7.7 Numbers greater than 100
Here are the basic constructions for German numbers which have more than two digits.
| Vocabulary 1: Numbers from 100 upwards |
| 100 |
hundert |
| 101 |
hundert(und)eins |
| 102 |
hundertzwei |
| 103 |
hundertdrei |
| 110 |
hundertzehn |
| 150 |
hundertfünfzig |
| 151 |
hunderteinundfünfzig |
| 200 |
zweihundert |
| 300 |
dreihundert |
| 346 |
dreihundertsechsundvierzig |
| 400 |
vierhundert |
| 500 |
fünfhundert |
| 600 |
sechshundert |
| 700 |
siebenhundert |
| 800 |
achthundert |
| 900 |
neunhundert |
| 999 |
neunhundertneunundneunzig |
|
Explanation
1. German numbers above 100 are combined in the same way as numbers above 20. All you do
is add the word for 100, 200 etc in front of the two-figure number which we learned to construct in Chapter 4:
7 + 60 = siebenundsechzig;
400 + 7 + 60 = vierhundertsiebenundsechzig.
2. Note that Germans normally say hundertzwei where we would say "one hundred and two", and tausend where we would say "one thousand". "Ein" is however normally inserted in complex numbers such as tausendeinhundert (=1100).
3. It is possible (but wholly optional), to insert "und" between "hundert" and "eins" in the German for 101, and also between "tausend" and tens or units, e.g. tausend(und)eins, siebentausend(und)elf.
4. Years are usually stated in hundreds:
- 1998 is written: neunzehnhundertachtundneunzig.
- The year 2000 is however written as das Jahr zweitausend and 2001 is written as zweitausendeins.
| Vocabulary 2: Numbers from 1000 upwards |
| 1000 |
tausend |
| 1001 |
tausend(und)eins |
| 1009 |
tausend(und)neun |
| 1010 |
tausendzehn |
| 1052 |
tausendzweiundfünfzig |
| 1100 |
tausendeinhundert |
| 2000 |
zweitausend |
| 2003 |
zweitausenddrei |
| 2010 |
zweitausendzehn |
| 5000 |
fünftausend |
| 10000 |
zehntausend |
| 10001 |
zehntausendeins |
| 50000 |
fünfzigtausend |
| 100000 |
hunderttausend |
| 500000 |
fünfhunderttausend |
|
Test yourself on German numbers!
Test your knowledge of larger German numbers by taking these two gap-filling exercises. Click on the bars below to get started.
Larger numbers
Long numbers (i.e. those with more than one element) are rarely written out in full. In practice, complex numbers are rarely written fully except on cheques, and figures are used in written German more often than is usual in English.
Numbers higher than a thousand are written with spaces every three digits - not with commas as in English, i.e. Germans would write 123 678 and not 123,678 as in English.
| Vocabulary 3: Larger numbers |
| 123 678 |
hundertdreiundzwanzigtausendsechs-
hundertachtundsiebzig |
| 1 000 000 |
eine Million |
| 2 000 000 |
zwei Millionen |
| 10 000 000 |
zehn Millionen |
| 5 276 497 |
fünf Millionen zweihundertsechsundsiebzigtausend-
vierhundertsiebenundneunzig |
| 1 000 000 000 |
eine Milliarde |
| 2 000 000 000 |
zwei Milliarden |
| 10 000 000 |
zehn Milliarden |
|
Explanation
1) The numbers eine Million and eine Milliarde are treated as separate nouns. They thus have a plural ending where necessary - i.e. drei Millionen fünfhunderttausend.
2) The plural form is also used when one million is followed by a decimal: 1,4 Millionen Euro. This is spoken as einskommavier Millionen Euro.
Test yourself on larger German numbers!
Test your knowledge of larger German numbers by taking this multiple-choice exercise. Click on the bar below to get started.
 Chapter 7.8: Adjectives - nationalities and colours
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