Whether you are ordering two espressos at a bar in Rome, catching a train from platform sette, or asking how much a leather bag costs in Florence, Italian numbers are one of the first things you will actually use out loud. The good news is that once you learn the building blocks from zero to twenty, the rest of the system falls into place with just a couple of small rules. In this guide we will walk through counting from 0 to well past a million, cover pronunciation, and untangle the little quirks — like why “twenty-one” becomes ventuno and not ventiuno — that trip up almost every beginner.
Italian numbers 0 to 20
Start here and memorise these cold. Numbers 0 to 10 are the foundation, and 11 to 16 share a familiar pattern (the number-root plus -dici), while 17, 18 and 19 flip the order and lead with the tens. Read the pronunciation column out loud — Italian is wonderfully phonetic, so what you see is very close to what you say.
| Number | Italian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | zero | DZEH-roh |
| 1 | uno | OO-noh |
| 2 | due | DOO-eh |
| 3 | tre | treh |
| 4 | quattro | KWAHT-troh |
| 5 | cinque | CHEEN-kweh |
| 6 | sei | say |
| 7 | sette | SEHT-teh |
| 8 | otto | OHT-toh |
| 9 | nove | NOH-veh |
| 10 | dieci | DYEH-chee |
| 11 | undici | OON-dee-chee |
| 12 | dodici | DOH-dee-chee |
| 13 | tredici | TREH-dee-chee |
| 14 | quattordici | kwaht-TOR-dee-chee |
| 15 | quindici | KWEEN-dee-chee |
| 16 | sedici | SEH-dee-chee |
| 17 | diciassette | dee-chah-SEHT-teh |
| 18 | diciotto | dee-CHOHT-toh |
| 19 | diciannove | dee-chah-NOH-veh |
| 20 | venti | VEHN-tee |
Notice the two patterns inside the teens. From 11 to 16 the number comes first and -dici (from dieci, “ten”) comes second: undici, dodici, tredici. From 17 to 19 the logic reverses — dici- comes first, then the unit: diciassette (10 + 7), diciotto (10 + 8), diciannove (10 + 9). If you can hear that switch happening at seventeen, the teens stop feeling random.
The tens: 20 to 100 and the vowel-drop rule
Every ten from twenty to ninety has its own name, and you simply attach the unit to the end: venti (20) + due (2) = ventidue (22). One word, no spaces, no hyphens. Here are the tens:
| Number | Italian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | venti | VEHN-tee |
| 30 | trenta | TREHN-tah |
| 40 | quaranta | kwah-RAHN-tah |
| 50 | cinquanta | cheen-KWAHN-tah |
| 60 | sessanta | sehs-SAHN-tah |
| 70 | settanta | seht-TAHN-tah |
| 80 | ottanta | oht-TAHN-tah |
| 90 | novanta | noh-VAHN-tah |
| 100 | cento | CHEN-toh |
| 1000 | mille | MEEL-leh |
Now the one rule that matters most. When you add uno (1) or otto (8) to a ten, the ten drops its final vowel to avoid two vowels colliding. So venti + uno is not ventiuno — it becomes ventuno. The same happens with eight: venti + otto = ventotto. This applies right across the tens:
- 21 = ventuno · 28 = ventotto
- 31 = trentuno · 38 = trentotto
- 41 = quarantuno · 48 = quarantotto
- 61 = sessantuno · 68 = sessantotto
- 91 = novantuno · 98 = novantotto
For every other unit (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9) the ten keeps its full vowel: ventidue, ventitré, trentacinque, sessantasette. One small extra note: when tre is tacked onto a bigger number it takes an accent — ventitré, trentatré — to show the stress falls on that final syllable.
Hundreds, thousands and beyond
Hundreds: cento never changes
The word for one hundred, cento, is invariable — it never becomes “centi” no matter how many hundreds you have. You just place the multiplier in front and glue everything together: duecento (200), trecento (300), cinquecento (500), novecento (900). Add the rest of the number straight onto the end: centoventitré (123), duecentocinquanta (250), trecentosessantacinque (365).
Thousands: mille becomes mila
One thousand is mille, but here Italian does change form. In the plural, mille becomes -mila: duemila (2,000), tremila (3,000), diecimila (10,000), centomila (100,000). So you say mille for exactly one thousand, but mila for any larger multiple. A full number simply chains together: millenovecentonovantanove (1,999) or duemilaventiquattro (2,024).
Above that, un milione is one million and un miliardo is one billion. Unlike cento and mille, these behave like nouns and take di before another noun: un milione di euro (a million euros), due milioni di persone (two million people). One quick warning for English speakers: Italian uses a comma as the decimal point and a period (or a space) for thousands, so “1,000.50” is written 1.000,50 in Italy.
Why Italian numbers are written as one word
This surprises a lot of learners: in Italian, compound numbers are written as a single unbroken word, however long. There are no hyphens and no spaces until you reach milione and miliardo (which do stand alone). So forty-seven is quarantasette, and 4,857 is quattromilaottocentocinquantasette — one intimidating-looking word that is really just four smaller pieces stacked in order: quattromila + ottocento + cinquantasette. When you meet a long number, read it left to right in chunks and it becomes manageable.
Ordinal numbers: primo, secondo, terzo
Ordinals tell you position — first, second, third — and in Italian they behave like adjectives, so they agree in gender and number with the noun (il primo giorno, la prima volta, i primi passi). The first ten are their own words, and you should learn them:
- 1st — primo
- 2nd — secondo
- 3rd — terzo
- 4th — quarto
- 5th — quinto
- 6th — sesto
- 7th — settimo
- 8th — ottavo
- 9th — nono
- 10th — decimo
From eleven onward, ordinals are formed by dropping the final vowel of the cardinal number and adding -esimo: undici → undicesimo (11th), venti → ventesimo (20th), cento → centesimo (100th). In writing you will often see them abbreviated with a small superscript: 1º for masculine and 1ª for feminine.
Numbers in real life: prices, years and phone numbers
Talking about prices
To ask how much something costs, use Quanto costa? (singular) or Quanto costano? (plural). A price like €15,50 is read quindici euro e cinquanta — the word for cents (centesimi) is usually dropped in everyday speech, just like we say “fifteen fifty” in English. Note that euro stays the same in the plural: it is un euro and dieci euro, never “euri”.
Saying the year
Years are read as one whole number, not split into pairs the way English does. So 1999 is millenovecentonovantanove (literally “one-thousand-nine-hundred-ninety-nine”), and 2024 is duemilaventiquattro. To say “in 2024” you add the preposition: nel duemilaventiquattro.
Giving a phone number
Phone numbers are usually read digit by digit, and zero is said in full (not “oh”). Italians often group the digits into pairs for clarity — a number like 06 4521 might be read zero sei, quarantacinque, ventuno. When someone dictates a number to you, don’t be surprised to hear small two-digit clusters rather than a stream of single digits.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Forgetting the vowel drop. It is ventuno and ventotto, never “ventiuno” or “ventiotto.” This is the number-one beginner slip.
- Missing the accent on tre. Standalone it is tre, but combined it takes an accent: ventitré, trentatré, cinquantatré.
- Adding spaces or hyphens. Compound numbers are one word: quarantacinque, not “quaranta cinque.”
- Making euro plural. Euro is invariable — venti euro, not “venti euri.”
- Confusing cento and mille behaviour. Cento never changes; mille becomes mila in the plural (duemila, not “duemille”).
Numbers are also a perfect gateway into the rest of the language, because they show up everywhere — in dates, in the way Italians talk about the months of the year in Italian, and even in idioms you will hear on the street. Once you are comfortable counting, try folding numbers into the expressive hand gestures Italians use when they bargain or give directions — the two go hand in hand, quite literally.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say 21 in Italian?
Twenty-one is ventuno. Because uno begins with a vowel, venti drops its final -i so the two words blend smoothly. The same rule gives you trentuno (31), quarantuno (41) and so on.
Why does mille change to mila?
Mille is the singular form for exactly one thousand. For any larger multiple, Italian uses the plural ending -mila: duemila (2,000), cinquemila (5,000), centomila (100,000). By contrast, cento (hundred) never changes.
Are Italian numbers written as one word?
Yes. Compound cardinal numbers are written as a single word with no spaces or hyphens, no matter how long — for example quattromilaottocentocinquantasette (4,857). Only milione and miliardo are written as separate words.
How do you say the year 2024 in Italian?
You read the year as one full number: duemilaventiquattro. To say “in 2024,” add the preposition and article: nel duemilaventiquattro. Unlike English, Italian does not break the year into two-digit pairs.
What is the difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers?
Cardinal numbers count quantity (uno, due, tre) and stay fixed. Ordinal numbers show position (primo, secondo, terzo) and act like adjectives, agreeing in gender and number with the noun they describe. You can confirm forms in a reliable reference such as the Treccani vocabulary or the Cambridge Italian–English dictionary.
Keep building your Italian
Numbers are just the beginning. Once counting feels natural, you can branch out into the vocabulary that surrounds it — learning the colours in Italian, picking up warm Italian terms of endearment, or exploring how the language compares to its cousin in our guide to Italian versus Spanish. If you are ready for a structured path, our overview of how to learn Italian maps out the whole journey.
Want to go from counting to conversing? Book a lesson with a friendly, expert tutor at The Cognitio and start speaking real Italian from day one. A presto!