Ch 2 · Lesson 36French · Chapter 2 · Lesson 36 · Grammar primer
Number workshop two: 70 to 99
France counts in twenties: seventy is sixty-ten, eighty is four twenties, ninety is four-twenty-ten. Wait for the whole number.
The short version
From 70, France counts in twenties
-,
Why?Hide
Seventy is , sixty-ten. Eighty is , four twenties, and ninety is , four-twenty-ten. The teens ride on top, so 75 is -. When you hear or -, wait for the next word before you write anything down.
The s on
, --
Why?Hide
and cent take an s when they are multiplied and nothing follows: , . Add another number and it drops, so 83 is -- and 201 is . never takes an s at all: , not milles.
70 to 99: counting in twenties
Here France counts in twenties, a relic of an older system. Seventy is sixty-ten, eighty is four twenties, ninety is four-twenty-ten, and the teens ride on top.
70 to 79: sixty-ten
| Number | French | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | | sixty-ten |
| 71 | | sixty and eleven |
| 72 | - | sixty-twelve |
| 73 | - | sixty-thirteen |
| 74 | - | sixty-fourteen |
| 75 | - | sixty-fifteen |
| 76 | - | sixty-sixteen |
| 77 | - | sixty-ten-seven |
| 78 | - | sixty-ten-eight |
| 79 | - | sixty-ten-nine |
- .- That's seventy-five euros.
80 to 89: four twenties
| Number | French | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | | four twenties |
| 81 | -- | four-twenty-one |
| 82 | -- | four-twenty-two |
| 83 | -- | four-twenty-three |
| 84 | -- | four-twenty-four |
| 85 | -- | four-twenty-five |
| 86 | -- | four-twenty-six |
| 87 | -- | four-twenty-seven |
| 88 | -- | four-twenty-eight |
| 89 | -- | four-twenty-nine |
-- .- My grandfather is eighty-two.
90 to 99: four-twenty-ten
| Number | French | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | | four-twenty-ten |
| 91 | -- | four-twenty-eleven |
| 92 | -- | four-twenty-twelve |
| 93 | -- | four-twenty-thirteen |
| 94 | -- | four-twenty-fourteen |
| 95 | -- | four-twenty-fifteen |
| 96 | -- | four-twenty-sixteen |
| 97 | - | four-twenty-ten-seven |
| 98 | - | four-twenty-ten-eight |
| 99 | - | four-twenty-ten-nine |
The listening trick is to wait. When you hear or -, write nothing until the next word arrives: a teen after it means the seventies or nineties.
-- .- That's ninety-six euros, not eighty-something.
Going further: The whole system on one screen and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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Lesson 36 of 42 in this chapter