Portuguese Numbers: The Complete Guide for Language Learners

Numbers form the foundation of practical communication in any language. Whether you're shopping at a market in Lisbon, scheduling a meeting in Rio de Janeiro, or simply discussing statistics with Portuguese-speaking colleagues, mastering numbers is essential. This comprehensive guide covers everything from basic counting to expressing complex numerical concepts in Portuguese.

Cardinal Numbers in Portuguese: The Building Blocks

Cardinal numbers represent quantity and are among the first concepts language learners must grasp. Let's examine the fundamental building blocks of Portuguese numerical expression.

The Basics: Numbers 0-10

Memorizing these ten numbers provides the foundation for all Portuguese numerical expressions:

0: zero (zeh-roh)

1: um (oom) / uma (oo-mah) - masculine/feminine forms

2: dois (doysh) / duas (doo-ahsh) - masculine/feminine forms

3: três (trehsh)

4: quatro (kwah-troh)

5: cinco (seen-koh)

6: seis (saysh)

7: sete (seh-teh)

8: oito (oy-toh)

9: nove (noh-veh)

10: dez (dehsh)

Notice that unlike English, Portuguese has gendered forms for the numbers one and two, which must agree with the nouns they modify: "um livro" (one book - masculine) but "uma casa" (one house - feminine).

Navigating Numbers 11-20

The pattern becomes slightly more complex for numbers 11-19, requiring dedicated attention:

11: onze (on-zeh)

12: doze (doh-zeh)

13: treze (treh-zeh)

14: catorze (kah-tor-zeh)

15: quinze (keen-zeh)

16: dezesseis (deh-zeh-saysh)

17: dezessete (deh-zeh-seh-teh)

18: dezoito (deh-zoy-toh)

19: dezenove (deh-zeh-noh-veh)

20: vinte (veen-teh)

You'll notice that from 16-19, the numbers follow a pattern of "ten plus the digit," which differs from the pattern in English but creates a logical system once understood.

The Pattern for Numbers 21-99

Once you understand the building blocks, Portuguese numbers follow a consistent pattern. Numbers above 20 use the connector "e" (and) between the ten and the unit:

21: vinte e um (veen-teh ee oom)

22: vinte e dois (veen-teh ee doysh)

35: trinta e cinco (treen-tah ee seen-koh)

48: quarenta e oito (kwah-ren-tah ee oy-toh)

67: sessenta e sete (seh-sen-tah ee seh-teh)

93: noventa e três (noh-ven-tah ee trehsh)

The tens follow this pattern:

30: trinta (treen-tah)

40: quarenta (kwah-ren-tah)

50: cinquenta (seen-kwen-tah)

60: sessenta (seh-sen-tah)

70: setenta (seh-ten-tah)

80: oitenta (oy-ten-tah)

90: noventa (noh-ven-tah)

100: cem (sayn)

Mastering Larger Numbers

For larger quantities, understanding the structure becomes increasingly important:

100: cem (sayn)

101: cento e um (sen-toh ee oom)

200: duzentos/duzentas (doo-zen-tohsh/doo-zen-tahsh)

300: trezentos/trezentas (treh-zen-tohsh/treh-zen-tahsh)

400: quatrocentos/quatrocentas (kwah-troh-sen-tohsh/kwah-troh-sen-tahsh)

500: quinhentos/quinhentas (keen-yen-tohsh/keen-yen-tahsh)

600: seiscentos/seiscentas (say-sen-tohsh/say-sen-tahsh)

700: setecentos/setecentas (seh-teh-sen-tohsh/seh-teh-sen-tahsh)

800: oitocentos/oitocentas (oy-toh-sen-tohsh/oy-toh-sen-tahsh)

900: novecentos/novecentas (noh-veh-sen-tohsh/noh-veh-sen-tahsh)

1,000: mil (meel)

1,000,000: um milhão (oom mee-lyow)

1,000,000,000: um bilhão (oom bee-lyow)

Note that hundreds (200-900) have masculine and feminine forms that must agree with the nouns they modify, similar to "um/uma" and "dois/duas."

For example:

Duzentos livros (two hundred books - masculine)

Duzentas casas (two hundred houses - feminine)

When combining hundreds with other numbers, use "e":

375: trezentos e setenta e cinco (treh-zen-tohsh ee seh-ten-tah ee seen-koh)

942: novecentos e quarenta e dois (noh-veh-sen-tohsh ee kwah-ren-tah ee doysh)

Critical Differences in Portuguese Number Notation

Understanding the formatting differences between Portuguese and English number systems is crucial to avoid confusion, particularly in financial transactions and data interpretation.

In Portuguese, the decimal separator and thousand separator are inverted compared to English:

English: $1,234.56 (comma for thousands, period for decimals)

Portuguese: $1.234,56 (period for thousands, comma for decimals)

This seemingly minor difference carries significant implications when reading prices, statistics, or financial documents. Consider a restaurant bill in Portugal showing €15,50—this represents fifteen euros and fifty cents, not fifteen thousand euros.

Similarly, large numbers are formatted differently:

English: 2,500,000

Portuguese: 2.500.000

Ordinal Numbers: Expressing Sequence and Hierarchy

Ordinal numbers indicate position or rank and are essential for discussing chronology, competitions, and hierarchies. Unlike cardinal numbers, ordinals always agree in gender with the nouns they modify.

The First Twenty Ordinal Numbers

1st: primeiro/primeira (pree-may-roh/pree-may-rah)

2nd: segundo/segunda (seh-goon-doh/seh-goon-dah)

3rd: terceiro/terceira (tehr-say-roh/tehr-say-rah)

4th: quarto/quarta (kwahr-toh/kwahr-tah)

5th: quinto/quinta (keen-toh/keen-tah)

6th: sexto/sexta (sex-toh/sex-tah)

7th: sétimo/sétima (seh-tee-moh/seh-tee-mah)

8th: oitavo/oitava (oy-tah-voh/oy-tah-vah)

9th: nono/nona (noh-noh/noh-nah)

10th: décimo/décima (deh-see-moh/deh-see-mah)

11th: décimo primeiro/décima primeira (deh-see-moh pree-may-roh/deh-see-mah pree-may-rah)

12th: décimo segundo/décima segunda (deh-see-moh seh-goon-doh/deh-see-mah seh-goon-dah)

20th: vigésimo/vigésima (vee-jeh-see-moh/vee-jeh-see-mah)

For ordinals from 11th to 19th, Portuguese uses a compound form: the ordinal for 10 (décimo/décima) plus the ordinal for the unit.

Ordinals for Multiples of Ten

30th: trigésimo/trigésima (tree-jeh-see-moh/tree-jeh-see-mah)

40th: quadragésimo/quadragésima (kwah-drah-jeh-see-moh/kwah-drah-jeh-see-mah)

50th: quinquagésimo/quinquagésima (keen-kwah-jeh-see-moh/keen-kwah-jeh-see-mah)

60th: sexagésimo/sexagésima (seh-zah-jeh-see-moh/seh-zah-jeh-see-mah)

70th: septuagésimo/septuagésima (seh-ptoo-ah-jeh-see-moh/seh-ptoo-ah-jeh-see-mah)

80th: octogésimo/octogésima (ok-toh-jeh-see-moh/ok-toh-jeh-see-mah)

90th: nonagésimo/nonagésima (noh-nah-jeh-see-moh/noh-nah-jeh-see-mah)

100th: centésimo/centésima (sen-teh-see-moh/sen-teh-see-mah)

For compound ordinals (like 45th), combine the tens with the units:

45th: quadragésimo quinto/quadragésima quinta (kwah-drah-jeh-see-moh keen-toh/kwah-drah-jeh-see-mah keen-tah)

Ordinal numbers are commonly used in formal contexts, academic settings, and when referring to monarchs or popes:

Dom Pedro I (Dom Pedro Primeiro) - King Pedro the First

Papa João Paulo II (Papa João Paulo Segundo) - Pope John Paul the Second

Século XXI (Século Vigésimo Primeiro) - 21st Century

Telling Time in Portuguese: A Practical Application

Time-telling showcases the practical application of numbers in everyday Portuguese conversation. Understanding this system is essential for scheduling, travel, and daily interactions.

The Basic Structure

The fundamental pattern for telling time in Portuguese is:

São + [hour] + e + [minutes]

For example:

2:15 - São duas e quinze (It's two fifteen)

5:30 - São cinco e meia (It's five thirty, literally "five and half")

9:45 - São nove e quarenta e cinco (It's nine forty-five)

Special Time Expressions

On the hour: São [número] horas (It's [number] o'clock)

3:00 - São três horas (It's three o'clock)

Half hour: e meia (and half)

7:30 - São sete e meia (It's seven thirty)

Quarter hour: e quinze (and fifteen) or e quarto (and quarter)

8:15 - São oito e quinze / São oito e quarto (It's eight fifteen / eight quarter)

Quarter to the hour: menos quinze (minus fifteen) or menos quarto (minus quarter)

10:45 - São onze menos quinze / São onze menos quarto (It's quarter to eleven)

Specifying AM/PM

Portuguese can use either the 12-hour or 24-hour system. For the 12-hour system, specify the time of day:

Morning: da manhã

7:00 AM - São sete horas da manhã (It's seven in the morning)

Afternoon: da tarde

2:00 PM - São duas horas da tarde (It's two in the afternoon)

Evening/Night: da noite

8:00 PM - São oito horas da noite (It's eight in the evening)

Special cases:

Noon: meio-dia (midday)

12:00 PM - É meio-dia (It's noon)

Midnight: meia-noite (midnight)

12:00 AM - É meia-noite (It's midnight)

Dates and Years in Portuguese

Understanding how to express dates is crucial for travel planning, appointments, and historical discussions in Portuguese.

Date Format

The standard date format in Portuguese is day-month-year, always connected by "de" (of):

5 de maio de 2023 (May 5, 2023)

12 de outubro de 1992 (October 12, 1992)

Note that month names are not capitalized in Portuguese:

janeiro (January)

fevereiro (February)

março (March)

abril (April)

maio (May)

junho (June)

julho (July)

agosto (August)

setembro (September)

outubro (October)

novembro (November)

dezembro (December)

For the first day of the month, use the ordinal "primeiro" rather than "um":

1º de setembro de 2024 (September 1, 2024)

Expressing Years

Portuguese expresses years as full numbers, not broken into pairs as sometimes done in English:

1984 - mil novecentos e oitenta e quatro (one thousand nine hundred and eighty-four)

2023 - dois mil e vinte e três (two thousand and twenty-three)

For years 2000-2009, the format is:

2005 - dois mil e cinco (two thousand and five)

For years before 2000:

1500 - mil e quinhentos (one thousand and five hundred)

1776 - mil setecentos e setenta e seis (one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six)

1998 - mil novecentos e noventa e oito (one thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight)

Centuries

Centuries are expressed using ordinal numbers:

20th Century - Século XX (vigésimo) (Twentieth Century)

21st Century - Século XXI (vigésimo primeiro) (Twenty-first Century)

Asking About Dates

To ask about dates in Portuguese:

Que dia é hoje? (What day is today?)

Qual é a data? (What is the date?)

Em que dia estamos? (What day are we on?)

Multipliers and Collective Numbers

Beyond basic counting, Portuguese uses specialized numerical expressions to indicate multiplicity and grouping.

Multipliers in Portuguese

Multipliers indicate how many times a quantity is repeated:

Dobro - Double/Twice

O dobro de cinco é dez. (The double of five is ten.)

Triplo - Triple

Ele ganha o triplo do que eu ganho. (He earns triple what I earn.)

Quádruplo - Quadruple

O preço aumentou para o quádruplo do valor original. (The price increased to quadruple the original value.)

Quíntuplo - Quintuple

A produção foi o quíntuplo do esperado. (Production was quintuple what was expected.)

For higher multiples, use "[number] vezes" (times):

Dez vezes mais - Ten times more

Esta casa custa dez vezes mais que o meu carro. (This house costs ten times more than my car.)

Collective Numbers

Collective numbers refer to specific groupings:

Uma dúzia - A dozen (12)

Comprei uma dúzia de ovos. (I bought a dozen eggs.)

Uma dezena - A group of ten

Uma dezena de jogadores apareceu para o treino. (Ten players showed up for practice.)

Uma centena - A hundred

Havia uma centena de pessoas no evento. (There were a hundred people at the event.)

Um milhar - A thousand

Um milhar de manifestantes protestou na praça. (A thousand protesters demonstrated in the square.)

Uma meia dúzia - Half a dozen (6)

Precisamos de uma meia dúzia de cadeiras. (We need half a dozen chairs.)

Um quarteirão - A city block

O hotel fica a um quarteirão daqui. (The hotel is a block from here.)

Fractions and Decimals in Portuguese

Understanding how to express parts of a whole is crucial for discussions involving statistics, measurements, or cooking recipes.

Common Fractions

1/2 - um meio or metade

Preciso de metade de uma xícara de açúcar. (I need half a cup of sugar.)

1/3 - um terço

Um terço dos estudantes faltou à aula. (One-third of the students missed class.)

1/4 - um quarto

Um quarto da pizza sobrou. (One-quarter of the pizza was left over.)

2/3 - dois terços

Dois terços do projeto já foi completado. (Two-thirds of the project has already been completed.)

3/4 - três quartos

Três quartos dos entrevistados concordaram. (Three-quarters of those interviewed agreed.)

For denominators above 4, use the cardinal number preceded by "avos":

1/5 - um quinto

1/10 - um décimo

1/100 - um centésimo

Reading Decimal Numbers

Remember that Portuguese uses a comma instead of a period for the decimal point:

0,5 - zero vírgula cinco (zero point five)

3,75 - três vírgula setenta e cinco (three point seventy-five)

12,08 - doze vírgula zero oito (twelve point zero eight)

Portuguese Numerical Idioms and Expressions

Portuguese features numerous idiomatic expressions involving numbers, adding color and cultural depth to your language skills.

Estar a zero - To be at zero (to be broke or to have no energy)

Depois de pagar as contas, estou a zero. (After paying the bills, I'm broke.)

Ficar a ver navios - To stay seeing ships (to be left with nothing)

Cheguei tarde e fiquei a ver navios; não sobrou nenhum ingresso. (I arrived late and was left with nothing; there were no tickets left.)

Em primeiro lugar - In first place (firstly/most importantly)

Em primeiro lugar, precisamos resolver este problema. (First of all, we need to solve this problem.)

Ter dois pesos e duas medidas - To have two weights and two measures (to have double standards)

Não podemos ter dois pesos e duas medidas ao julgar as pessoas. (We cannot have double standards when judging people.)

Estar com os dias contados - To have your days counted (something is about to end)

Com o avanço da tecnologia, esse método tem os dias contados. (With advancing technology, this method's days are numbered.)

Ser um zero à esquerda - To be a zero on the left (to be worthless or irrelevant)

Desde que o novo gerente chegou, sinto-me um zero à esquerda. (Since the new manager arrived, I feel irrelevant.)

Cair a ficha - For the token to drop (to finally understand something)

Só depois de uma hora de explicação é que caiu a ficha. (Only after an hour of explanation did I finally get it.)

Falar pelos cotovelos - To speak through one's elbows (to talk too much)

Quando está nervosa, ela fala pelos cotovelos. (When she's nervous, she talks non-stop.)

Regional Variations in Portuguese Numbers

Portuguese numbers exhibit regional variations between Portugal, Brazil, and other Portuguese-speaking countries, particularly for certain terms and pronunciations.

Portugal vs. Brazil

1,000,000,000 (billion):

Portugal: mil milhões (thousand millions)

Brazil: um bilhão (one billion)

Trillion:

Portugal: bilião

Brazil: trilhão

Pronunciation differences:

In Portugal, "seis" (six) sounds more like "saysh"

In Brazil, "seis" sounds more like "sayss"

70, 80, 90:

In Portugal, these are more distinctly pronounced as "setenta," "oitenta," "noventa"

In Brazil, these may sound more like "setentchy," "oitentchy," "noventchy" in certain regions

Digital and Phone Numbers in Portuguese

Understanding how to express digital sequences and phone numbers is increasingly important in our connected world.

Reading Phone Numbers

Portuguese speakers typically group phone numbers in pairs:

Brazilian mobile: (21) 98765-4321

Pronounced: vinte e um, noventa e oito, setenta e seis, cinquenta e quatro, trinta e dois, um

Portuguese landline: 212 345 678

Pronounced: duzentos e doze, trezentos e quarenta e cinco, seiscentos e setenta e oito

Sometimes numbers are read digit by digit:

9876-5432

Pronounced: nove, oito, sete, seis, cinco, quatro, três, dois

Reading Digital Information

For IP addresses and digital codes, numbers are typically read digit by digit:

IP: 192.168.0.1

Pronounced: um, nove, dois, ponto, um, seis, oito, ponto, zero, ponto, um

Practice Makes Perfect: Learning Strategies

Mastering Portuguese numbers requires consistent practice. Here are effective strategies for internalizing numerical expressions:

Daily counting practice - Count objects, people, or actions in Portuguese throughout your day.

Mathematics in Portuguese - Perform basic calculations in Portuguese to strengthen your number recognition.

Money handling practice - Convert prices to Portuguese and practice saying them aloud.

Time-telling drills - Look at a clock throughout the day and express the time in Portuguese.

Date practice - Write today's date in Portuguese every day and read historical dates from Portuguese texts.

Immersive listening - Listen to Portuguese speakers counting or discussing numbers in songs, podcasts, or videos.

Flashcards - Create digital or physical flashcards with numbers written in both numeric form and Portuguese words.

Number games - Play games that involve counting, like bingo or card games, using Portuguese numbers.

Real-world application - When traveling in Portuguese-speaking countries, make a point to ask prices and times to practice your numbers.

One-on-one conversation practice - Working with native speakers provides immediate feedback on your pronunciation and understanding.

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