One of the first steps to becoming comfortable with a new language, such as Italian, is learning how to count. If you want to learn the numbers in Italian, we’ve got you covered. Counting from 1 to billions in this language is pretty easy.
If you are planning a trip to Italy and want to learn the basics of the language, the numbers one through ten will be among the first terms you will encounter.
Yes, that’s helpful, but what if you’re purchasing sixteen pastries? What if someone inquires about your age? What if you’re talking to new Italian friends and providing fitness suggestions, such as the number of steps you should take each day?
If you’re going to Italy, you’ll probably want to brush up on your knowledge of numbers higher than 10. In order to avoid being flummoxed when answering numerical questions in Italian, it’s good to know how to count from zero to billions.
Before we get into the specifics of how to count in Italian, let’s have a look at a few principles and tidbits.
The Numbers (Numeri) in Italian
A few reminders when speaking of numbers in Italian:
Italian numbers are written identically to their English counterparts. They don’t use letters and calculations associated with Roman numerals.
Italian numbers operate similarly to those in English: one is singular, while the remainder are plural.
When used as numeral adjectives, numbers are invariant (they lack gender); only un, uno, and una change; the rest remain constant.
When numbers are used as nouns in Italian, they are regarded masculine singular and are preceded by an article. For instance, il trio, il quattro, il sedici (the three, the four, the sixteen).
When speaking in Italian about time and the subject is le ore (the hours), numbers are feminine plural. Only mezzogiorno (noon) is masculine, whereas mezzanotte (midnight) and l’una (one) are feminine singular.
Counting in Italian: 0 – 9
The following is how you say Italian numbers from zero to nine.
0 – Zero: “Zero”
The Italian “Z” has a harsher sound, more like a “ds” or a “ts,” than the English “Z”. However, they are spelled the same in both languages.
1 – Uno: “One”
The uniqueness of uno (one) is that it is also an indefinite article. Therefore, it is necessary to adhere to the agreement and modify it into un, uno, or una when the situation calls for it. The rest of the numbers in Italian are simple and easy to understand:
2 Due – Two
3 Tre – Three
4 Quattro – Four
5 Cinque – Five
6 Sei – Six
7 Sette – Seven
8 Otto – Eight
9 Nove – Nine
Counting in Italian: 10 – 19
The Italian digits 10 through 19 are notoriously difficult to recall. To help you remember, take note of the two formulas that are used to compose the number.
When counting from 10 to 16, Italians use this formula: number + dici, as seen below:
10 Dici – Ten
11 Undici (uno + dici) – Eleven
12 Dodici (due + dici) – Twelve
13 Tredici (tre + dici) – Thirteen
14 Quattordici (quattro + dici) – Fourteen
15 Quindici (cinque + dici) – Fifteen
16 Sedici (sei + dici) – Sixteen
When counting from 17 to 19 the formula is reversed and it becomes dici + number, as seen below:
17 Diciassette (dici + sette) – Seventeen
18 Diciotto (dici + otto) – Eighteen
19 Diciannove (dici + nove) – Nineteen
Counting in Italian: 20 – 99
It gets much easier to count in Italian when you get to 20 and go up from there. You simply add the tens to the numbers to complete the equation. There are no spaces or hyphens.
20 Venti – Twenty
30 Trenta – Thirty
40 Quaranta – Forty
50 Cinquanta – Fifty
60 Sessanta – Sixty
70 Settanta – Seventy
80 Ottanta – Eight
90 Novanta – Ninety
For example, if you want to say or write the Italian number 38, you say/write trentotto (“thirty-eight”), settantasette for 77 (“seventy-seven”), novantanove for 99 (“ninety-nine”), and so on.
When pronouncing or writing the numbers 20 to 99 in Italian, there are only two small guidelines to remember:
The last vowel in the tens is dropped when paired with uno (“one”) and otto (“eight”). For example, cinquantuno (“fifty-one”) and sessantotto (“forty-eight”).
When combining any tens with tre (“three”), remember to put an accent on the last syllable. For example, setentatré (“seventy-three”).
Counting in Italian: 100 – 900
In Italian, one hundred (100) is cento, as in just cento, with no requirement for an un before it. Meanwhile, when counting from 200 and higher, simply place the number (1–9) before the cento and leave cento alone.
200 Duecento – Two hundred
300 Trecento – Three hundred
400 Quattrocento – Four hundred
500 Cinquecento – Five hundred
600 Seicento – Six hundred
700 Settecento – Seven hundred
800 Ottocento – Eight hundred
900 Novecento – Nine hundred
If you want to add a number from 1 to 99 after any cento, put it after the word (cento).
For example:
537- Cinquecento trentasette – Five hundred thirty-seven
815 Ottocento quindici – Eight hundred and fifteen
Counting in Italian: 1,000 – 1 Billion
In Italian, saying “one thousand” (1,000) is similar to saying “one hundred” (100); simply say mille, no “one” or “un” before it.
Mille, on the other hand, becomes mila when counting from “two thousand” and up. When adding numbers to the thousands, tens, or hundreds of thousands, the same rule (as with the previous numbers) applies.
1,000 Mille – One thousand
2,000 Duemila – Two thousand
3,000 Tremila – Three thousand
4,000 Quattromila – Four thousand
5,000 Cinquemila – Five thousand
6,000 Seimila – Six thousand
7,000 Settemila – Seven thousand
8,000 Ottomila – Eight thousand
9,000 Novemila – Nine thousand
10,000 Diecimila – Ten thousand
20,000 Ventimila – Twenty thousand
50,000 Cinquantamila – Fifty thousand
100,000 Centomila – One hundred thousand
300,000 Trecentomila – Two hundred thousand
800,00 Ottocentomila – Eight hundred thousand
Meanwhile, here’s how you say the bigger numbers in Italian:
1.000.000 Un milione – One million
2.000.000 Due milioni – Two million
1.000.000.000 Un miliardo – One billion
3.000.000.000 Tre miliardi – Three billion
Now that you know how to count, speak, and write the numbers in Italian, let’s have a look at some of the subtle variations between Italian and English numbers.
In English, you can say “thirteen hundred” or “nineteen hundred” for 1,300 or 1,900, but there is no counterpart of that in Italian. Instead, only add e between the mille and cento number. For example, mille e trecento (“one thousand and three hundred”) and mille e novecento (“one thousand and nine hundred”) are permitted.
Another distinction is how Italians pronounce tens, hundreds, and thousands, which differs from their singular form. Here are some numerical terms in Italian and English.
Decine – Tens
Centinaia – Hundreds
Migliaia – Thousands