Ordinal Numbers in German

In Brief

German ordinal numbers express position in a sequence: erste “first,” zweite “second,” and dritte “third.” Forms from 2 to 19 normally add -t-, while 20 and above add -st-; an adjective ending then follows: der vierte Tag, mein erstes Auto, am zwanzigsten Mai. The key difference from English is that a German ordinal usually changes its ending to match its grammatical setting.

Overview

An ordinal number tells you where someone or something stands in an ordered series: first, second, third, and so on. German calls these forms Ordinalzahlen or Ordnungszahlen. They appear in dates, rankings, numbered events, floors, centuries, chapters, birthdays, and everyday phrases such as zum ersten Mal (“for the first time”).

This is an A2 topic because the basic formation is predictable once you know the ordinary counting numbers. The extra challenge is agreement. Most German ordinals behave like adjectives: their final ending changes according to the noun’s gender and number, the determiner before it, and the case (the form that shows a noun’s role in the sentence). English keeps “first” unchanged, but German uses forms such as der erste Tag, am ersten Tag, and mein erstes Jahr.

Start with two beginner rules: choose -t- or -st- to build the ordinal stem, then give that stem the adjective ending required by the phrase. The later sections explain dates, noun-like forms, and less obvious compounds without making those details part of the first learning step.

How It Works

Step 1: build the ordinal stem

For most counting numbers from 2 through 19, add -t-. From 20 upward, add -st-. The hyphens show that an adjective ending still has to be added.

Number	Counting number	Ordinal stem	Example
1	eins	erst-	der erste Versuch — the first attempt
2	zwei	zweit-	die zweite Frage — the second question
3	drei	dritt-	das dritte Kapitel — the third chapter
4	vier	viert-	der vierte Platz — fourth place
5	fünf	fünft-	am fünften Tag — on the fifth day
7	sieben	siebt-	die siebte Woche — the seventh week
8	acht	acht-	der achte Gast — the eighth guest
10	zehn	zehnt-	das zehnte Mal — the tenth time
19	neunzehn	neunzehnt-	im neunzehnten Jahrhundert — in the nineteenth century
20	zwanzig	zwanzigst-	der zwanzigste Mai — May twentieth
21	einundzwanzig	einundzwanzigst-	ihr einundzwanzigster Geburtstag — her twenty-first birthday
100	hundert	hundertst-	der hundertste Kunde — the hundredth customer

The main irregular stems are erst-, dritt-, and siebt-. With eight, German avoids a doubled t: acht becomes achte, not achtte. In a compound number, form one complete compound and add the ordinal suffix at the end: zweiundvierzig → zweiundvierzigste.

Step 2: add an adjective ending

An ordinal stem is normally not complete by itself. It takes the same endings as an attributive adjective—an adjective placed before a noun. You do not need to relearn the whole adjective system specifically for ordinals.

After the definite article (der, die, das), the common beginner pattern is -e in basic subject forms and -en in most other positions:

Setting	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative (subject form)	der erste Tag	die erste Woche	das erste Jahr	die ersten Tage
Accusative (direct-object form)	den ersten Tag	die erste Woche	das erste Jahr	die ersten Tage
Dative (often after mit, an, in)	dem ersten Tag	der ersten Woche	dem ersten Jahr	den ersten Tagen
Genitive (possession/association)	des ersten Tages	der ersten Woche	des ersten Jahres	der ersten Tage

After ein, a possessive such as mein, or no article, other adjective endings may carry information that the determiner does not show:

• mein erstes Auto — my first car
• sein zweiter Versuch — his second attempt
• eine dritte Möglichkeit — a third possibility
• mit erster Priorität — with top/first priority
• zweite Plätze — second places

A practical method is to say the complete noun phrase, not an isolated ordinal. Learn der zweite Mai, am zweiten Mai, and mein zweites Jahr as useful units.

Dates

German writes the day as a number followed by a period. That period marks it as an ordinal:

• der 2. Mai = der zweite Mai
• am 2. Mai = am zweiten Mai
• vom 2. bis zum 5. Mai = from May 2 to May 5

When naming the date with Heute ist ..., the ordinal is commonly nominative: Heute ist der zweite Mai. To say when something happens, German usually uses am (an dem) plus dative, so the ending is -en: Wir treffen uns am zweiten Mai. In an all-numeric date, German normally uses periods, for example 02.05.2026.

Years themselves are generally counting numbers, not ordinals: im Jahr zweitausendsechsundzwanzig. Centuries, however, use ordinals: im einundzwanzigsten Jahrhundert.

Sequence, rank, and labels

Before a noun, ordinary adjective agreement applies: die dritte Etage, der erste Preis. When the person or thing is omitted, the ordinal may become a nominalized adjective—an adjective used as a noun. It is then capitalized: Sie wurde Erste (“She came first”), Er kam als Dritter an (“He arrived third”). Its ending can still change: mit dem Ersten sprechen (“speak with the first one”).

German also uses fixed expressions built from ordinals:

• zum ersten Mal — for the first time
• an erster Stelle — in first place / as the top priority
• aus erster Hand — first-hand
• der Reihe nach: erstens, zweitens, drittens — in order: firstly, secondly, thirdly

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Das ist mein erstes Auto.	This is my first car.	Erstes agrees with neuter Auto after mein.
Heute ist der zweite Mai.	Today is May 2nd.	Date named in the nominative.
Der Kurs beginnt am dritten September.	The course begins on September 3rd.	Am requires the dative form dritten.
Wir wohnen im vierten Stock.	We live on the fourth floor.	Im is in dem, so vierten is dative.
Nimm die zweite Straße links.	Take the second street on the left.	Feminine accusative: die zweite Straße.
Sie feiert ihren achtzehnten Geburtstag.	She is celebrating her eighteenth birthday.	Masculine accusative after ihren.
Der einundzwanzigste Teilnehmer fehlt.	The twenty-first participant is absent.	Numbers above 20 use -st-.
Das war schon der hundertste Anruf.	That was already the hundredth call.	A round hundred also uses -st-.
Deutschland wurde Dritter.	Germany came third.	Nominalized ordinal, so Dritter is capitalized.
Er kam als Dritter an.	He arrived third.	Als identifies his rank; the omitted noun might be Teilnehmer.
Zum ersten Mal war ich allein unterwegs.	For the first time, I was travelling alone.	Common fixed phrase with dative ersten.
Im neunzehnten Jahrhundert wuchsen viele Städte.	Many cities grew in the nineteenth century.	Centuries use ordinal numbers.
Bitte lesen Sie das siebte Kapitel.	Please read the seventh chapter.	Irregular shortened stem siebt-.
Beim zweiten Versuch hat es funktioniert.	It worked on the second attempt.	Beim is bei dem and takes dative zweiten.
Erstens fehlt uns Zeit, und zweitens ist es zu teuer.	Firstly, we lack time, and secondly, it is too expensive.	Listing adverbs ending in -ens.

Common Mistakes

Using an ordinal without an adjective ending

• Wrong: mein erst Auto
• Right: mein erstes Auto
• Why: Before a noun, erst- behaves like an adjective. Neuter Auto after mein requires -es here.

Using -t- for 20 and above

• Wrong: der zwanzigte Tag
• Right: der zwanzigste Tag
• Why: Ordinals from 20 upward normally use -st-, followed here by -e.

Missing the irregular forms

• Wrong: der einte, der dreite, der siebente Platz as the default beginner forms
• Right: der erste, der dritte, der siebte Platz
• Why: One, three, and seven have the standard stems erst-, dritt-, and siebt-. Siebente does exist as a less common variant, but siebte is the form to learn first.

Forgetting the dative in dates

• Wrong: Wir kommen am fünfte Juni.
• Right: Wir kommen am fünften Juni.
• Why: Am is short for an dem and requires dative -en in this phrase.

Writing a numeric ordinal without a period

• Wrong: am 5 Juni
• Right: am 5. Juni
• Why: In German writing, the period turns the counting numeral into an ordinal numeral. It is not merely sentence punctuation.

Leaving a nominalized rank lowercase

• Wrong: Sie wurde zweite.
• Right: Sie wurde Zweite.
• Why: When the ordinal stands for a person or thing rather than modifying a written noun, German treats it as a noun and capitalizes it.

Usage Notes

English speakers often expect one fixed form because “second” stays the same in “the second day,” “on the second day,” and “my second year.” German signals these grammatical differences on the ordinal: der zweite Tag, am zweiten Tag, mein zweites Jahr. Listening for the whole phrase is more useful than listening only for the number stem.

German floor numbering can also cause a real-world misunderstanding. Der erste Stock normally means the floor above the ground floor; the ground floor is das Erdgeschoss. Thus im ersten Stock often corresponds to “on the second floor” in American English, but to “on the first floor” in British English.

For ordered arguments, erstens, zweitens, drittens mean “firstly, secondly, thirdly.” These are adverbs and do not take adjective endings. By contrast, zuerst means “first” in time: Zuerst frühstücken wir (“First, we have breakfast”). Do not confuse either form with erst, which often means “only/not until” or “first, before something else,” depending on context.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master all of these points at A2, but they explain forms you will encounter later.

Very large ordinal compounds follow the same broad principle, though spelling can look intimidating: der einhundertunderste Teilnehmer (“the 101st participant”) and der tausendste Besucher (“the thousandth visitor”). In normal prose, digits are often clearer: der 101. Teilnehmer. The adjective ending still belongs at the end when the number is written as a word.

Ordinal forms can be substantivized for people, categories, or numbered entities: der Erste, die Zweite, das Dritte. Capitalization distinguishes this noun-like use from an ordinal before an expressed noun. Context supplies what has been omitted: Ich nehme das Zweite means “I’ll take the second one.” Forms referring to people can show gender and case, as in Sie sprach mit der Zweiten.

Some expressions have meanings that are not purely numerical. Erste Hilfe means “first aid,” erste Klasse can mean “first class,” and aus zweiter Hand means “second-hand” or “from an indirect source.” Ersterer and Letzterer mean “the former” and “the latter”; they belong mainly to formal written German and are not necessary for basic conversation.

Roman numerals in names and titles are read as declined ordinals. Friedrich II. is Friedrich der Zweite, while a phrase such as unter Friedrich II. is spoken unter Friedrich dem Zweiten. This pattern is useful in history but can wait until adjective endings and cases feel familiar.

Practice Tips

1. Learn three versions of each useful date. Say der fünfte Juli, am fünften Juli, and write 5. Juli. This connects formation, case, and spelling.
2. Attach every new ordinal to a noun phrase. Instead of memorizing dritt-, practice die dritte Frage, das dritte Kapitel, and im dritten Stock. The changing ending then becomes part of the habit.
3. Describe real sequences. Number the steps in a recipe with zuerst and dann, rank three choices as erste, zweite, dritte Wahl, or say birthdays and appointments aloud. Check especially the switch from -t- to -st- at 20.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Numbers and Time — supplies the counting numbers used to build ordinal forms and helps with dates and clock time.