Numbers are key, and learning the numbers will help you in particular when you buy things, order food or drink, or tell the time. They are also easy to learn - but first a brief explanation of 'one' which can be un, uno or una.
Number 1 is un before a masculine noun and una before a feminine noun. So, counting cats, (a feminine noun) gives :-
una gata, dos gatas, tres gatas ... whereas counting dogs, (a masculine noun) gives :- un perro, dos perros, tres perros ...
The Spanish numbers from 2-10 don't change or agree with the noun they describe.
If you are counting from one to ten (no nouns involved or agreements to be made) then one is uno.
| English | Spanish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| one | uno | |
| two | dos | |
| three | tres | |
| four | cuatro | |
| five | cinco | |
| six | seis | |
| seven | siete | |
| eight | ocho | |
| nine | nueve | |
| ten | diez |
Ordinal Numbers
The ordinal numbers first, second, third ... are useful to learn as (among other uses) these are used to describe floors of buildings. I.e. your room is on the second floor. Ordinal numbers above ten aren't generally used in Spanish (but there are some exceptions).| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| first | primer (o) |
| second | segundo |
| third | tercer(o) |
| fourth | cuarto |
| fifth | quinto |
| sixth | sexto |
| seventh | séptimo |
| eighth | octavo |
| ninth | noveno |
| tenth | décimo |
The ordinal numbers in Spanish are adjectives and agree with the noun that follows.
So because La calle 'the street' is a feminine noun, 'the second street' is la segunda calle.