on.
• 30s (Trente): Same deal. Trente-et-un, trente-deux...
• 40s (Quarante): Watch that spelling. People always want to put a 'u' after the 'q' in English, but French keeps it tight.
• 50s (Cinquante): Halfway there.
• 60s (Soixante): This is the last "normal" decade.

Honestly, if you can get to 69 (soixante-neuf), you've mastered the logic of most world languages. But French is about to throw a curveball that makes students want to cry.

The 70 to 99 Math Problem

Why does seventy exist? In most of France (though not Switzerland or Belgium, which we'll get to), there is no single word for seventy. Instead, they say soixante-dix. Sixty-ten.

It gets weirder. 71 is soixante-et-onze (sixty and eleven). 75 is soixante-quinze (sixty-fifteen). You aren't just naming a number; you are performing an addition problem in real-time while trying to order a coffee.

Why 80 is the "Boss Fight"

If you thought sixty-ten was bad, eighty will blow your mind. The French word for 80 is quatre-vingts. Literally: four twenties.

This is a remnant of the vigesimal (base-20) counting system used by the Gauls, the Celtic people who lived in what is now France before the Romans showed up with their fancy base-10 system. For some reason, the French looked at the Roman way, looked at the Gallic way, and decided to keep a messy hybrid of both.

So, when you want to say 99? You say quatre-vingt-dix-neuf.
That is: (4 x 20) + 10 + 9.

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Four-twenty-ten-nine.

It sounds like a joke, but it’s how millions of people communicate every day. If you’re at a flea market in Paris and someone tells you a vintage lamp is quatre-vingt-douze euros, you need to know instantly they mean 92. If you hesitate, you’ve lost the deal.

The Regional Cheat Code

Here is a secret: not all French speakers do this. If you go to Belgium or Switzerland, you might hear septante for 70 and nonante for 90. The Swiss even have huitante for 80 in some cantons.

It is infinitely more logical. It follows the pattern of quarante, cinquante, soixante. However, if you use these words in Paris, people will know exactly what you mean, but they’ll also know immediately that you aren't from there. It’s a linguistic marker. If you are learning 1 to 100 in French to pass a standard exam or live in France, you have to embrace the "four-twenty-ten" madness.

Pronunciation Traps for the Wary

French numbers love to play games with sounds based on the word that follows them. This is called liaison.

Take the number six (six). If you're just counting, it sounds like "cease." If you say "six cats" (six chats), the 'x' is silent. If you say "six oranges" (six oranges), the 'x' turns into a 'z' sound to bridge the gap to the vowel.

The same happens with huit (8) and dix (10).

• Dix alone: "deess"
• Dix stylos (10 pens): "dee"
• Dix amis (10 friends): "deez"

It feels like the language is constantly moving the goalposts. You've just gotta roll with it.

Practical Drills for Fluency

You can't just read a list of numbers and expect to know them when a waiter is rattling off the total for your dinner. You need to break the "translation" habit. When you see the number 87, you shouldn't think "Eighty-seven -> Quatre-vingt-sept." You should just see the digits and hear the French sound.

1. Phone Numbers: This is the ultimate test. In France, phone numbers are given in pairs. Instead of "five-five-five-zero-one-two-three," they would say "fifty-five, fifty, twelve, three." Try reading your own phone number this way.
2. License Plates: If you're stuck in traffic, read the numbers on the cars around you in French.
3. Price Tags: Next time you’re shopping online, look at the prices and say them out loud. Soixante-treize euros. ### Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common trip-up is the number 21, 31, 41, etc. People often forget the "et" (and). It’s vingt-et-un, not vingt-un. But—and here’s the kicker—once you hit 81, the "et" vanishes. It’s just quatre-vingt-un. Why? Because the French Academy says so. Don't look for logic where there is only tradition.

Another one is the plural 's' on vingt. You write quatre-vingts (80) with an 's' at the end of vingt. But if there is another number after it, like quatre-vingt-trois (83), the 's' disappears. It’s a tiny detail, but if you’re writing a formal check or a business proposal, it matters.

Wrapping Up the Century

Reaching 100 is your reward. After the gymnastics of the 90s, 100 is just cent. Simple. Short. Breath of fresh air.

Mastering 1 to 100 in French is a rite of passage. It marks the transition from a casual tourist to someone who actually understands the rhythm and quirks of the culture. The numbers are a reflection of a history that refuses to be streamlined. They are messy, mathematical, and weirdly charming once you stop fighting them.

Next Steps for Mastery:

• Audit your listening: Find a YouTube video of a French bingo game (le Loto). The speed at which they call numbers will force your brain to stop translating and start "hearing."
• Write it out: Hand-write the numbers from 70 to 99 three times. The physical act of writing quatre-vingt-dix-sept helps reinforce the "block" nature of the word.
• Focus on the "transition" numbers: Spend extra time on 16 (seize) and 17 (dix-sept), as well as 69 to 70. These are the points where the "rules" change gear.