Italian numbers: A complete guide to counting in Italian

Did you miss your class on Italian numbers? Time to catch up! Whether you’re ordering coffee, catching a train, or negotiating prices at a local market, knowing how to count and use numbers in Italian is essential. 

In this article, we’ll dive into Italian numbers, from basic digits to the dates, prices and idiomatic expressions in which numbers appear on a daily basis. We’ll also point out some patterns, pronunciation tips and practical examples that will help you develop a more intuitive understanding of Italian numbers.

young asian woman, sitting at her desk and learning on her laptop Italian numbers.

Learn Italian with Lingoda

How it works

Counting in Italian: The basics

Numbers 1 to 10 

Italian and Spanish numbers share Latin roots, so if you’ve already learned the basic numbers (1–10) in Spanish, you’ll be glad to know they’re nearly identical in Italian. Some English numbers also derive from Latin, so you shouldn’t have trouble remembering the Italian numbers tre (three), sei (six) and nove (nine), among others.

EnglishItalianPronunciation
oneunooo-noh
twoduedoo-eh
threetretreh
fourquattrokwah-troh
fivecinquecheen-kweh
sixseisay-ee
sevensetteset-teh
eightottooht-toh
ninenovenoh-veh
tendiecidyay-chee
  • Ho una mela. (I have one apple.)
  • Ci sono cinque libri sul tavolo. (There are five books on the table.)
  • La lezione dura dieci minuti. (The lesson lasts ten minutes.)

Numbers 11 to 20

Numbers 11–16 combine a unique prefix with the suffix -dici, derived from dieci (ten). For numbers 17–19, the order flips; these numbers combine the prefix dici- with a unique suffix.

EnglishItalianPronunciation
elevenundicioon-dee-chee
twelvedodicidoh-dee-chee
thirteentredicitreh-dee-chee
fourteenquattordicikwa-tor-dee-chee
fifteenquindicikween-dee-chee
sixteensediciseh-dee-chee
seventeendiciassettedee-chah-set-teh
eighteendiciottodee-chot-toh
nineteendicianovedee-chah-noh-veh
twentyventiven-tee
  • Ho undici mele. (I have eleven apples.)
  • Ci sono quindici studenti. (There are fifteen students.)
  • Venti persone sono qui. (Twenty people are here.)

Counting beyond the basics

Numbers 21 to 100

Numbers 21–99 are formed by combining the appropriate tenth decimal prefix (venti, trenta, etc.) with the appropriate unit (uno, due, etc.). Notice that the final vowel of the prefix is dropped before uno and otto for smoother pronunciation, so instead of saying ventiuno or ventiotto, we would say ventuno and ventotto.

EnglishItalianPronunciation
twenty-oneventunoven-too-noh
thirtytrentatren-tah
thirty-twotrentaduetren-tah-doo-eh
fortyquarantakwa-rahn-tah
forty-threequarantatrékwa-rahn-tah-treh
fiftycinquantacheen-kwan-tah
fifty-fourcinquantaquattrocheen-kwan-tah-kwah-troh
sixtysessantases-sahn-tah
sixty-fivesessantacinqueses-sahn-tah-cheen-kweh
seventysettantaset-tahn-tah
seventy-sixsettantaseiset-tahn-tah-say-ee
eightyottantaoht-tahn-tah
eighty-sevenottantasetteoht-tahn-tah-set-teh
ninetynovantanoh-vahn-tah
ninety-eightnovantottonoh-vahn-toht-toh
one hundredcentochen-toh
  • Ho ventiquattro anni. (I am twenty-four years old.)
  • Abbiamo ventinove mele. (We have twenty-nine apples.)
  • Ci sono trentacinque persone in fila. (There are thirty-five people in line.)
  • Ci sono sessantadue posti disponibili. (There are sixty-two seats available.)
  • Ho letto sessantotto pagine oggi. (I read sixty-eight pages today.)
  • Abbiamo settantadue biscotti per la festa. (We have seventy-two cookies for the party.)
  • Il libro ha settantanove capitoli. (The book has seventy-nine chapters.)
  • Ci sono ottantuno studenti nella scuola. (There are eighty-one students in the school.)

Hundreds, thousands, and beyond

EnglishItalianPronunciation
one hundred eighty-threecentottantatréchen-toh-tan-tah-treh
two hundredduecentodweh-chen-toh
two hundred fifty-eightduecentocinquantottodweh-chen-toh-cheen-kwan-toht-toh
three hundredtrecentotreh-chen-toh
three hundred twenty-sixtrecentoventiseitreh-chen-toh-ven-tee-say
four hundredquattrocentokwah-troh-chen-toh
four hundred twelvequattrocentododicikwah-troh-chen-toh-doh-dee-chee
five hundredcinquecentocheen-kwe-chen-toh
five hundred twocinquecentoduecheen-kwe-chen-toh-doo-eh
six hundredseicentosay-chen-toh
six hundred ninety-oneseicentonovantunosay-chen-toh-noh-van-too-noh
seven hundredsettecentoset-teh-chen-toh
seven hundred twenty-eightsettecentoventottoset-teh-chen-toh-noh-ven-toht-toh
eight hundredottocentooht-toh-chen-toh
eight hundred tenottocentodiecioht-toh-chen-toh-dee-eh-chee
nine hundrednovecentonoh-veh-chen-toh
nine hundred fortynovecentoquarantanoh-veh-chen-toh-kwah-rahn-tah
one thousandmillemee-leh
two thousandduemiladoo-eh-mee-lah
ten thousanddiecimiladyeh-chee-mee-lah
one hundred thousandcentomilachen-to-mee-lah
one millionun milioneoon mee-lyoh-neh
two milliondue milionidoo-eh mee-lyoh-nee
one billionun miliardooon mee-lyar-doh

Ordinal numbers in the Italian language

Ordinal numbers indicate positions in a sequence (first, second, third, etc.). You can use them to clarify rankings, dates, floors in buildings, and chapters or lessons. Keep in mind that ordinal numbers must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.

EnglishItalianPronunciation
firstprimo/apree-moh/mah
secondsecondo/aseh-kon-doh/dah
thirdterzo/ater-tsoh/tsah
fourthquarto/akwar-toh/tah
fifthquinto/akeen-toh/tah
sixthsesto/ases-toh/tah
seventhsettimo/aset-tee-moh/mah
eighthottavo/aot-tah-voh/vah
ninthnono/anoh-noh/nah
tenthdecimo/adeh-chee-moh/mah
  • Oggi è il primo giorno di scuola. (Today is the first day of school.)
  • Sono arrivato al secondo piano. (I arrived on the second floor.)
  • Il terzo capitolo è il mio preferito. (The third chapter is my favorite.)
  • Questa è la quarta volta che lo faccio. (This is the fourth time I’ve done it.)
  • Hanno festeggiato il loro decimo anniversario. (They celebrated their tenth anniversary.)

Using Italian numbers in daily life

Time and dates 

EnglishItalian
one o’clockl’una
two o’clockle due
noonmezzogiorno
midnightmezzanotte
quarter past threele tre e un quarto
half past fourle quattro e mezza
todayoggi
tomorrowdomani
yesterdayieri
first week of the monthla prima settimana del mese
May the 1stil primo di maggio
  • Che ore sono? È l’una. (What time is it? It’s one o’clock.)
  • Incontriamoci a mezzogiorno. (Let’s meet at noon.)
  • Il primo di maggio è la Festa dei lavoratori. (The First of May is Workers’ Day.)
  • Ieri era una giornata speciale. (Yesterday was a special day.)
  • Il treno parte a mezzanotte. (The train leaves at midnight.)

Shopping and prices

EnglishItalian
priceil prezzo
one euroun euro
ten eurosdieci euro
50 centscinquanta centesimi
300 gramstre etti (un etto = 100g)
150 gramsun etto e mezzo
discountlo sconto
salei saldi
receiptlo scontrino
a kiloun chilo
a dozenuna dozzina
  • Qual è il prezzo? (What’s the price?)
  • Vorrei un chilo di mele. (I’d like a kilo of apples.)
  • Il totale è dieci euro. (The total is ten euros.)
  • Avete saldi su questi prodotti? (Do you have sales on these products?)
  • Può darmi lo scontrino, per favore? (Can you give me the receipt, please?)

Telephone numbers and addresses 

EnglishItalian
phone numberil numero di telefono
area codeil prefisso
addressl'indirizzo
flooril piano
house numberil numero civico
zip codeil codice postale
  • Qual è il tuo numero di telefono? (What’s your phone number?)
  • Il prefisso per Roma è 06. (The area code for Rome is 06.)
  • Abito al numero civico 10. (I live at house number 10.)
  • Qual è il tuo indirizzo? (What’s your address?)
  • L’ufficio è al quinto piano. (The office is on the fifth floor.)

Italian expressions with numbers

Numbers frequently appear in Italian idiomatic expressions, proverbs and sayings, often carrying symbolic or cultural significance.

  • Essere al settimo cielo. (To be in seventh heaven.)
    • Meaning: o be extremely happy or ecstatic
  • Fare quattro chiacchiere. (To do four chit-chats.)
    Meaning: to have a little chat
  • Essere in quattro gatti. (To be four cats.)
    • Meaning: to be just a few people
  • Non c’è due senza tre. (There’s no two without three.)
    • Meaning: If something has happened twice, it’s likely to happen a third time.
  • Su due piedi. (On two feet.)
    • Meaning: Off the top of my head. To explain something without too much preparation.
  • Chi fa da sé fa per tre. (One who does it for oneself, does it as if they were three.)
    • Meaning: You're better off doing it by yourself rather than waiting for someone else.

FAQs

What are the numbers 1 to 20 in Italian?

Uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, sette, otto, nove, dieci, undici, dodici, tredici, quattordici, quindici, sedici, diciassette, diciotto, diciannove, venti.

For 21, 31 and further numbers, combine the tenth decimal prefix with the unit (venti + uno = ventuno). Drop the final vowel of the prefix (venti, trenta) before uno and otto (ventotto).

What are some tips for learning Italian numbers quickly?

Our top three tips are: practice counting aloud, notice the patterns (dici for 11–19 or -anta for 30+) and use real-life examples like prices or dates to reinforce learning.

Learn your numbers in Italian in ‘quattro e quattr’otto!’

From telling time to shopping, from sharing addresses to making plans, numbers in Italian are present constantly.
Want to learn Italian in a supportive environment? Lingoda’s small group classes, flexible scheduling and native-level teachers provide the perfect space to refine your Italian skills. Whether you’re counting to ten or learning idiomatic phrases, you can count on us for an effective learning journey!

Learn Italian with Lingoda

How it works
Imanol Rodríguez Guridi

Imanol Rodríguez Guridi

Imanol Rodríguez Guridi is a Uruguayan polyglot writer with a moderate obsession for world music research. As a former Literature student who realized he should’ve aimed for Ethnography instead, he has spent serious amounts of time thoroughly traveling through over 40 countries, engaging with locals to a maximum degree with the hopes of understanding their traditions, habits, languages, religions, virtues and vices directly from the source. Writing and traveling aside, he’s an Abhyanga massage therapist and loves mixing music.