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Ordinal numbers, “los números ordinales”, are used to show the order that things or events follow, whereas are used to talk about quantities. Both of them are very useful in many situations in the language. In this lesson we will learn how to use and write ordinal numbers in Spanish. You will listen to the way they are pronounced and see them in use in meaningful sentences and questions.
How to write Spanish ordinal numbers 1-100: Ordinal numbers from 1 to 100
LOS NÚMEROS ORDINALES or ordinal numbers in Spanish correspond to first, second, third and so on in English. They are used almost in the same way in both languages, but we do not use ordinals as much as we use cardinals. In fact, most people don’t even know how to say ordinal numbers after the 10th number. We created a video for ordinal numbers 1-10 including a few examples of sentences using them. Make sure to watch the video completely and read the notes we put in some of the slides.
The picture below shows how to write ordinal numbers 1 – 10. We use the word DÉCIMO an ordinal number in Spanish 1 – 9 to create numbers from 1 to 19 so that is why learning Spanish ordinal numbers from 1 to 10 is so important.
Ordinal numbers 1 to 10
Ordinals are used to talk about things like positions and grades. The numbers PRIMER and TERCER are only used when they work as before a masculine noun, for example: Mi primer regalo (my first gift) and Su tercer hijo. Otherwise you have to use PRIMERO and TERCERO like in the sentence Soy el primero (I am the first one) or for steps as in Primero abre la caja (First, open the box). There is a rule that says you must use PRIMERA and TERCERA before a feminine noun, but in the video we included an example that says Soy la primer taza (I am the first cup) as that is the way lots of native speakers would say it, but the right version is Soy la primera tasa, using PRIMERA instead of PRIMER. That being said, all ordinal numbers are affected by gender rules, except for PRIMER and TERCER, for example, the number QUINTO changes to QUINTA in the sentence Ella es la quinta(She is the fifth one) because we are talking about a girl, but it does not change in Estoy en quinto grado (I am in 5th grade)because GRADO is masculine noun.
Making sentences using ordinal numbers in Spanish
To make sentences using “los números ordinales” we often use numbers from 1 to 10 because they are the most common in the language. Since it would be very difficult even for a native speaker to say something like “Soy el trigésimo”, we use the phrase “EL NÚMERO a cardinal number” instead of the Spanish ordinal number so the sentence “Soy el trigésimo” could be rephrased as “Soy el número treinta”. This last sentence is way more natural than the first one. You could also use this rule for numbers from 1 to 10 if you want as in “Soy el número uno”.
LOS NÚMEROS ORDINALES are often used before nouns such as CASA (house) and many others you can think of, for example: “La primera casa”, “El noveno libro” and so on. They may also play the role of the subject of sentences with the help of as in “El primero es el ganador” (the first one is the winner). There is more that one way to say a few of them, for example, to say 12th we may use “duodécimo”, “decimosegundo”, or “décimo segundo”. The form “decimosegundo” was accepted in 2005 by the Royal Spanish Academy. Here are some examples of sentences and questions using “los números ordinales” with audio included. Press PLAY to listen to the examples.
Some sentences using ordinal numbers in Spanish Yo soy la primera persona I am the 1st person Ella está en segundo grado She is attending 2nd grade Nuestro equipo ganó el tercer lugar Our team won the third place Él es el cuarto He is the 4th one ¿Él está en quinto grado? Is he in 5th grade? El sexto sentido The sixth sense Este es el séptimo intento This is the 7th attempt La octava canción en el álbum es buena. The eighth song of the album is good El noveno grado no es tan difícil. Ninth grade is not that difficult Este es nuestro décimo aniversario de bodas This is our 10th wedding anniversary Fue inventado en el siglo once (décimo primer siglo) It was invented in the 11th century Este es nuestro pájaro número doce (el décimo segundo pájaro) It is our 12th bird Esta es tu foto número trece (décimo tercer foto) It is your 13th picture Estamos en el siglo veintiuno (el vigésimo primer siglo) We are in the 21st century Este es mi cumpleaños número veinticinco (vigésimo quinto) This ismy 25th birthday This is the hundredth time we practice (the hundredth time) This is the 100th time we practice
Listening practice: Find the right ordinal numbers in Spanish
Listen to the audio and find the Spanish ordinal numbers that are mentioned in the recording to complete the sentences in the quiz. This quiz is aimed to help you practice both listening and vocabulary. Click on START to begin.
A listening quiz about Spanish ordinal numbers Please wait while the activity loads. If this activity does not load, try refreshing your browser. Also, this page requires javascript. Please visit using a browser with javascript enabled. If loading fails, click here to try again The following sentences are the same ones in the audio. Complete each sentence with the Spanish ordinal number you listened to. Press “START” to begin the quiz. Start Congratulations - you have completed A listening quiz about Spanish ordinal numbers. You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%. Your performance has been rated as %%RATING%% Your answers are highlighted below. Question 1 Tú eres la ______________ persona en venir. A segundo B second C segunda Question 2 Yo estoy en __________ año de la universidad A primer B primera C primero Question 3 ¿Estás segura que Frank es _______________? A el quinto B la quinta C el quinta Question 4 ¿Cuál es la ____________ maravilla del mundo? A septimo B séptima C setenta________________ Question 5 This the mystery book I read. Eighty B C eighth eighth Question 6 US broker is ______________________ A number two hundred and fifteen B C number fifteen tenth 20,005th Question 7 Welcome to _________________ awards. A twenty-ninth twenty-ninth B C number 29 _________________ Question 8 You are asking me that. A fourth person B the fourth person C the fourth person Question 9 She lived in ___________________. In the nineteenth century the nineteenth century B C the nineteenth century Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items You have not completed will be marked incorrect. Get Results There are 9 questions to complete. List ← → Return Shaded items are complete. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 End Return You have completed questions question Your score is Correct Wrong Partial-Credit You have not finished your quiz. If you leave this page, your progress will be lost. Correct Answer YouSelected Not Attempted Final Score on Quiz Attempted Questions Correct Attempted Questions Wrong Questions Not Attempted Total Questions on Quiz Question Details Results Date Score Hint Time allowed minutes seconds Time used Answer Choice(s) Selected Question Text All done Need more practice! Keep trying! Not bad! Good work! Perfect!
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