Numbers 20-1000+ in Russian

Overview

Building on the foundation of numbers 1-20, Russian numbers from 20 onward follow predictable patterns but introduce new challenges. At the A1 level, learners need these numbers for prices, addresses, phone numbers, and dates -- all critical for navigating daily life in a Russian-speaking environment.

Compound numbers in Russian work similarly to English: двадцать один (twenty-one), тридцать пять (thirty-five). However, the noun agreement rule is determined by the last word of the number, not the entire number. So двадцать один студент (21 students) uses nominative singular because the last number is один, while двадцать пять студентов uses genitive plural because the last number is пять.

Hundreds and thousands introduce their own vocabulary and patterns. The hundreds from 200 to 900 are compound words, and тысяча (thousand) behaves like a regular feminine noun. Mastering this system opens up the full range of numerical expression.

How It Works

Tens

Number	Russian	Number	Russian
20	двадцать	60	шестьдесят
30	тридцать	70	семьдесят
40	сорок	80	восемьдесят
50	пятьдесят	90	девяносто

Hundreds

Number	Russian	Number	Russian
100	сто	500	пятьсот
200	двести	600	шестьсот
300	триста	700	семьсот
400	четыреста	800	восемьсот
		900	девятьсот

Thousands

Number	Russian
1,000	тысяча
2,000	две тысячи
5,000	пять тысяч

Noun Agreement Rule

The last digit determines the noun form:

Last digit	Noun form	Example
1 (except 11)	Nom. singular	двадцать один студент
2-4 (except 12-14)	Gen. singular	двадцать два студента
5-9, 0, 11-14	Gen. plural	двадцать пять студентов

Examples in Context

Russian	English	Note
двадцать один год	twenty-one years	Last digit 1 → nom. sg.
сто рублей	one hundred rubles	Gen. plural after сто
двести пятьдесят три	two hundred fifty-three	Compound number
тысяча человек	one thousand people	Gen. plural after тысяча
сорок два	forty-two	Irregular form for 40
девяносто девять	ninety-nine	Irregular form for 90
триста рублей	three hundred rubles	Gen. plural
Ему тридцать один год.	He is thirty-one years old.	Last digit 1 → год
Ей двадцать три года.	She is twenty-three years old.	Last digit 3 → года
пятьсот человек	five hundred people	Gen. plural

Common Mistakes

Applying the wrong noun form for compound numbers

• Wrong: двадцать один студентов (genitive plural)
• Right: двадцать один студент (nominative singular)
• Why: Only the last digit matters for noun agreement. 21 ends in 1, so use nominative singular.

Forgetting irregular forms for 40, 90, 100

• Wrong: четыредесят, девятьдесят
• Right: сорок, девяносто
• Why: 40 (сорок) and 90 (девяносто) are irregular and must be memorized.

Treating тысяча as indeclinable

• Wrong: два тысяча
• Right: две тысячи (feminine: две, genitive singular: тысячи)
• Why: Тысяча is a feminine noun and follows all standard noun rules, including using две (not два).

Practice Tips

• Practice reading prices aloud in Russian -- use online shopping sites or menus to find real numbers to work with.
• Drill compound numbers by saying your phone number, address, and birth year in Russian daily.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Numbers 1-20 -- the foundation for all larger number patterns
• Next steps: Numeral Declension -- how numbers themselves change across cases