Ordinal Numbers in Italian

Overview

Ordinal numbers tell you the position or rank of something in a sequence: first, second, third, and so on. In Italian, these are called numeri ordinali, and they are essential for everyday situations like giving directions ("take the third street"), talking about floors in a building ("the second floor"), or describing order ("the first time").

As an A1 concept, ordinal numbers build directly on Cardinal Numbers. The first ten ordinals (1st through 10th) each have their own unique form and must be memorized. From 11th onward, there is a simple and predictable rule: drop the final vowel of the cardinal number and add -esimo. The best part? Once you learn how ordinals work, you will find them everywhere in Italian.

One important difference from English: Italian ordinal numbers behave like adjectives. They agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they describe. So "first" can be primo, prima, primi, or prime depending on the context.

How It Works

The First Ten Ordinals

These ten forms are unique and must be learned individually.

#	Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Plural	English
1st	primo	prima	primi	prime	first
2nd	secondo	seconda	secondi	seconde	second
3rd	terzo	terza	terzi	terze	third
4th	quarto	quarta	quarti	quarte	fourth
5th	quinto	quinta	quinti	quinte	fifth
6th	sesto	sesta	sesti	seste	sixth
7th	settimo	settima	settimi	settime	seventh
8th	ottavo	ottava	ottavi	ottave	eighth
9th	nono	nona	noni	none	ninth
10th	decimo	decima	decimi	decime	tenth

Formation Rule for 11th and Beyond

From 11th onward, forming ordinals is straightforward:

1. Take the cardinal number (e.g., undici, dodici, venti).
2. Drop the final vowel (e.g., undic-, dodic-, vent-).
3. Add -esimo (masculine singular).

Cardinal	Drop Final Vowel	+ esimo	Result
undici (11)	undic-	undicesimo	11th
dodici (12)	dodic-	dodicesimo	12th
tredici (13)	tredic-	tredicesimo	13th
venti (20)	vent-	ventesimo	20th
trenta (30)	trent-	trentesimo	30th
cento (100)	cent-	centesimo	100th

Special case: When the cardinal number ends in -tré (e.g., ventitré, 23), the accented vowel is kept: ventitreesimo (23rd).

Gender and Number Agreement

Ordinal numbers follow the same pattern as regular adjectives ending in -o:

Form	Ending	Example
Masculine singular	-o	il primo giorno (the first day)
Feminine singular	-a	la prima volta (the first time)
Masculine plural	-i	i primi giorni (the first days)
Feminine plural	-e	le prime settimane (the first weeks)

This applies to all ordinals, including the longer forms: undicesimo / undicesima / undicesimi / undicesime.

Position in the Sentence

Ordinal numbers usually come before the noun, just like in English:

• il secondo piano (the second floor)
• la terza strada (the third street)

They are almost always preceded by the definite article (il, la, i, le, etc.).

Examples in Context

Italian	English	Note
È la prima volta che vengo in Italia.	It is the first time I come to Italy.	Feminine: volta is feminine
Abito al secondo piano.	I live on the second floor.	Masculine: piano is masculine
Prendi la terza strada a destra.	Take the third street on the right.	Directions
Il quarto giorno è stato il migliore.	The fourth day was the best.	Masculine singular
È il quinto mese dell'anno.	It is the fifth month of the year.	Months are masculine
La sesta lezione è difficile.	The sixth lesson is difficult.	Feminine: lezione is feminine
Siamo al settimo capitolo.	We are at the seventh chapter.	Masculine: capitolo is masculine
L'ottava domanda è facile.	The eighth question is easy.	Feminine: domanda is feminine
Il nono posto è libero.	The ninth seat is free.	Masculine: posto is masculine
È la decima volta che te lo dico.	It is the tenth time I tell you.	Feminine: volta is feminine
Abita al dodicesimo piano.	He/She lives on the twelfth floor.	-esimo form (12th)
È il ventesimo anniversario.	It is the twentieth anniversary.	-esimo form (20th)
I primi giorni sono sempre difficili.	The first days are always difficult.	Masculine plural
Le prime due settimane sono importanti.	The first two weeks are important.	Feminine plural

Common Mistakes

Forgetting gender agreement

• Wrong: la primo volta
• Right: la prima volta
• Why: Since volta is feminine, the ordinal must also be feminine: prima, not primo. Ordinals work like adjectives and must match the noun.

Using cardinal numbers instead of ordinals

• Wrong: il due piano (the two floor)
• Right: il secondo piano (the second floor)
• Why: Position in a sequence requires an ordinal number, not a cardinal. In Italian, just as in English, "the second floor" is not "the two floor."

Applying the -esimo rule to the first ten

• Wrong: unicesimo, duesimo, treesimo
• Right: primo, secondo, terzo
• Why: The first ten ordinals have their own unique forms. The -esimo rule only starts from 11th (undicesimo).

Forgetting to drop the final vowel before -esimo

• Wrong: undicesimo is correct, but ventiesimo is not
• Right: ventesimo
• Why: You must drop the final vowel of the cardinal number before adding -esimo: venti becomes vent- + esimo = ventesimo.

Placing the ordinal after the noun

• Wrong: il piano secondo (in most contexts)
• Right: il secondo piano
• Why: Ordinal numbers typically go before the noun in Italian. Placing them after the noun sounds unnatural in everyday speech, though it can occur in formal or literary contexts (e.g., Carlo Quinto, Charles the Fifth).

Practice Tips

1. Label your week. Write out the days of the week as ordinal sequences: il primo giorno della settimana, il secondo giorno... all the way to il settimo giorno. Practice switching between masculine and feminine nouns to reinforce agreement.

2. Describe your surroundings. Look around your home, school, or office and use ordinals: "This is the third book on the shelf" (il terzo libro sullo scaffale), "I am on the second floor" (sono al secondo piano). Connecting ordinals to real objects helps them stick.

3. Practice the -esimo pattern. Pick random numbers from 11 to 100 and convert them to ordinals out loud. Start with round numbers (20th, 30th, 40th) and then try combinations (21st, 35th, 48th). The pattern becomes automatic with repetition.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Cardinal Numbers — you need cardinal numbers to form ordinals from 11th onward
• Related: Time & Dates — ordinals appear in dates and time expressions