Cardinal Numbers in Dutch

In Brief

Dutch numbers from 21 to 99 name the unit before the ten and connect them with en: eenentwintig is literally “one and twenty.” The whole number is written as one word, with a diaeresis in forms such as tweeëntwintig and drieënveertig. Learn nul–twintig and the multiples of ten first; then you can build almost every number up to 100.

Overview

Cardinal numbers are counting numbers: zero, one, two, and so on. The Dutch term is hoofdtelwoorden. You use them to say how many people or things there are, as well as for ages, prices, addresses, distances, scores, phone numbers, and measurements. They are among the most useful items at A1 level.

An English speaker can recognise some Dutch number words fairly quickly, but the order of compound numbers requires a new habit. English builds 24 as “twenty-four”; Dutch builds it as vierentwintig, “four-and-twenty.” Listening can therefore be harder than reading: when you hear vier..., you do not yet know whether the speaker means 4, 24, 34, or another compound.

The beginner system has three parts: memorise the individual forms through 20, learn the tens, and combine a unit with a ten. Spelling matters because Dutch normally joins the complete number into one word.

How It Works

Zero to twelve: learn the individual forms

The numbers through twelve are basic forms rather than compounds that you can reliably predict.

Number	Dutch	Number	Dutch
0	nul	7	zeven
1	een	8	acht
2	twee	9	negen
3	drie	10	tien
4	vier	11	elf
5	vijf	12	twaalf
6	zes

The normal number word for 1 is een, without an accent. Dutch also has één, with acute accents, when the meaning “one” must be contrasted with “more than one” or distinguished from the unstressed article een (“a/an”):

• Ik heb een boek. — I have a book.
• Ik heb één boek, niet twee. — I have one book, not two.

The accents add emphasis; they do not create a different number.

Thirteen to nineteen: the -tien family

Most teens end in -tien, the equivalent of English “-teen.” Several stems change slightly, so learn the complete written forms.

Number	Dutch	Useful observation
13	dertien	not drietien
14	veertien	shortened from the idea of vier + tien
15	vijftien	vijf + tien
16	zestien	zes + tien
17	zeventien	zeven + tien
18	achttien	acht + tien; double t at the boundary
19	negentien	negen + tien

English and Dutch both put the smaller element first in the teens: compare vijftien with “fifteen.” The major order difference begins above 20.

The multiples of ten

Number	Dutch	Number	Dutch
20	twintig	60	zestig
30	dertig	70	zeventig
40	veertig	80	tachtig
50	vijftig	90	negentig
100	honderd

The ending -tig marks the tens, but the first part is not always identical to the basic digit. In particular, 30 is dertig, 40 is veertig, and 80 is tachtig. Treat the tens as a short list to memorise rather than trying to derive every spelling mechanically.

Building 21–99

For a number that is not an exact multiple of ten, use this pattern:

unit + en + ten

Thus 21 is een + en + twintig → eenentwintig, 55 is vijf + en + vijftig → vijfenvijftig, and 57 is zeven + en + vijftig → zevenenvijftig. Always identify both digits before assembling the word.

Number	Construction	Dutch
21	one + and + twenty	eenentwintig
32	two + and + thirty	tweeëndertig
43	three + and + forty	drieënveertig
56	six + and + fifty	zesenvijftig
68	eight + and + sixty	achtenzestig
74	four + and + seventy	vierenzeventig
89	nine + and + eighty	negenentachtig
97	seven + and + ninety	zevenennegentig

Dutch writes these forms as one word, unlike English “thirty-two.” The conjunction en (“and”) is also attached, with no spaces or hyphens.

Why tweeën- and drieën- have two dots

When twee or drie comes before en, Dutch adds a diaeresis (the two dots) to the first e of the new syllable:

• twee + en + dertig → tweeëndertig
• drie + en + veertig → drieënveertig

The diaeresis tells the reader that the adjacent vowels belong to separate syllables. It is not an umlaut and does not change e into a different vowel. Other units do not need it: eenentwintig, vierenveertig, negenennegentig.

Using numbers with nouns

Dutch cardinal numbers normally stand directly before a noun. The number itself does not change for grammatical gender, and a quantity above one normally takes a plural noun:

• één dag — one day
• twee dagen — two days
• vijf euro — five euros
• dertig kilometer — thirty kilometres

Some units of currency, measurement, and time remain singular after an exact number in common Dutch: vijf euro, tien kilo, drie uur. Ordinary countable nouns use the plural: vijf boeken, tien appels, drie weken.

One hundred and the next milestones

The core range ends at honderd. Dutch commonly says simply honderd for 100, though eenhonderd can be used when the exact quantity needs emphasis. The same building blocks continue above it:

• honderdeen — 101
• honderdvijfentwintig — 125
• tweehonderd — 200
• duizend — 1,000
• tweeduizend — 2,000

Number words below a thousand are joined into a single written word. Very long written-out numbers follow additional spelling conventions, but in everyday texts Dutch speakers usually use digits for large exact figures.

Examples in Context

Dutch	English	Note
Ik heb twee zussen.	I have two sisters.	An ordinary countable noun becomes plural.
Er zitten dertien mensen in de bus.	There are thirteen people on the bus.	Teen in a complete sentence.
Ze is achttien jaar oud.	She is eighteen years old.	Age uses jaar, not a plural form here.
De koffie kost drie euro.	The coffee costs three euros.	euro commonly remains singular after an exact amount.
We nemen bus eenentwintig.	We are taking bus twenty-one.	A route or label uses the cardinal number.
Kamer tweeëndertig is op de tweede verdieping.	Room thirty-two is on the second floor.	Notice the diaeresis in tweeëndertig.
Hij werkt veertig uur per week.	He works forty hours per week.	uur stays singular after the exact number.
Er staan vijfenvijftig stoelen in de zaal.	There are fifty-five chairs in the hall.	Unit before ten: five-and-fifty.
De trein vertrekt van spoor zeven.	The train leaves from platform seven.	Numbers can identify platforms.
Mijn oma wordt morgen tachtig.	My grandmother turns eighty tomorrow.	jaar can be omitted when the context is age.
Het boek heeft negenennegentig pagina's.	The book has ninety-nine pages.	negen + en + negentig.
Precies honderd deelnemers hebben zich aangemeld.	Exactly one hundred participants have registered.	honderd normally needs no een.

Common Mistakes

Following English tens-first order

• Wrong: twintigeen for 21
• Right: eenentwintig
• Why: From 21 to 99, Dutch puts the unit first, then en, then the ten.

Adding spaces or a hyphen

• Wrong: twee en dertig or twee-en-dertig
• Right: tweeëndertig
• Why: The parts form one compound word. In normal spelling, there are no spaces or hyphens.

Omitting the diaeresis

• Wrong: tweeendertig, drieentachtig
• Right: tweeëndertig, drieëntachtig
• Why: The diaeresis marks the start of a new syllable where twee/drie meets en.

Building irregular forms too literally

• Wrong: drietien, viertien, achttig
• Right: dertien, veertien, tachtig
• Why: Some teens and tens have established stem changes. Memorise them as complete words.

Using één every time you mean 1

• Wrong: Ik koop één appel when no contrast or emphasis is intended
• Right: Ik koop een appel.
• Why: Accented één means emphatic “one, not two.” In a neutral sentence, een is usually enough; pronunciation and context show whether it means “one” or “a/an.”

Pluralising every measurement word

• Wrong: Het kost vijf euro's for the neutral statement of a price
• Right: Het kost vijf euro.
• Why: After an exact quantity, common measurement and currency units often remain singular. Euro's is possible when euros are treated as separate coins or items, but not normally when merely stating a price.

Usage Notes

In careful speech, Dutch compound numbers still keep the unit-first order. Train times, prices, and phone calls can feel fast because you must hold the first digit in mind until the ten arrives. If zesendertig is difficult to process, mentally hear “six and thirty,” then map it to 36.

Phone numbers are usually divided into conventional groups, and digits or small groups may be read separately. A Dutch mobile number beginning with 06 is commonly introduced as nul zes. Context determines whether a sequence is a quantity, a telephone number, a room number, or another label.

Dutch uses a comma as the decimal separator: 2,5 is twee komma vijf (“two point five” in English). Printed thousands may be grouped with a point or spacing depending on style and context, so 1.500 can mean 1,500, not one and a half. This difference is especially important on prices, invoices, and statistics.

For counting, nul is standard for zero. In scores, mathematics, temperatures, and measurements it behaves like an ordinary number: nul graden (“zero degrees”), twee-nul (“two–nil”).

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master all of the following at A1, but these patterns explain forms you will soon encounter.

Ordinal numbers

An ordinal number tells position in a sequence: first, second, third. Dutch usually forms ordinals with -de or -ste, but the first few include forms that must be learned separately.

Cardinal	Ordinal	English
een	eerste	first
twee	tweede	second
drie	derde	third
vier	vierde	fourth
acht	achtste	eighth
twintig	twintigste	twentieth
eenentwintig	eenentwintigste	twenty-first

A useful beginner tendency is -de for many numbers below 20 and -ste for multiples of ten and compounds ending in them, but forms such as eerste, achtste, and twintigste are best learned through exposure. Ordinals are important for dates and floors: de derde mei (“the third of May”), de tweede verdieping (“the second floor”).

Approximate and indefinite quantities

Number-like words can express an approximate amount rather than an exact count:

• een stuk of twintig mensen — about twenty people
• tientallen vragen — dozens of questions
• honderden bezoekers — hundreds of visitors
• duizenden kilometers — thousands of kilometres

Notice the plural endings in tientallen, honderden, and duizenden when these words mean broad, indefinite quantities. Compare exact tweehonderd bezoekers (“two hundred visitors”), where honderd has no plural ending.

Large-number nouns

Miljoen and miljard behave more like nouns than honderd and duizend. They are written separately after a number: twee miljoen inwoners (“two million inhabitants”). With an indefinite plural, you may see miljoenen mensen (“millions of people”). For most daily A1 situations, recognising honderd, duizend, and miljoen is enough.

Practice Tips

1. Build numbers in two directions. Read 47 as zevenenveertig, then hear zevenenveertig and write 47. Production and listening require different reflexes.
2. Drill the anchor lists. Practise 0–20 and the tens separately until they are automatic. Then choose random two-digit numbers and apply the unit + en + ten pattern.
3. Use real information. Say prices, ages, bus routes, page numbers, and room numbers you encounter during the day. Give extra attention to tweeën-, drieën-, and irregular forms such as dertig, veertig, and tachtig.

Related Concepts

• Next step: Time and Dates — use numbers for clock times, calendar dates, and ordinal dates in Dutch.