Related to cardinal numbers are ordinal numbers (“first,” “second,” “third,” etc.).

In French, the word for “first” is the only ordinal number that must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies.

Table 2-6

The Ordinal “First”

The rest of the ordinal numbers don't change to agree with gender, but will still add an “s” to agree with a plural noun.

Table 2-7

You don't have to memorize all of these numbers; you can learn to form them on your own. Ordinal numbers in French are formed using the cardinal number. To form the ordinal form of a number in French, simply drop the -e from the end of the cardinal number and add -ième to the end. If the cardinal number does not end in -e, simply add the -ième ending to the word. This works for all numbers but these three: premier, which is unique when compared to the other ordinal numbers; cinquième, which adds a “u” after the “q;” and neuvième, which changes the “f” into a “v.”

To abbreviate the ordinal numbers, number 1 is followed by a superscripted “er” in its masculine abbreviated form (1er), and a superscripted “ère” in its feminine abbreviated form (1ère). All others are followed by a small “e” (6e). You will often encounter these abbreviations in a variety of places: in newspapers, on signs, and in books and magazines.

Table 2-8

Ordinal Numbers Abbreviations

TRACK 19

In this section, you learned French numbers. Listen to Track 17 for the pronunciation of some of the most common numbers.

Table 2-9

Common Numbers