German Numbers 1–100: The Pattern Behind einundzwanzig
German numbers from 21 to 99 normally put the unit before the ten: einundzwanzig means one-and-twenty, or 21. Learn zero to twelve and the tens first, then combine them. Watch sechzehn, siebzehn, sechzig and siebzig. Written compound numbers below a million generally form one word; practise hearing the unit before deciding which number you heard.
Published 26 August 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026
The long word vierundfünfzig is not fifty-four pieces of grammar. It is four, and, fifty. Once you hear the order, most of the numbers between twenty and one hundred follow a predictable pattern.
Zero to twenty
Number
German
Number
German
0
null
11
elf
1
eins
12
zwölf
2
zwei
13
dreizehn
3
drei
14
vierzehn
4
vier
15
fünfzehn
5
fünf
16
sechzehn
6
sechs
17
siebzehn
7
sieben
18
achtzehn
8
acht
19
neunzehn
9
neun
20
zwanzig
10
zehn
100
hundert / einhundert
The tens
Learn zwanzig (20), dreißig (30), vierzig (40), fünfzig (50), sechzig (60), siebzig (70), achtzig (80) and neunzig (90). Notice thirty has ß, while the others use z in the ending. Sixteen and sixty lose the s of sechs; seventeen and seventy shorten sieben.
Spelling helps you recall these exceptions, but listen too. A recording makes the difference between vierzehn (14) and vierzig (40) clearer than an improvised English pronunciation guide.
Build every other number
The rule is unit + und + ten. Einundzwanzig is 21, zweiunddreißig is 32, achtundsechzig is 68 and neunundneunzig is 99. One becomes ein- within these compounds: einundvierzig, not einsundvierzig.
There is no und in a plain ten such as vierzig, and the teen pattern is different: vierzehn is four-ten, not four-and-ten. Say twenty-one and twelve consecutively until their different structures stop blurring together.
Use the numbers in a conversation
Wie alt bist du? — Ich bin einunddreißig. How old are you? — I’m thirty-one.
Wie viel kostet das? — Vierundzwanzig Euro. How much does that cost? — Twenty-four euros.
German does not add an English-style years in the shortest age answer. You can also say Ich bin einunddreißig Jahre alt. For telephone numbers, speakers may use individual digits or group them, so ask for repetition rather than assuming one format.
Practise listening as well as counting
Write 27, 42, 61 and 98 as words. Answers: siebenundzwanzig, zweiundvierzig, einundsechzig, achtundneunzig. Then have a recording or practice partner read the numbers in a mixed order and write the digits.
Counting from one repeatedly can hide a retrieval problem: you know the sequence but cannot recognise a number arriving on its own. The practical skill is hearing zweiundvierzig at ordinary speed and writing 42 before the conversation has moved on.