Ĭareful! Millier (a thousand), million (a million) and milliard (a billion) are considered as nouns, so when vingt and cent are followed by these nouns, you need to add an s for the plural: 80 → quatre-vingts → vingt is NOT followed by another digit, so it is an exception, you need to add an s.600 → six cents → cent is multiplied and NOT followed by another digit, so it is an exception, you need to add an s.The two previous examples follow the basic general rule explained above. 87 → quatre-vingt-sept → vingt is followed by another digit –sept (7)– so vingt is invariable.304 → trois cent quatre → cent is followed by another digit –quatre (4)– so cent is invariable.It’s very easy actually! Vingt and cent are invariable, too, just like the other numbers EXCEPT when they are not followed by another digit, Yes, but only two! The numbers vingt (twenty) and cent (hundred) when they are multiplied and not followed by another number. (I received twenty-one postcards from a friend who’s travelling around the world.)Ĭareful! The number mille (thousand) is NOT an exception and therefore never takes a final s: quatre mille. J’ai reçu vingt et une cartes postales d’un ami qui a fait le tour du monde.Note that only the number one un (1) can be put in the feminine form :
(I put the four books I’ve just bought in my bookcase.) → here, since quatre is invariable, there is no s at the end, even with the plural article les in front of it.
#Writing numbers in different languages full#
Have you ever stumbled upon the spelling of French numbers? Have you ever avoided writing a number in full letters to make it easier?