How to count numbers in your (native) language(s)

[linguaholic]

Languages are really different when it comes to "numbers". In german, for instance, we count like stated here:

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-count-in-german.html

It is actually pretty similar to the way people count in English. ---> The first 9 (10) digits are the "basic" numbers ("words") in the counting system and then you just add those elements in one way or the other to create the numbers 11-X. Whereas in German you say "Vierundzwanzig" for 24, you say twenty-four in English, so in german you first have the small number and then the bigger one (4 und 20) where in English you first got the bigger number and then the smaller number (20 (and) 4).

In Chinese, on the other hand, the counting system is pretty different. The biggest difference in counting in the Chinese counting system is the fact, that you have a unit of 10'000 (万). So if you are going to say 40'000 you are basically saying 4 x 10'000 (40'000 in Chinese = 四万) and not as in German/English 40 x 1000 (40'000 in English being forty-thousand and "Vierzigtausend" in German).

Please let us know how the counting system works in your language(s)!

[Czarownica]

In Chinese, on the other hand, the counting system is pretty different. The biggest difference in counting in the Chinese counting system is the fact, that you have a unit of 10'000 (万). So if you are going to say 40'000 you are basically saying 4 x 10'000 (40'000 in Chinese = 四万) and not as in German/English 40 x 1000 (40'000 in English being forty-thousand and "Vierzigtausend" in German).

It's the same in Japanese.

In Polish the counting system is pretty...normal, I think? Depends on what you consider normal.

But just like with everything in Polish, there's a lot of declination and different grammar forms.

So, for example, when I count, it goes: jeden, dwa, trzy, cztery, pięć, sześć, siedem, osiem, dziewięć, dziesięć... and so on.

But when I want to say: "Ala has one apple" it wouldn't be "Ala ma jeden jabłko", it has to be "Ala ma jedno jabłko".

[caparica007]

Portuguese is equal to German and English for example, you have the numbers from 1 to 10 (dez), 11 to 15 is something atypical, but after that it's pretty common, you say dezasseis (16), dezassete (17) and so on. Vinte - twenty, vinte e um - twenty one, pretty straight forward.

[littlebelgianwriter]

My mother tongue is Dutch.

From 1 to 10: één, twee, drie, vier, vijf, zes, zeven, acht, negen, tien.

From 10 to 20: elf, twaalf, dertien, veertien, vijftien, zestien, zeventien, achttien, negentien, twintig.

Basically, elf and twaalf are seperate words much like eleven and twelve in English.

From 13 onwards, you put a word that resembles 3, 4, 5 and so on, in front of 'tien' (10) and the other numbers are formed.

The same goes for 20: twintig and then, eenentwintig, tweeëntwintig, drieëntwintig, vierentwintig for 21, 22,23, 24 and so on.

From 100 it works in reverse: 101 is honderd en één.

From 200 it becomes: tweehonderd (two hundred)

This is to give you some idea.

[Trellum]

In spanish we count like this:

From 1 to 10: Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve and diez.

From 11 to 20: Once, doce, trece, catorce, quince, diesiseis, diesisiete, diesiocho, diesinueve, veinte.

So you basically need to memorize the first 20 numbers, but from that on it gets easier.  For example to get the numbers after twenty all you have to do is to put ''veinti'' then add one of the first 9 numbers. For example: ''veintitres''. You can do the same with the next 70 numbers.

From 30 to 100: treina, cuarenta, cincuenta, sesenta, setenta, ochenta noventa, cien.

From 200 to 1,000: doscientos, trescientos, cuatrocientos, qunientos, seiscientos, sietecientos, ochocientos, novecientos, mil.

[marmunmrhundun]

Well, I know everyone here probably knows how to count numbers in English so I don't think I need to explain how to do that too much. However this thread really made me think, because I never really took into account of other languages count numbers.