Cardinal numbers are those used in counting: one, two, three, etc. Ordinal numbers indicate position in a sequence: first, second, third, etc. In this lesson, we’re going to list the first twenty Spanish cardinal numbers. We’ll also list the first ten ordinal numbers, as these are the only “must know” numbers for indicating position in a sequence.

 

Cardinal Numbers

 

Spanish Cardinal Numbers: 0 – 20
Spanish Cardinal	English Cardinal	Arabic Numeral
cero	zero	0
uno, una*	one	1
dos	two	2
tres	three	3
cuatro	four	4
cinco	five	5
seis	six	6
siete	seven	7
ocho	eight	8
nueve	nine	9
diez	ten	10
once	eleven	11
doce	twelve	12
trece	thirteen	13
catorce	fourteen	14
quince	fifteen	15
dieciséis	sixteen	16
diecisiete	seventeen	17
dieciocho	eighteen	18
diecinueve	nineteen	19
veinte	twenty	20

 

The number one and its compound forms (21, 31, 41, etc.) have both a masculine and feminine form. The masculine uno is shortened to un when it precedes a masculine singular noun.

 

Ordinal Numbers

The first ten ordinal numbers in Spanish are adjectives and are used frequently in both speech and writing. Unlike in English, where you must always use an ordinal number to indicate sequence (twenty-first, thirty-fifth, eighty-eighth, etc.), in Spanish you can substitute a cardinal number for any ordinal number greater than “tenth.”

 

Spanish Ordinals: First through Tenth
Spanish Ordinal	English Equivalent
primer, primero, -a	first
segundo, -a	second
tercer, tercero, -a	third
cuarto, -a	fourth
quinto, -a	fifth
sexto, -a	sixth
séptimo, -a	seventh
octavo	eighth
noveno, -a	ninth
décimo, -a	tenth

 

Because primero though décimo are adjectives, they end in “o” when modifying a masculine noun and “a” when modifying a feminine noun. In the case of primero or tercero, drop the “o” when either comes before a masculine singular noun.