Numbers in Portuguese
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Portuguese Numbers - Cardinal and Ordinal
This page contains Portuguese numbers and numerals; both cardinal and ordinal. Try to memorize them because they're very important in verbal and written communication.
Make sure to check our Learn Portuguese page, which contains several lessons that might help you when it comes to learning the Portuguese language.
Portuguese Cardinal Numbers
The meaning of cardinal numbers is digits such as 3 or 11 or 630 or any other number used in counting to indicate quantity but not order.
THINGS TO REMEMBER: For some strange reason, in Portuguese, only the number ‘2’ has two different spellings; when what you’re explaining is MASCULINE you use ‘Dois’ and when what you’re explaining is FEMININE you use ‘Duas’.
| Numbers | Portuguese Cardinal Numbers | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Zero | ZAIR-O |
| 1 | Um | UN |
| 2 | Dois/ Duas | DOYCE/ DOO-AS |
| 3 | Três | TRAYS |
| 4 | Quatro | CUAT-RO |
| 5 | Cinco | SIN-CO |
| 6 | Seis | SAYCE |
| 7 | Sete | SE-TE |
| 8 | Oito | OY-TO |
| 9 | Nove | NO-VE |
| 10 | Dez | DEZ |
| 11 | Onze | ON-ZAY |
| 12 | Doze | DO-ZAY |
| 20 | Vinte | VIN-TE |
| 100 | Cem | SEN |
Portuguese Ordinal Numbers
First, second, third, etc., are ordinal numbers, usually coming before a noun. They can be written as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.
THINGS TO REMEMBER: From ‘First’ to ‘Tenth’, the words are pretty simple and progressive. However, it’s when we get to ‘Eleventh’ that the order goes a little bit different. After ‘Eleventh’ (Décimo-primero (10th-1)), the running order is pretty simple again until we reach ‘Twentieth’, in which the following words all change pattern but all end in ‘simo’.
| Numbers | Portuguese Ordinal Numbers | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Primerio | PRIM-AIR-IO |
| 2nd | Segundo | SEG-UN-DO |
| 3rd | Terceiro | TER-SAY-RO |
| 4th | Quarto | CUAR-TO |
| 5th | Quinto | KIN-TO |
| 6th | Sexto | SEX-TO |
| 7th | Sétimo | SET-EE-MO |
| 8th | Oitavo | OY-TA-VO |
| 9th | Nono | NO-NO |
| 10th | Décimo | DES-EE-MO |
| 11th | Décimo- primero | DES-EE-MO- PRIM-E-RO |
| 12th | Décimo- Segundo | DES-EE-MO- SEG-UN-DO |
| 20th | Vigésimo | VIJ-ESS-EE-MO |
| 100th | Centésimo | SEN-TESS-EE-MO |
Portuguese Cardinal numbers are used more often than ordinal numbers; therefore they need more attention, so try to memorize them by heart.
I hope the content of this page was useful to you, and that you learned some Portuguese Numbers, numerals etc. Make sure to memorize them to be able to use them in your daily conversation.