Counting in Italian involves learning the basic numbers and then understanding the patterns that govern how larger numbers are formed. Here's a guide:
Basic Italian Numbers (1-10)
| Number | Italian | Pronunciation (approximate) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | uno | OO-noh |
| 2 | due | DOO-eh |
| 3 | tre | TREH |
| 4 | quattro | KWAH-troh |
| 5 | cinque | CHEEN-kweh |
| 6 | sei | SAY |
| 7 | sette | SET-teh |
| 8 | otto | OT-toh |
| 9 | nove | NOH-veh |
| 10 | dieci | DEE-eh-chee |
Numbers 11-20
| Number | Italian | Pronunciation (approximate) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | undici | OON-dee-chee |
| 12 | dodici | DOH-dee-chee |
| 13 | tredici | TREH-dee-chee |
| 14 | quattordici | KWAH-tohr-dee-chee |
| 15 | quindici | KWEEN-dee-chee |
| 16 | sedici | SAY-dee-chee |
| 17 | diciassette | dee-chahs-SET-teh |
| 18 | diciotto | dee-CHOT-toh |
| 19 | diciannove | dee-chah-NOH-veh |
| 20 | venti | VEN-tee |
Tens (20-100)
| Number | Italian | Pronunciation (approximate) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | venti | VEN-tee |
| 30 | trenta | TREN-tah |
| 40 | quaranta | KWAH-rahn-tah |
| 50 | cinquanta | CHEEN-kwahn-tah |
| 60 | sessanta | SES-sahn-tah |
| 70 | settanta | set-TAHN-tah |
| 80 | ottanta | ot-TAHN-tah |
| 90 | novanta | noh-VAHN-tah |
| 100 | cento | CHEN-toh |
Combining Tens and Units
To form numbers between the tens, you combine the ten with the unit, with a slight change for numbers ending in "uno" (one) when following a ten that ends in a vowel. For example:
- 21 is ventuno. However, when it follows a number that ends in one, the "o" in "uno" is dropped, becoming ventun (e.g., ventun anni for twenty-one years).
- 22 is ventidue.
- 23 is ventitre.
This pattern continues for the thirties, forties, etc. So:
- 31 is trentuno or trentun
- 41 is quarantuno or quarantun
Hundreds, Thousands, and Beyond
- 200: duecento
- 300: trecento
- 1,000: mille
- 2,000: duemila
- 1,000,000: un milione
To form larger numbers, combine the hundreds, thousands, millions, and so on, following Italian grammar rules.
In essence, learning to count in Italian is a matter of memorizing the basic numbers and then applying the rules for combining them. Understanding that the final "o" in uno is dropped after the tens values makes counting beyond 20, 30, 40 etc. much easier.
