How do you count to 20 in spanish

After all, numbers are essential for getting around in the world – whether you need to tell a waiter to bring three glasses for your bottle of wine or simply want to know how much a jumper costs.

In this article, we’ll teach you the Spanish numbers to 100.

Before we begin, it’s important to note that these numbers will sound a little different in Spain than they do in Latin America. However, it’s easy enough to understand both if you know the differences between Spanish in Spain and the Americas.

The biggest pronunciation change you need to know when it comes to counting in Spanish is that, in Spanish speaking countries in the Americas, the letter ‘c’ is pronounced as an ‘s’ sound in when it comes before an ‘e’ or an ‘i’. For those same words, it’s pronounced instead as a ‘th’ sound (like ‘thanks’ or ‘thermometer’) in Spain.

Ready? Let’s go.

Learn to count – Spanish numbers 1 to 100

One of the fundamentals of learning any language is learning to count. That’s why we’ve compiled a handy chart for Spanish numbers translation that includes every number from 1 to 100.

If you’re learning Spanish, one of the best ways to learn is to set small, achievable, and specific goals – so let’s start with the Spanish numbers 1 to 10.

The way we write and pronounce numbers is quite different from English, but they are still as important to give or get some personal information. In this lesson, we will learn how to spell and pronounce Spanish numbers 1-20, “los números del uno al veinte”. You will find a complete list with these numbers as well as some rules to form a few of them and remember them easily. The vocabulary will be used in sentences and questions so you can how useful they are for different situations in the language.  

How to count to 20 in Spanish – Spanish Numbers 1-20

LOS NÚMEROS or Spanish numbers can be divided in two main categories: cardinal and ordinal numbers. This lesson is about cardinal numbers, which are often used to share or get some personal information about ages, phone numbers and many other things. Spanish numbers 1-20 are all written in a different way so we must memorize them as they are the basis for more complex numbers. UNO is a special case as it changes to UN when used before a masculine noun like CARRO (car), which means it would be correct to say UN CARRO but not UNO CARRO. The picture below shows how to spell numbers in Spanish from one to twenty-one.

How to spell and pronounce Spanish numbers 1-10: list and sentences

We will learn how to count to 20 in Spanish by presenting them in two groups of examples. Below, there are some questions and sentences with Spanish numbers 1-10. Listen to their pronunciation and pay attention to the way subject pronouns and possessive adjectives are used in some of the sentences. In addition these sentences include some common irregular verbs like TENER(to have) and HAY (there is/there are). The words in bold are “números”. Press PLAY to listen to the examples.

UNO – Tengo una noticia importante para ti

I have important news for you

DOS – Tú tienes dos hermanos

You have two brothers

TRES – Yo tengo tres mascotas

I have three pets

CUATRO – Nosotros tenemos cuatro estudiantes

We have four students.

CINCO – Ella tiene cinco tareas nuevas

SEIS – Mi hija tiene seis años de edad

My daughter is six years old

SIETE – El siete es mi número favorito

Seven is my favorite number

OCHO – Hay ocho tasas aquí

There are eight cups here

NUEVE – Hay nueve personas en la habitación.

There are nine people in the room.

DIEZ – Solo tenemos diez minutos

We have ten minutes left.

Making sentences with Numbers in Spanish 11-20: list and sentences

The last group to complete our list of Spanish numbers 1-20 are those between 11 and 20, “los números del once al veinte”. They must be memorized too, but there is a simple pattern to follow for some numbers, particularly from 16 to 19. All you need to do is join the prefix DIECI- plus a SEIS, SIETE, OCHO or NUEVE. The number “dieciséis” is special though because it needs a tilde over the “é”. The chart below shows how to pronounce and spell Spanish numbers 11-20 and shows how they can be used in meaningful sentences and questions. Again, we will be using the verbs TENER and HAY in these examples.

ONCE – Él tiene once juguetes

He has eleven toys

DOCE – El perro tiene doce años

The dog is twelve years old

TRECE – Yo solo tengo trece dólares

I only have thirteen dollars

CATORCE – Ellos tienen catorce nietos

They have fourteen grandchildren

QUINCE – Yo compré quince libros.

I bought fifteen books

DIECISEIS – ¿Ya tienes dieciséis años?

Are you sixteen now?

DIECISIETE – Yo tengo diecisiete años.

I am seventeen years old.

DIECIOCHO – Nuestra clase tiene dieciocho estudiantes

Our class has eighteen students

DIECINUEVE – Hay diecinueve gatos en el refugio

There are nineteen cats in the shelter

VEINTE – Ellos tienen veinte aves en el refugio

They have twenty birds in the shelter

This is the end of these lesson. Hopefully, you will remember most Spanish numbers 1-20. If not, you can always come back to these lesson and review. In the next two lessons, we will learn numbers in Spanish from 21 to 100 and then numbers over 100. Before you leave, test yourself with this cool quiz. ¡Hasta pronto!

Lesson Practice: Spanish numbers 1-20 Quiz

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This short quiz will help you practice Spanish numbers 1-20 with some simple exercises. This way you can see by yourself if you know how to spell these numbers and if you understand the basics of how they are used in simple sentences. ¡Vamos!

What is the Spanish of 1 to 10?