Between 20 and 69, the numbers follow the same pattern:
70 = soixante-dix
80 = quatre-vingts
90 = quatre-vingt-dix
Numbers + nouns
Ma grand-mère a quatre-vingt-quatorze ans.
My grandmother is ninety-four years old.
Mon oncle a soixante-douze poules.
My uncle has seventy-two hens.
Laurent a dépensé soixante-dix-huit euros hier.
Laurent spent seventy-eight euros yesterday.
J'ai quatre-vingt-trois dollars dans ma tirelire.
I have eighty-three dollars in my piggy bank.
Il y a quatre-vingt-dix-neuf animaux dans ce zoo.
There are ninety-nine animals in that zoo.
Note that to say how many things there are, you simply use the number + thing (plural after 1), for numbers up to 999.
For larger numbers, see lesson Expressing large numbers: thousands, millions and billions
Examples and resources
quatre-vingt-quinze
ninety-five
Laurent a dépensé soixante-dix-huit euros hier.
Laurent spent seventy-eight euros yesterday.
quatre-vingt-quatorze
ninety-four
Ma grand-mère a quatre-vingt-quatorze ans.
My grandmother is ninety-four years old.
Mon oncle a soixante-douze poules.
My uncle has seventy-two hens.
quatre-vingt-trois
eighty-three
Il y a quatre-vingt-dix-neuf animaux dans ce zoo.
There are ninety-nine animals in that zoo.
soixante-dix-sept
seventy-seven
J'ai quatre-vingt-trois dollars dans ma tirelire.
I have eighty-three dollars in my piggy bank.
Loading your Kwiz
steven
Kwiziq community member
19 April 2018
2 replies
Alternative Numbers
Just a fun fact for those who might not know - A lot of Swiss and Belgians will use septante (70), huitante (80) and nonante (90) to replace soixante-dix, quatre-vingts and quatre-vingt-dix
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
20 April 2018
20/04/18
Hi Steven,
Your will hear 'octante' also for 80 (quatre-vingt) and a combination of all in Belgium and certain cantons of Switzerland but I believe time are changing...
However, what is certain and that these numbers are very amusing to French ears!
Hope this helps!
Chris
Kwiziq community member
19 April 2018
19/04/18
Hi Steven,
that would really make a lot of sense. The number 99 being represented in French as : 4 times 20 plus 19 (quatre-vingt-dix-huit) requires some getting used to.
-- Chris.