German Numbers 20-100 Explained

German counts two-digit numbers backwards compared to English — and once you know that one trick, 20 to 100 becomes very predictable. In this lesson, we go through the German numbers 20 to 100, explain the reversed word order that trips up most beginners, and cover the small irregularities worth memorizing separately.

The Big Rule: Ones Before Tens

In English we say "twenty-one"; in German it's the reverse: einundzwanzig — literally "one-and-twenty". The pattern is always [ones] + und + [tens]: 22 zweiundzwanzig, 35 fünfunddreißig, 47 siebenundvierzig. It feels backwards at first, but it's completely consistent.

The Tens: 20, 30, 40... 90

20 zwanzig, 30 dreißig (note: not "dreizig" — this one's an exception), 40 vierzig, 50 fünfzig, 60 sechzig, 70 siebzig, 80 achtzig, 90 neunzig. Apart from dreißig, every one of these is simply the base number plus -zig.

Reaching 100

100 is simply hundert (or einhundert). Numbers just past it follow the same logic you'd expect: 101 hunderteins, 121 hunderteinundzwanzig — the ones-before-tens rule still applies inside the hundreds.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say 21 in German?

Einundzwanzig — literally "one-and-twenty", following German's ones-before-tens word order.

Why is German 30 different from the -zig pattern?

30 is dreißig, not "dreizig" — it's a small exception to the otherwise regular base-number-plus-zig pattern used for 40 to 90.

What is the pattern for German two-digit numbers?

The ones digit comes first, followed by "und" (and), followed by the tens digit, e.g. 47 = siebenundvierzig (seven-and-forty).

How do you say 100 in German?

Hundert, or einhundert.

Does the ones-before-tens rule still apply after 100?

Yes — for example 121 is hunderteinundzwanzig, keeping the same ones-before-tens order inside the hundreds.

Ready to keep building your German number and vocabulary skills? Check out our A1 German course.